Lewis Hamilton tops second practice in Hungary as Ferrari show strong pace

By James Carter — 24 July 2026 — 3 min read

Lewis Hamilton finished Friday’s second practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix in the top spot. He outpaced Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Lando Norris from McLaren during the session.

Many teams were working to fine-tune upgrades, including Aston Martin, after Lance Stroll experienced a suspension issue that ended his first practice session early. Aston Martin arrived in Hungary with significant updates, introducing what is essentially a B-spec car. McLaren also brought a substantial new package, and Red Bull reintroduced their rotating rear wing.

Stroll did not participate in the second practice session as his team lacked sufficient time to repair the damage from earlier in the day, leaving Fernando Alonso as the sole representative for Aston Martin.

Early in the session, Leclerc set an initial benchmark on medium tires. Hamilton then went faster by four-tenths of a second. The Ferrari pair appeared strong from the outset.

However, not all drivers were content with their performance. Pierre Gasly reported issues with his car, stating, “Something feels wrong on the car, it’s extremely bad. It just feels broken in Turn 12. Something with the front is wrong.” The wind also picked up, making balance around the circuit a challenge. George Russell described his Mercedes as feeling “dreadful” and “so out of balance.” His teammate also expressed concerns about the car’s behavior.

Hamilton improved his time to maintain his position at the top. Meanwhile, Leclerc experienced three lock-ups in the initial 20 minutes before returning to the pits.

Qualifying Simulation and Incidents

During the soft tire runs, Norris recorded the fastest lap of the session in his upgraded McLaren. His time was 1m 19.228s. Shortly after, a red flag was deployed following a crash involving Franco Colapinto, which forced Kimi Antonelli to abort his lap.

Colapinto lost the rear of his car at the final corner, spinning backward into the barrier. This incident meant Alpine faced an overnight repair job. After the recovery of his car, Ferrari demonstrated strong performance, with Leclerc returning to the top spot with a time of 1m 18.877s. Hamilton was just 0.037s behind.

This effort remained the best of the day, placing him ahead of Leclerc and Norris at the end of the second practice session.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull secured fourth position after hitting debris from Alonso’s Aston Martin. He was followed by Russell, Isack Hadjar, and Liam Lawson. Oscar Piastri finished seventh, with Nico Hulkenberg and Arvid Lindblad completing the top 10.

Just outside the top 10 were Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Antonelli, Gasly, Bearman, and the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. The session concluded with Valtteri Bottas, Alonso, Sergio Perez, and Colapinto, whose Alpine was damaged. Stroll remained in the garage for the entire session.

Team Reactions and Outlook

George Russell acknowledged concerns within Mercedes regarding Ferrari’s pace at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He noted that Ferrari appeared to be very strong. Mercedes finished second practice in fifth and 13th fastest, with a gap to their main rivals.

Leclerc described Friday as a “relatively strong day,” feeling good with the car from the start. He emphasized the need to continue working hard for Saturday, anticipating a tight qualifying session. Hamilton commented on the challenging conditions, including the wind and bumpy track, and mentioned making progress between sessions. He noted that the car felt better in FP2.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur remained cautious despite the strong start, stating that Friday’s performance does not guarantee pole position or a race win. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar observed Ferrari’s speed, expecting a close competition with McLaren. Oscar Piastri also noted Ferrari’s quick performance in both sessions.

The Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday at 3pm.

Source: formula1.com