Lewis Hamilton managed to edge out his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc for 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 outpaced Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Hamilton in the initial Friday session, 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 his team‑mate. The closest rival to the Scuderia 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 that while Ferrari appeared to have the upper hand, other front‑running teams still possessed the speed to challenge. Hamilton commented on the day, saying: "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 remarks reflected a mixture of satisfaction with the progress made and a realistic acknowledgment that further work was required to maximise the Mercedes package. Ferrari's strong showing at the Hungaroring— a circuit many analysts had predicted would suit the Italian team's aerodynamic philosophy—was not entirely unexpected.
However, the team received an extra boost from the surprising difficulties encountered by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes crew. Antonelli, who missed the first practice session as Mercedes fulfilled a mandatory rookie driver slot, returned for the second session only to struggle significantly. He repeatedly ran off the track due to rear‑wheel lock‑ups, ultimately posting a lap time that placed him 13th, nearly two seconds off the pace.
His teammate George Russell, despite setting a flying lap on fresh soft tyres, was still almost a full second slower than the leading time, finishing fifth. Max Verstappen, who had led the first practice, found himself almost seven‑tenths of a second off Hamilton's best time in fourth place, while his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar trailed Russell in sixth. McLaren's Oscar Piastri, another driver who sat out the opening session, delivered a disappointing eighth‑place finish, being outpaced by Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson. The gap between Piastri and Norris could be partially explained by the Australian not having received the full upgrade package that his teammate enjoyed.
The session also featured a brief interruption when a red flag was displayed for nearly ten minutes after Franco Colapinto crashed heavily at the final corner, sending his Alpine into the barriers. The stoppage gave teams a short window to analyse data and adjust setups before the track was cleared.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll was absent from the second practice after suffering a suspension failure in the first session. The incident further compounded a challenging season for the British outfit, whose ambitious 16‑part upgrade package was largely eclipsed by the mechanical failure. Fernando Alonso, driving for the team that fielded a single operational car, managed to show signs of progress despite finishing 19th, almost three seconds off the leaders. A faster lap was deleted after a track‑limits violation, but the Spaniard expressed optimism, noting that the car felt "much better" and appeared to meet the team's expectations for development.
Looking ahead, the Italian squad entered the final practice session on Saturday with a clear advantage, positioning themselves as the favourites for what promises to be a pivotal qualifying round at 3:00 pm. Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull still have opportunities to close the gap before the decisive session, but Ferrari's current form suggests they will be the team to beat.
The weekend schedule continues with a series of support races, including F3 and F2 sprint events, before the main Grand Prix on Sunday, July 26, which kicks off at 2:00 pm local time. All sessions are broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream the coverage via the NOW platform without a long‑term contract.
The Hungarian Grand Prix will be a critical test for the championship contenders, especially as the points race tightens and teams strive to extract every ounce of performance from their cars in the demanding, twisty layout of the Hungaroring.