George Russell acknowledged that the anxieties Mercedes harboured about Ferrari’s likely blistering pace at the Hungarian Grand Prix have indeed come to pass, as Friday’s practice sessions were clearly dominated by their title‑challenging rivals. Mercedes have been the benchmark in the championship so far, boasting eight victories from the ten races contested, yet the tight, twisty nature of the Hungaroring had prompted many analysts to suggest that Ferrari – the winners of the other two Grand Prix this season and a team whose car excels in high‑speed cornering – could be the benchmark to beat this weekend. Those pre‑race predictions proved remarkably accurate on Friday. Ferrari comfortably topped both free‑practice sessions, even achieving a one‑two finish in the more representative second hour of running, with Lewis Hamilton surprisingly posting the fastest time followed closely by Charles Leclerc.
By contrast, Mercedes found themselves languishing in fifth place in the second session and as low as thirteenth overall, a full 0.9 seconds adrift of their chief rivals – a gap that underscored ongoing balance issues and a lack of single‑lap firepower. Lando Norris, driving a heavily upgraded McLaren, claimed third, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen managed fourth. "It was quite a strange day out there for everyone," said Russell, who recorded the fifth‑fastest time.
"Budapest is an amazing circuit, but they resurfaced half the track, making it very bumpy, especially around the final corners where the surface is breaking up. That made the car feel odd to drive." He continued, "Our single‑lap pace didn’t look great. The longer runs were more competitive, but what we feared about Ferrari seems to have materialised. They look incredibly strong." Russell also noted that the windy conditions added another layer of difficulty, with shifting gusts likely to influence the weekend’s qualifying and race strategies.
Ferrari’s champion, Antonelli, who missed the first practice session while the team met rookie‑driver running requirements with Frederik Vesti, was forced into thirteenth after his soft‑tyre runs were disrupted by a red‑flag caused by Franco Colapinto’s crash and by his own mistakes, including a significant lock‑up at Turn Two. Russell added, "We have a lot of work to do as a team. Ferrari are a step ahead of everyone right now.
Both Kimi and I felt the car was far from ideal, and there’s definitely room for improvement. The wind was strong today and its direction is changing, which could alter the balance a lot." Although Ferrari have benefited from a degree of luck, both of their victories this season have come in the last four races, and Hungary marked only the second occasion this year that they have been the outright fastest on a conventional Friday.
Leclerc topped the opening session by a substantial 0.4 seconds and then finished just 0.148 seconds behind Hamilton in the second practice. He praised the day, saying, "It was a relatively strong day. From the start I felt good with the car and the performance was immediately evident. That’s encouraging, but the weekend is long and we usually see teams improve from Friday to Saturday." Leclerc continued, "Usually we are on the back foot on Friday, so a good session is a positive sign, but we must keep working hard to stay ahead.
Qualifying will be tight as always. I don’t expect to keep the gap we saw today, so we need to be perfect in Q3.
If the feeling persists, I’m confident we’ll do well in the final session." Hamilton, speaking after the practice sessions, described the day as solid overall. "The conditions were challenging, with the wind making things tricky and the track feeling bumpy in places. The car felt better in FP2 and we made progress between the sessions, but there are still areas to improve.
We’ll analyse all the data overnight, keep working on the balance and hope to extract a little more performance," he said. Team principal Frederic Vasseur, while pleased with the early results, cautioned against complacency. "So far, so good, but a strong Friday doesn’t guarantee pole, let alone a race win.
It’s a good start to the weekend, but we’ll see what happens tomorrow. Norris didn’t finish his lap, so there’s still a lot to sort out." Ferrari’s speed caught the attention of other teams as well.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who was sixth quickest, remarked, "I knew they’d be quick on a circuit like this. We’re waiting for Mercedes to wake up. As always, it’ll be close with the McLarens, that’s where we stand right now." Oscar Piastri, eighth fastest in the lone McLaren that did not carry its major upgrade on Friday, added, "The Ferraris have looked very quick in both sessions.
Lando looked competitive in the second session especially. The Mercedes is hard to read, so let’s see tomorrow. If we execute a good day, there could be a lot at stake." The weekend schedule is packed: Saturday starts with an F3 sprint at 9 am, followed by Hungarian GP Practice Three at 11:15 am, an F2 sprint at 1:10 pm, and qualifying later in the afternoon.
Sunday features the F3 feature race, Porsche Supercup, F2 feature race, and the Grand Prix itself, which kicks off at 2 pm on Sky Sports F1. All sessions will be streamed live, and fans can watch the race via NOW without a contract, with the option to cancel at any time. In summary, the practice sessions have highlighted a clear shift in the competitive order, with Ferrari demonstrating a level of pace that has unsettled Mercedes and forced the reigning champions to confront the reality that their rivals are now a step ahead. The upcoming qualifying and race will determine whether Mercedes can close the gap or if Ferrari will continue to consolidate their newfound momentum in the championship battle.