Lewis Hamilton managed to edge past his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc to claim the fastest lap 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 out‑paced Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Hamilton in the Friday morning session, 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 his team‑mate.
The next closest challenger in the more representative second practice was reigning champion Lando Norris, who, driving an upgraded McLaren, was just under half a second slower than Hamilton. Norris’s performance highlighted the competitive gap that Ferrari currently enjoys at the Hungaroring, a circuit many analysts had already predicted would suit the Italian marque’s aerodynamic package.
Speaking after his lap, Hamilton described the day as “solid overall,” noting that the wind made the track feel a bit tricky and that certain sections were noticeably bumpy. He added, “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 a pragmatic approach, acknowledging both the strides made and the work still required to optimise the Mercedes for qualifying and the race.
Ferrari’s strong showing at the Hungaroring was hardly a surprise. The team’s engineers have long believed that the circuit’s tight, twisty layout would play to the strengths of their current chassis, and the practice times confirmed that belief. However, the Italian squad also received an unexpected morale boost from the struggles of championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes team.
Antonelli, who missed the first practice session due to Mercedes fulfilling a rookie‑driver requirement, returned only to encounter serious rear‑locking issues that saw him repeatedly run off the track. The 19‑year‑old Italian, who leads Hamilton by 45 points in the standings, posted a lap that placed him 13th, nearly two seconds off the pace.
His teammate, George Russell, was also off the leading time, ending the session in fifth place, about a full second slower despite running on fresh soft tyres. Max Verstappen, who had topped the opening session, was four‑tenths off Hamilton’s best time in fourth place, while his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar followed closely behind Russell in sixth. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who also sat out the first practice, finished a disappointing eighth, out‑paced by Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson. Piastri’s slower time may be partially explained by the fact that he was not running the full upgrade package that Norris enjoyed, suggesting that McLaren still has work to do to bring both of its cars up to the same level.
The session was briefly halted by a red flag when Franco Colapinto crashed heavily on his Alpine at the final corner, prompting a ten‑minute stoppage while the track was cleared. This interruption gave teams a short window to analyse data and make last‑minute adjustments before the session resumed. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was absent from the second practice after suffering a suspension failure in the first session, a setback that further dimmed the team’s already challenging season.
Their planned 16‑part upgrade package was largely overshadowed by the mechanical issue, leaving the team to regroup and focus on reliability. Fernando Alonso, driving for the struggling team, managed to show signs of progress in his sole working car during the second practice. He finished between the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac, who occupied 19th place, almost three seconds off the pace.
Alonso had a faster lap deleted for exceeding track limits, but he expressed optimism after the session, stating that the car felt “much better” and met the team’s expectations. His comments suggest that even the lower‑performing outfits are making incremental gains as they adapt to the unique demands of the Hungaroring. Looking ahead, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull all have the opportunity to close the gap to Ferrari before the final practice session scheduled for 11:30 am on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Ferrari has already positioned itself as the clear favourite for what is expected to be one of the season’s most pivotal qualifying sessions, slated for 3 pm on Saturday and broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. The weekend schedule continues with a packed program: Saturday morning will see the F3 Sprint, followed by the final practice session, the F2 Sprint, and then the crucial qualifying. Sunday’s agenda includes the F3 Feature Race, the Porsche Supercup, the F2 Feature Race, and finally the Hungarian Grand Prix itself, which kicks off at 2 pm.
All sessions will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1, with the option to watch via NOW without a contract and cancel at any time. In summary, Hamilton’s fastest lap in the second practice session highlighted Mercedes’ ability to extract performance despite challenging conditions, while Ferrari’s overall dominance reaffirms their status as the team to beat at the Hungaroring. The struggles of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and the mechanical woes of Aston Martin add further intrigue to a weekend that promises intense competition, strategic battles, and a potential reshuffling of the championship order as drivers and teams vie for crucial points in Budapest.