George Russell acknowledged that the anxieties Mercedes harboured about Ferrari’s potential dominance at the Hungarian Grand Prix were justified after a Friday practice session that was clearly ruled by their title‑contending rivals. Mercedes, who have amassed eight victories from the first ten races of the season and sit atop the drivers’ and constructors’ standings, entered the Hungaroring with a mixture of confidence and caution. The circuit’s tight, twisty layout – with a series of slow‑speed corners and a short straight – has historically favoured cars that excel in cornering grip, a characteristic that many analysts believed would play into Ferrari’s hands. The Italian team, having already secured two wins earlier in the year, appeared to have a chassis that thrived on high‑downforce, low‑speed circuits, prompting speculation that they could be the team to beat in Budapest.
That speculation proved well‑founded on Friday. Ferrari posted the fastest times in both practice sessions, even achieving a one‑two finish in the second, more representative hour of running.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, managed to slot into second place behind Charles Leclerc, while the rest of the field shuffled behind them. By contrast, Mercedes struggled to find the right balance. Their best lap placed them fifth overall, while their slowest was 13th, a full 0.9 seconds adrift of the leading Ferrari – an unusually large margin in a series where fractions of a second matter.
The gap highlighted ongoing issues with single‑lap pace and overall car equilibrium. Lando Norris, who had brought a heavily upgraded McLaren to the track, claimed third place, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fourth. Russell, who posted the fifth‑fastest time, described the day as “quite a strange day for everybody.” He noted that the resurfaced sections of the track were extremely bumpy, especially around the final corners, making the car’s handling unpredictable.
“Budapest is a fantastic circuit, but half the track has been resurfaced and it’s breaking up in places, which makes it feel odd to drive,” Russell said. He added that while the long‑run pace looked more promising, the single‑lap performance was disappointing and, as he put it, “what we feared with Ferrari seemed to be the case.” Mercedes’ championship leader, George Russell, also mentioned that the wind conditions were variable, with shifting directions that could further complicate car setup and driver confidence. “It was really windy today and I think the wind direction is going to be shifting, so that could be changing a lot,” he explained. He admitted that both he and his teammate Kimi Räikkönen felt the car was “far from great” and that there was “room to improve.” Ferrari’s success this weekend was not entirely unexpected.
Although they have benefited from a degree of luck, their two victories this season have both come in the last four races, indicating a late‑season surge in form. The Hungarian GP marked only the second occasion this year that they had topped a conventional Friday session. Leclerc, who topped the first practice by a sizable 0.4 seconds, later finished just 0.148 seconds behind Hamilton in the second session. He described the day as “relatively strong,” noting that the car felt good from the outset and that performance appeared solid.
However, he cautioned that the weekend was still long and that teams often make significant gains between Friday and Saturday. “Normally we are on the back foot on Friday, so it’s good that we had a strong start, but we still need to stay focused and work hard to improve,” Leclerc said. Hamilton, speaking after the session, described the day as “solid overall.” He highlighted the challenging conditions, citing the wind and the uneven track surface as factors that made the car feel unsettled in certain sections.
Nevertheless, he observed that the Mercedes performed better in the second practice and that the team had made progress between the two sessions. “We’ll go through all the data overnight, keep working on the balance and hopefully find a bit more performance,” he added.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur, while pleased with the early results, warned against complacency. “So far, so good, but it’s not on Friday that we win the pole, even less that we win the race,” he said.
He emphasized that the real test would come on Saturday, when qualifying would determine the grid positions. Vasseur also hinted that Lando Norris might not have completed a clean lap, suggesting that the final picture could still shift. Other drivers also weighed in on Ferrari’s speed.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who was sixth fastest, remarked, “I knew they were going to be quick on a track like that. At the moment we are waiting for Mercedes to wake up.” Oscar Piastri, eighth fastest in a McLaren that did not carry its major upgrade, added, “The Ferraris have looked very quick in both sessions, but Lando looked competitive in the second one especially. The Mercedes is very hard to read, so let’s see tomorrow.” The schedule for the weekend was packed, featuring F3 and F2 support races, as well as the main Formula 1 event. Practice three, qualifying, and the race itself were all slated for live broadcast on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available via NOW.
As the teams prepared for Saturday’s qualifying, the consensus was clear: while Ferrari had demonstrated impressive pace on Friday, the ultimate outcome would depend on how quickly Mercedes could resolve its balance issues and whether the wind and track conditions would evolve further. The Hungarian Grand Prix promised a thrilling showdown, with the championship leaders keen to protect their advantage and the challengers eager to capitalize on any opening.