Lewis Hamilton edged past his teammate Charles Leclerc to claim the fastest lap in the second free‑practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, underscoring Ferrari's strong showing on the opening day of the weekend. After Leclerc had comfortably out‑paced Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Hamilton in the Friday morning session, the seven‑time world champion made significant progress later in the day, turning a half‑second shortfall into a 0.158‑second advantage over the Italian driver.
The next closest challenger in the more representative FP2 was the reigning champion Lando Norris, who, driving an upgraded McLaren, was just under half a second slower than Hamilton. Norris' performance highlighted McLaren's continued development, but the gap to the leading Ferrari‑Mercedes hybrid remained noticeable. Hamilton commented on the day’s work, 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 typical Formula 1 approach: incremental gains, data‑driven adjustments, and a focus on tyre balance and aerodynamic stability. Ferrari’s speed at the Hungaroring – a circuit many analysts had predicted would suit their chassis – was not a surprise, but the Italian squad received an extra boost from the unexpected difficulties faced by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes team.
Antonelli, the 19‑year‑old rookie who currently leads Hamilton by 45 points in the drivers' standings, missed the first practice session as Mercedes fulfilled a mandatory rookie driver slot. When he returned for FP2, he struggled considerably, repeatedly running off the track due to rear‑wheel lock‑ups.
The young Italian ultimately recorded a lap that placed him 13th, almost two seconds off the pace, while his teammate George Russell was about a full second slower than Hamilton despite setting a flying lap on fresh soft tyres. Max Verstappen, who had topped the opening session, was fourth in FP2, roughly 0.7 seconds behind Hamilton.
His Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar occupied sixth place, indicating that Red Bull still has the raw speed but is currently out‑matched by Ferrari’s overall package at this venue. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who also sat out the first session, finished eighth, lagging behind his compatriot Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls. Piastri’s deficit to Norris may be partly explained by the fact that he was not running the full upgrade specification that the team had introduced earlier in the season, suggesting that McLaren’s development path is still in progress. While Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull still have opportunities to close the gap before the final practice at 11:30 am on Saturday, Ferrari has already positioned itself as the clear favourite for what many consider one of the most decisive qualifying sessions of the year, scheduled for 3 pm and broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.
The FP2 session was briefly halted by a red flag lasting nearly ten minutes after Franco Colapinto crashed heavily at the final corner, bringing his Alpine to a stop and prompting officials to clear the track. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was absent from the session after suffering a suspension failure in the first practice, a setback that compounded the team’s difficult season. Their ambitious 16‑part upgrade package, unveiled earlier in the weekend, was overshadowed by the mechanical issue.
Fernando Alonso, driving for the team that fielded a single working car in FP2, managed to show signs of improvement despite finishing behind the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac, who occupied 19th place, nearly three seconds off the pace. Alonso had a faster lap deleted for exceeding track limits, but he noted after the session that the car felt "much better" and met the team's expectations, hinting at a possible upward trajectory for the Spanish veteran. Looking ahead, the schedule for the remainder of the weekend includes a packed lineup of support series and the main event.
On Saturday, the F3 Sprint will start at 9 am, followed by the final practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:30 am, the F2 Sprint at 1:10 pm, and the crucial qualifying session at 3 pm. Sunday’s program features the F3 Feature Race, the Porsche Supercup, the F2 Feature Race, and 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 the NOW platform without a long‑term contract.
In summary, the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend has already delivered a clear narrative: Ferrari appears to have found a strong rhythm at the Hungaroring, Hamilton has reclaimed the fastest time after a solid improvement run, and the midfield battles are intensifying as teams scramble to extract performance before the decisive qualifying session. The upcoming sessions will determine whether Ferrari can convert its practice dominance into pole position and race victory, or if the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren can mount a late‑season challenge to upset the emerging order.