George Russell acknowledged that the worries Mercedes harboured regarding Ferrari’s likely rapid pace at the Hungarian Grand Prix have indeed been confirmed, as Friday’s practice sessions were dominated by their title‑contending rivals. Mercedes have been leading the championship narrative, having secured eight victories out of the ten races contested so far.
Yet the tight, twisty layout of the Hungaroring sparked speculation before the weekend that Ferrari – the team that has already claimed the other two Grand Prix victories of the season and whose car excels in cornering – could prove the benchmark for the weekend. Those pre‑race predictions turned out to be spot on on Friday.
Ferrari comfortably topped both free‑practice sessions, even achieving a one‑two finish in the more representative second hour of running, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc occupying the top two spots. In stark contrast, Mercedes struggled. Their best effort in the second practice session placed them only fifth, while a further run saw them down at 13th overall – a surprising 0.9 seconds off their main rivals, highlighting significant balance issues and a lack of single‑lap speed. Lando Norris, driving a heavily upgraded McLaren, managed third, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fourth.
"It was quite a strange day out there, I think, for everybody," said Russell, who recorded the fifth‑fastest time. "Budapest is an amazing circuit, but they resurfaced half the track. It’s extremely bumpy and the surface is breaking up around the final corners, which makes the car behave oddly." "Our single‑lap pace didn’t look great. The longer runs were more competitive, but what we feared about Ferrari seems to have materialised," he added.
"They look very, very strong." Ferrari’s championship leader, Antonelli, who sat out the first practice session to satisfy the rookie‑driver mileage requirement with Frederik Vesti, ended up 13th after his soft‑tyre stint was disrupted by a red flag caused by Franco Colapinto’s crash and by his own mistakes, including a heavy lock‑up at Turn Two. Russell continued: "We have a lot of work to do as a team. Ferrari are a clear step ahead of everyone at the moment.
I think for both Kimi and me the car was far from great, to be honest, and there is plenty of room for improvement. It was really windy today and the wind direction is shifting, which could change things dramatically." Although Ferrari have benefited from a degree of luck, their two victories this season have both come in the last four races.
Hungary marked only the second occasion this year that they have been the outright fastest on a conventional Friday session. Leclerc led the opening practice by a substantial 0.4 seconds and then finished 0.148 seconds behind Hamilton in the second session. He commented, "It was a relatively strong day.
From the start I felt good with the car and the performance seemed solid straight away. That’s encouraging, but the weekend is long and we usually see a performance jump from Friday to Saturday." He added, "Normally we are on the back foot on Friday, so it’s nice to have a good start, but we must keep working hard to improve. Qualifying will be tight as always.
I don’t expect the gap we saw today to stay, so we’ll need to be perfect in Q3. If the feeling persists, I’m confident we’ll do well." Hamilton, speaking after Ferrari’s end‑of‑day press briefing, said, "It was a solid day overall. The conditions were challenging, with the wind making things tricky and the track feeling bumpy in places. The car felt better in FP2 and we made progress between the sessions, but there are still areas to improve.
We’ll analyse all the data overnight, keep working on balance and hopefully find a bit more performance." Team principal Frederic Vasseur, while pleased with the Friday results, cautioned against getting carried away. "So far, so good, but a good Friday doesn’t guarantee pole, let alone a race win," he warned. "It’s a good start to the weekend, but tomorrow will be another story.
I think Norris didn’t finish his lap, so we’ll see what happens on Saturday." Ferrari’s speed attracted attention from other teams as well. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who was sixth quickest, observed, "I knew they would be quick on a circuit like this. Right now we’re waiting for Mercedes to wake up.
As always, I think it will be a close battle with the McLarens. That’s where we stand at the moment." Oscar Piastri, eighth fastest in the lone McLaren that did not carry its major upgrade on Friday, 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.
If we execute a good day, a lot could be up for grabs." The weekend schedule is packed. On Saturday, July 25, the day begins with an F3 Sprint at 9 am, followed by Hungarian GP Practice Three at 11 am, an F2 Sprint at 1:10 pm, and the qualifying sessions later in the afternoon, culminating in the qualifying shootout at 3 pm.
Sunday, July 26, features an F3 Feature Race at 7:35 am, the Porsche Supercup at 9:05 am, the F2 Feature Race at 10:20 am, and finally the Hungarian Grand Prix itself at 2 pm, with post‑race analysis and reaction segments scheduled throughout the afternoon. All sessions are broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and the race can be streamed via NOW without a long‑term contract.
The Hungarian Grand Prix promises to be a pivotal round in the championship, especially as Mercedes grapple with balance issues and Ferrari continue to demonstrate the corner‑carving prowess that could reshape the title fight.