Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets in second practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix, leading team-mate Charles Leclerc in a commanding Ferrari 1-2 at the Hungaroring.
The seven-time world champion, who holds the record for most wins at this circuit with eight victories, laid down a benchmark of 1m16.842s on soft tyres — 0.148s clear of Leclerc. Hamilton completed an additional flying lap compared to his team-mate, who had set the pace in opening practice earlier on Friday.
The session was interrupted by a red flag when Franco Colapinto crashed his Alpine heavily at the final corner. The Argentine driver lost the rear of his car and speared into the barriers, causing significant damage and bringing an early end to his running.
Lando Norris emerged as the nearest challenger to the scarlet cars, half a second adrift in his heavily-upgraded McLaren — the reigning world champion looked competitive across a single lap. Max Verstappen slotted into fourth for Red Bull, a further two tenths behind, while George Russell was nearly a second off the pace as Mercedes endured a tricky day.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader and Russell's team-mate, languished down in 13th after multiple aborted runs on the soft compound. The Italian teenager was playing catch-up after sitting out FP1 while Fred Vesti completed Mercedes' mandatory rookie session. Antonelli struggled with rear instability throughout the hour.
Isack Hadjar impressed with sixth in the second Red Bull, ahead of Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls and Oscar Piastri, who was well off the pace of his McLaren team-mate. Nico Hulkenberg and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten.
At the other end of the field, Fernando Alonso could only manage 19th — three seconds off the pace — as Aston Martin's heavily anticipated B-spec car made its on-track debut. The team was reduced to a single car after Lance Stroll was forced to sit out following a suspected rear suspension failure during FP1 that overshadowed the upgraded package's arrival.
Windy conditions and low grip levels caught out several drivers throughout the session, with the red flag for Colapinto serving as a reminder of the fine margins at the Hungaroring.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101673/1/lewis-hamilton-leads-ferrari-1-2-second-hungary-f1-practice-franco-colapinto
