Lewis Hamilton managed to edge past his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc to claim the quickest time in the second practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, underscoring Ferrari's dominance on the opening day of the weekend. After Leclerc had comfortably topped the first practice session, outpacing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Hamilton, the seven‑time world champion showed a marked improvement later in the day, turning a half‑second shortfall into a 0.158‑second lead over the Italian driver.
The closest challenger to the leading Ferrari in the more representative second practice was the reigning champion Lando Norris, who, driving an upgraded McLaren, was just under half a second slower than Hamilton. Norris’s performance highlighted McLaren’s progress but also reinforced the gap that Ferrari currently enjoys at the Hungaroring. Speaking after his lap, Hamilton said: "It was a solid day overall. The conditions were quite challenging, with the wind making things a bit tricky and the track feeling quite bumpy in some places.
The car felt better in FP2 and we made some good progress between the sessions, although there are still a few areas we need to improve. We'll go through all the data overnight, keep working on the balance and hopefully find a bit more performance for tomorrow." His comments reflected both confidence in the current package and a realistic acknowledgment that further fine‑tuning will be required before qualifying. Ferrari’s strong showing at the Hungaroring was not entirely unexpected. Many analysts had predicted that the circuit’s tight, twisty layout would suit the Italian team’s aerodynamic philosophy.
However, the performance gap was amplified by the surprising difficulties faced by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes team. Antonelli, who had sat out the first practice session to fulfil Mercedes’ rookie driver requirement, returned only to struggle considerably. He repeatedly ran off the track due to rear‑wheel lock‑ups, ultimately posting a lap that left him 13th overall and almost two seconds off the pace. The 19‑year‑old Italian, who leads the standings by 45 points, found himself far behind his teammate George Russell, who managed a fifth‑place time despite completing his flying lap on fresh soft tyres.
Russell’s effort placed him nearly a full second off Hamilton’s best time, illustrating the current performance deficit Mercedes faces relative to Ferrari. Max Verstappen, who had been the benchmark for Red Bull throughout the season, was also off the pace, finishing fourth and trailing Hamilton by roughly 0.7 seconds. His teammate Isack Hadjar, who joined Red Bull earlier in the season, occupied sixth place, further emphasizing the difficulty Red Bull is encountering in matching Ferrari’s current form at this venue. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who also missed the first practice session, delivered an eighth‑place performance, being outpaced by Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
The gap between Piastri and his team‑mate Norris could be partially explained by the Australian not having the full upgrade package installed on his car, suggesting that McLaren’s development trajectory remains uneven. While Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull still have time to extract additional performance before the final practice session scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Ferrari has already cemented itself as the clear favourite for what is expected to be a pivotal qualifying session at 3 p.m.
The Italians’ strong showing has set a high bar for the rest of the field, and the pressure will now shift to the other teams to close the gap. The second practice session was briefly halted by a red flag that lasted almost ten minutes after Franco Colapinto suffered a heavy crash at the entry to the final corner, sending his Alpine into the barriers.
The incident highlighted the unforgiving nature of the Hungaroring’s narrow layout and the importance of precision at high speed. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was absent from the session after a suspension failure in the first practice, adding to the team’s season‑long woes. Their planned 16‑part upgrade package, which was meant to revitalize the car’s competitiveness, was eclipsed by the mechanical failure, leaving the team to regroup.
Fernando Alonso managed to show some encouraging signs in the second practice despite the challenges his team has faced all season. The Spaniard’s lap was deleted after a track‑limits infringement, but he expressed optimism, noting that the car felt "much better" and seemed to meet the team’s expectations.
His performance placed him between the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac, who occupied 19th place, nearly three seconds off the leading time. Looking ahead, the weekend schedule is packed with support series and the main event. Saturday will feature the F3 Sprint at 9 a.m., followed by the final practice session at 11:30 a.m., the F2 Sprint at 1:10 p.m., and the crucial qualifying session at 3 p.m. Sunday’s agenda includes the F3 Feature Race, Porsche Supercup, F2 Feature Race, and the Hungarian Grand Prix itself, which is slated to start at 2 p.m.
All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available via NOW, offering a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime service. In summary, the second practice at the Hungaroring has solidified Ferrari’s position as the team to beat, with Hamilton’s unexpected fastest lap adding intrigue to the championship battle. Mercedes’ rookie struggles, McLaren’s mixed upgrades, and Aston Martin’s mechanical setbacks all set the stage for a highly competitive qualifying and a dramatic race day in Budapest.