Hamilton Tops Second Practice
Lewis Hamilton secured the top position in Friday’s second practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, outpacing his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Hamilton’s best time of 1m 18.729s established his lead, with Leclerc just 0.037s behind. Norris finished third, 0.499s off Hamilton’s pace, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen placed fourth.
The 60-minute session, which began at 17:00 local time, saw several teams working to fine-tune upgrades. Among them was Aston Martin, which arrived in Hungary with significant updates, essentially introducing a B-spec car. McLaren also featured a substantial new package, and Red Bull brought back their rotating rear wing.
Conditions were breezy, and early in the session, Charles Leclerc set an initial benchmark of 1m 20.103s on medium tires before Hamilton went four-tenths faster. The Ferrari pair demonstrated strong performance from the outset. However, some drivers expressed concerns about their cars’ balance, with George Russell describing his Mercedes as “dreadful” and “so out of balance.” His teammate also noted issues, reporting that he “almost spun twice on braking.”
Hamilton continued to improve his time, maintaining his hold on P1 despite ongoing complaints from competitors. Leclerc, for instance, experienced three lock-ups within the first 20 minutes before returning to the pits. The session also saw soft tire runs, during which Lando Norris recorded the fastest lap in his upgraded McLaren with a time of 1m 19.228s.
Incidents and Car Performance
The session was interrupted by a red flag after Franco Colapinto crashed his Alpine. Colapinto lost the rear of his car at the final corner and spun backwards into the barrier, necessitating an overnight repair job for Alpine. This incident forced Kimi Antonelli to abort his flying lap.
After the recovery of Colapinto’s car, qualifying simulation laps resumed. Ferrari continued to show strong form at the Hungaroring, with Leclerc briefly reclaiming the top spot with a 1m 18.877s before Hamilton’s final improvement. Hamilton’s ultimate time of 1m 18.729s remained the best of the day as the focus shifted to long runs.
Max Verstappen finished fourth after hitting debris from Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin. He was followed by George Russell, Isack Hadjar, and Liam Lawson. Oscar Piastri secured seventh place, with Nico Hulkenberg and Arvid Lindblad completing the top ten. Other notable finishers included Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Kimi Antonelli, Pierre Gasly, Ollie Bearman, and the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. The session concluded with Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, and Franco Colapinto.
Aston Martin’s Mixed Day
Aston Martin experienced a mixed day during Friday’s practice sessions. Fernando Alonso finished 19th in the new Aston Martin, with team principal Adrian Newey describing the car’s first outing as “promising.” Alonso’s lap was nearly 0.4s faster but was ruled out due to track limits at the final corner. Despite being off the pace, this performance represents a significant step forward for Aston Martin compared to much of the season.
The day was not without challenges for Aston Martin. Lance Stroll spun out of the first practice session due to what appeared to be a rear suspension failure. As a result, Stroll was unable to participate in the second practice session because there was insufficient time to repair his car. Team representative Pedro de la Rosa confirmed the suspension failure and noted that a lack of spare parts prevented a timely repair for Stroll’s car, leaving Alonso as the sole representative for Aston Martin in FP2. Alonso continued to gather valuable data on their heavily revised car throughout the session.
Source: formula1.com
