Lewis Hamilton managed to edge past his teammate Charles Leclerc for the quickest lap in the second practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, underscoring Ferrari's strong showing on the first day of action on the Hungaroring. After Leclerc had comfortably out‑paced both Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Hamilton in the opening Friday session, the seven‑time world champion made significant progress later in the day, erasing a half‑second gap and ultimately posting a 0.158‑second advantage over the Italian driver. The closest challenger to Ferrari in the more representative second practice was the reigning champion Lando Norris, who, in an upgraded McLaren, was just under half a second slower than Hamilton.
Norris’s lap demonstrated that the McLaren, while still a step behind the Ferraris, could extract respectable performance on a circuit that many had predicted would favour the Italian team. Speaking after his run, 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 highlighted both the progress made and the work still required to fine‑tune the Mercedes for the upcoming qualifying and race.
Ferrari's pace at the Hungaroring was hardly a surprise; the circuit's medium‑fast layout and flowing corners have historically suited the Scuderia's aerodynamic philosophy. However, the team received an additional morale boost from the unexpected difficulties faced by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes crew. Antonelli, who missed the first practice session while Mercedes completed a mandatory rookie driver stint, returned to the track only to struggle repeatedly, running off the circuit due to rear‑wheel lock‑ups.
The 19‑year‑old Italian, who sits 45 points behind Hamilton in the drivers' standings, ultimately recorded a lap that placed him 13th, nearly two seconds off the leading time. His teammate, George Russell, fared slightly better, posting a fifth‑place time that was still almost a full second slower than Hamilton’s best. Meanwhile, Verstappen, who had been dominant in earlier rounds of the season, found himself about 0.7 seconds off the pace in fourth place, while his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar occupied sixth after a solid run. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who also sat out the opening session, delivered a disappointing eighth‑place performance, being outpaced by Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson.
The gap between Piastri and Norris may be explained by the fact that the Australian did not have the full upgrade package installed on his car, limiting his ability to match his teammate’s pace. Looking ahead, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull still have an opportunity to extract additional performance before the final practice session scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Nevertheless, Ferrari has already positioned itself as the clear favourite for what promises to be a pivotal qualifying session at 3 p.m., which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.
The second practice was briefly halted by a red‑flag period lasting almost ten minutes after Franco Colapinto crashed heavily at the entry to the final corner, bringing his Alpine to a stop. The incident underscored the thin margins on a track where aerodynamic grip can be heavily influenced by wind and surface irregularities. Aston Martin also faced setbacks; Lance Stroll was absent from the session after a suspension failure in the first practice session.
The team's ambitious 16‑part upgrade package, unveiled earlier in the weekend, was largely eclipsed by the mechanical issue, adding to a season that has thus far been fraught with reliability concerns. Fernando Alonso, driving for the team that fielded a single operational car in the second practice, managed to show some signs of progress.
Despite finishing behind the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac, who occupied 19th place and were nearly three seconds off the leaders, Alonso’s lap was notably quicker before a faster attempt was deleted for breaching track limits. Post‑session, the Spanish veteran remarked that the car felt "much better" and seemed to meet the team's expectations, suggesting that the team may be on a positive development trajectory as the weekend unfolds. The schedule for the remainder of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend is packed with action.
On Saturday, the F3 Sprint will kick off at 9:00 a.m., followed by the final practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:30 a.m. The day will also feature an F2 Sprint, the qualifying build‑up, and the crucial qualifying session at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday’s agenda includes the F3 Feature Race, Porsche Supercup, F2 Feature Race, and the Grand Prix itself, which is slated to start at 2:00 p.m. All sessions are available live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options through NOW for viewers who prefer an online platform without a long‑term contract. In summary, the second practice at the Hungaroring highlighted Ferrari’s dominant form, Hamilton’s resurgence after a slower opening session, and the challenges faced by both Mercedes rookies and Aston Martin. As teams analyse the wealth of data generated on Friday, the battle for pole position and ultimately race victory is set to intensify, promising an exciting climax to one of the most technically demanding circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.