Hungarian Grand Prix FP1: Sainz dominates opening practice, Verstappen and Leclerc follow suit
Carlos Sainz set the tempo in the first practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, leading the field in his Ferrari. The Red Bull of Max Verstappen and Sainz's teammate, Charles Leclerc, took second and third, respectively.
The session commenced under sweltering conditions at 1330 local time, with an initial surge of cars aiming to lay down early lap times. Several competitors, including Sergio Perez’s RB20, were outfitted with aero rakes to evaluate recent upgrades.
Among the participants was Oliver Bearman, taking part in his fourth FP1 session of the year for Haas. Bearman is slated to join the team as a full-time driver in 2025. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri sat out the early stages of the session due to a technical issue being addressed by the McLaren team.
Verstappen marked an early strong time on the soft compound, clocking in at 1m 19.831s. The Dutch driver is expected to aim for a return to the top of the podium after missing out in the last two races to Mercedes.
Traffic woes emerged, with George Russell criticising Yuki Tsunoda for not "looking in his mirrors" after the RB cut across in front of his Mercedes. Concurrently, Lance Stroll reported his Aston Martin was "quite shocking to drive," as his teammate Fernando Alonso tested a suite of updates.
As the session progressed and lap times improved, different strategies played out on the track. A Virtual Safety Car was briefly called to clear debris from Turn 12, apparently from Alex Albon's Williams.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloFerrari solidified its pace, with both Sainz and Leclerc setting the fastest times with 20 minutes to go. Leclerc had a minor incident at Turn 12 later, indicating he was not as confident as Sainz.
Despite a flurry of late laps, Sainz's leading time of 1m 18.713s stood unbeaten, placing him 0.276s ahead of Verstappen. Leclerc finished third with Russell in fourth.
Zhou Guanyu delivered an impressive fifth place for Kick Sauber, notwithstanding an earlier report of losing bodywork. McLaren's Lando Norris and Piastri followed in sixth and seventh.
Tsunoda secured P8, while Stroll and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton completed the top 10. Perez finished 11th, trailed by RB's Daniel Ricciardo, Alonso, Albon, and Valtteri Bottas for Kick Sauber.
Logan Sargeant took 16th for Williams, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon in 17th and 18th. Kevin Magnussen—whose departure from Haas at season’s end was announced this week—took 19th, with Bearman in 20th.
This session sets the stage for further analysis and adjustments as teams and drivers prepare for the next round of practice. Stay tuned for more updates from the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
