Hungarian GP - Free Practice

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Hungarian GP

Free Practice 1

July 19, 2024

Carlos Sainz was ahead of Max Verstappen in the first practice session in Hungary.

Setting the fastest lap in the first practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Friday, Carlos Sainz raised Ferrari's hopes, outpacing Red Bull's dominant Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen.

Verstappen, a three-time world champion, with an aerodynamic upgrade on his car, secured the second position between the Ferraris, with Charles Leclerc in third place on the timesheets during the hot afternoon at the Hungaroring near Budapest.

Sainz, driving a car with a modified floor, clocked the best time of one minute 18.713 seconds, which was 0.276 seconds quicker than Verstappen.

Mercedes' George Russell took the fourth spot, followed by Guanyu Zhou in the upgraded Sauber, and the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who showed unexpected speed.

Yuki Tsunoda finished eighth for RB after a close call with Russell, who criticized Tsunoda for not checking his mirrors. Lance Stroll from Aston Martin was ninth fastest, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in 10th place for Mercedes.

The gap between Sainz and Hamilton was just 0.574 seconds.

Verstappen leads Norris by 84 points in the championship standings after 12 out of 24 races.

"We are all experimenting, which is why you will see a lot of performance swings through the sectors. At least today until it probably converges tomorrow," Laurent Mekies.

Oliver Bearman, who will drive for Haas next season, substituted Nico Hülkenberg at the U.S.-owned team during the session and ended up at the bottom of the rankings, taking over as Ferrari's reserve driver.

Free Practice 2

July 19, 2024

In the second practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lando Norris posted the quickest time, with Charles Leclerc encountering a crash.

On Friday, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari crashed, while Lando Norris of McLaren led the way, followed by the formidable Formula One frontrunner Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

On soft tires at the Hungaroring, Norris recorded a time of 1:17.788, with track temperatures soaring to 41 degrees Celsius.

With seven wins in 12 races, Verstappen leads the championship by 84 points over Norris and was 0.243 seconds behind in an upgraded car.

Carlos Sainz, who was the fastest in the first session, came in third, followed by Red Bull's Sergio Pérez and Mercedes' George Russell.

Mercedes has claimed victory in the last two races.

Leclerc caused a red flag with 43 minutes left in the session by spinning across the track and hitting the metal Armco barriers. Despite the impact, Leclerc was unharmed and returned to the pits as a passenger. The session resumed 15 minutes later.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner described it as a positive day for his team and pointed out that Perez had his best Friday since the Chinese Grand Prix in April.

"There's a slight difference between the cars, both of them have upgrades and the only bit Checo (Perez) is missing is the engine cover and sidepod element," The words came from him.

"The floor, the wing and the rest of it is the same. We've got some great data."

Kevin Magnussen finished a strong sixth and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton came in seventh for Mercedes after being dropped by Haas at the end of the season.

RB's Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon from Williams, and Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin completed the top 10.

Sainz gave Ferrari hope by outpacing triple champion Verstappen in FP1, with Leclerc coming in third with a time of 1:18.713.

His time was 0.276 seconds faster than Verstappen's.

In FP1, Russell claimed fourth position, with Guanyu Zhou in the surprisingly quick and enhanced Sauber close behind, followed by the McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri.

"We are all experimenting, which is why you will see a lot of performance swings through the sectors. At least today until it probably converges tomorrow," Laurent Mekies, the team boss of RB, informed Sky Sports television.

Oliver Bearman, who will drive for Haas next season, filled in as the Ferrari reserve driver, stepping in for Nico Hülkenberg during the first session and finished last overall for the U.S.-owned team.

Free Practice 3

July 20, 2024

In the final practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren's Lando Norris led the way, with his teammate Oscar Piastri following closely behind, resulting in a McLaren one-two finish on the timesheets.

Norris set the pace at the Hungaroring, clocking a time of one minute 16.098 seconds on fresh soft tires, while Piastri was just 0.044 seconds adrift.

The triple world champion of Red Bull, Max Verstappen, finished third, 0.281 seconds behind the leader, while George Russell of Mercedes came in fourth on a cooler afternoon compared to Friday's hot temperatures.

Verstappen is currently 84 points ahead of Norris in the Formula One championship after 12 out of 24 races and is aiming for his third consecutive victory in Hungary.

Carlos Sainz of Ferrari secured the fifth fastest time, with his teammate Charles Leclerc, who had a crash on Friday, finishing in 11th place.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia was the sixth fastest for RB, followed by Alex Albon of Williams, Nico Hülkenberg of Haas, Yuki Tsunoda of RB, and Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion of Mercedes, completing the top 10.

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