Hamilton Tops Hungarian GP Practice With 1m18.729s as Ferrari Leads One-Lap Pace
Updated
Updated · Autosport · Jul 24
Hamilton Tops Hungarian GP Practice With 1m18.729s as Ferrari Leads One-Lap Pace
3 articles · Updated · Autosport · Jul 24
Summary
Lewis Hamilton set Friday’s fastest Hungaroring lap at 1m18.729s, about 0.15 seconds quicker than Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc after setup tweaks between sessions.
Ferrari handled the dusty, windy and bumpy track better than rivals, while George Russell said Mercedes feared exactly this outcome as the team struggled to unlock single-lap pace.
Long-run data was less clear: Max Verstappen’s average medium-tyre stint led at 1m24.447s, ahead of Russell and Lando Norris, but short runs and traffic made Ferrari’s true race pace hard to judge.
McLaren looked closer than the times showed after a red flag interrupted Norris’s soft-tyre effort, while Red Bull appeared stronger over race stints than qualifying laps despite Verstappen’s traction complaints.
Further back, Audi looked solid in the midfield, Williams struggled in low-speed corners, and Aston Martin remained hard to read after Lance Stroll missed FP2 with a rear-suspension issue.