Lewis Hamilton managed to edge past his teammate Charles Leclerc for the quickest time in the second practice session, underscoring Ferrari's dominance on the opening day of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. After Leclerc had comfortably outpaced Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Hamilton in Friday's first free‑practice stint, the seven‑time world champion showed a marked improvement later in the day, erasing a half‑second deficit to finish 0.158 seconds ahead of the Ferrari driver.
The most immediate challenger to Ferrari's pace in the more representative second session was reigning champion Lando Norris, who, in an upgraded McLaren, was just under half a second slower than Hamilton. Norris's performance highlighted the competitive gap that Ferrari appears to have carved at the Hungaroring, a circuit many analysts had already predicted would suit the Italian team’s aerodynamic package. Speaking after his lap, Hamilton praised the overall effort, noting that the day’s conditions were far from ideal. "It was a solid day overall.
The wind made things a bit tricky and the track felt quite bumpy in places," he said. He added that the car felt noticeably better in FP2 and that the team had made significant progress between the two sessions. "We still have a few areas to improve, but we’ll go through all the data overnight, keep working on the balance and hopefully find a bit more performance for tomorrow," Hamilton explained. Ferrari’s strong showing at the Hungaroring was hardly a surprise, but it was further amplified by the unexpected difficulties faced by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes squad.
Antonelli, who missed the first practice session as Mercedes fulfilled a rookie‑driver requirement, returned only to struggle with rear‑wheel lock‑ups, repeatedly running off the track. The 19‑year‑old, who currently leads Hamilton by 45 points in the standings, managed a best time that placed him 13th, nearly two seconds off the leading pace. His teammate George Russell, despite setting a flying lap on fresh soft tyres, was almost a full second slower than Hamilton, finishing fifth. Max Verstappen, who had topped the opening session, was fourth in FP2, roughly seven‑tenths of a second off Hamilton’s best time.
His Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar occupied sixth place, trailing Russell. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, also absent from the first session, delivered a disappointing eighth‑place effort, outpaced by Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson. The gap between Piastri and Norris may be explained by the Australian not yet having the full upgrade package installed on his car. While Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull still have time to extract additional performance before the final practice session at 11:30 a.m.
on Saturday, Ferrari has firmly positioned itself as the favourite heading into one of the season’s most crucial qualifying rounds, scheduled for 3 p.m. and broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.
The second practice session was briefly halted by a red flag that lasted almost ten minutes after Franco Colapinto crashed heavily at the entry to the final corner in his Alpine. The incident underscored the challenging nature of the track, where a combination of wind, a bumpy surface and narrow run‑off areas can quickly turn a routine lap into a disaster. Aston Martin also faced setbacks, as Lance Stroll was unable to take part after his suspension broke during the first practice session.
The team’s ongoing struggles were highlighted by the fact that a 16‑part upgrade package, intended to revive their season, was largely eclipsed by the mechanical failure. Fernando Alonso, driving the sole working car for his team, showed signs of progress in FP2 despite finishing behind the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac, who occupied 19th place, nearly three seconds off the leader’s time. Alonso had a faster lap deleted for exceeding track limits, but he remained optimistic, stating that the car felt "much better" and lived up to the team’s expectations. Looking ahead, the schedule for the weekend is packed with action: Saturday will feature the F3 Sprint at 9 a.m., the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:15 a.m., followed by the F2 Sprint and the qualifying build‑up.
Qualifying itself begins at 2:15 p.m., with the race slated for Sunday at 2 p.m. All sessions will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1, with the option to watch via NOW without a long‑term contract. In summary, Hamilton’s fastest lap in the second practice session not only highlighted his personal resurgence but also cemented Ferrari’s position as the team to beat at the Hungaroring.
With the grid still shaping up and several teams grappling with technical issues, the upcoming qualifying and race promise to be a decisive chapter in the 2026 Formula 1 championship battle.