Lando Norris of McLaren achieved the fastest time in the final practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, outpacing Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli at the Hungaroring. This performance offers McLaren optimism for securing their first pole position of the season with their upgraded car.
The final practice session saw a close contest at the top of the timesheet in Budapest. While Ferrari had shown strong form on the opening day, leading many to consider them favourites for Saturday’s qualifying, they were ultimately surpassed by McLaren and Mercedes in the final hour of practice.
Practice Session Highlights
Norris recorded a time of 1:17.939, narrowly beating Hamilton by 0.117s. Initially, Hamilton had been quicker on his first lap using soft tyres, but Norris found additional speed on his subsequent flying lap. Kimi Antonelli, who had a challenging Friday, rebounded to secure the third-fastest time, just 0.129s behind Norris.
However, Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, continued to face difficulties, finishing sixth-fastest and 0.6s slower than Norris’s leading time. Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari was fourth, 0.3s off the pace, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri a further tenth back in fifth position.
The session proved more challenging for Red Bull, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar finishing seventh and eighth respectively. The midfield battle appears to be led by Racing Bulls and Audi, with Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls taking ninth place, ahead of Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg in tenth.
Problems also affected some teams. Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls completed only six laps due to a power-unit change that kept him in the garage for most of the session. Cadillac also encountered issues when a brake fire forced Sergio Perez to stop at Turn One, preventing him from returning to the track.
Aston Martin’s Upgrades and Upcoming Schedule
Lance Stroll returned to action in the significantly upgraded Aston Martin after missing Friday’s second session due to a rear-suspension failure. The team, led by Adrian Newey, saw some encouragement as their new AMR26, which has often been at the back of the grid this season, outpaced Williams and Cadillac cars. Fernando Alonso secured 17th place, and Stroll finished 18th, with their best times being 2.4s off the fastest lap.
The qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled for Saturday at 3pm, with the main race taking place on Sunday at 2pm.
The full schedule for the weekend includes:
- Saturday 25 July:
- 1.10pm: F2 Sprint
- 2.15pm: Hungarian GP Qualifying build-up
- 3pm: HUNGARIAN GP QUALIFYING
- 5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
- Sunday 26 July:
- 7.35am: F3 Feature Race
- 9.05am: Porsche Supercup
- 10.20am: F2 Feature Race
- 12.30pm: Hungarian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
- 2pm: THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
- 4pm: Hungarian GP reaction: Chequered Flag
- 5pm: Ted’s Notebook
All sessions for the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest are available to watch live.
Ferrari’s Initial Advantage
On Friday, Ferrari appeared to have a significant advantage at the Hungaroring, with their cars, driven by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, demonstrating strong pace throughout the day. The Italian team had anticipated being in a favourable position given the tight and twisty nature of the Hungarian track.
Some observers were surprised by the extent of Ferrari’s lead, with reports suggesting they had a half-a-second advantage over other competitors by the end of the first day of running in Budapest. However, the final practice session indicated that Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull are now closer in contention.
The upcoming qualifying session will determine if Ferrari can maintain any of their early advantage or if other teams will challenge for pole position on Saturday.
The Hungarian Grand Prix race is set to commence on Sunday, 26 July, at 2pm.
Source: skysports.com
Lucy Ashby is a Sports Reporter at NewsGB. She reported on the county circuit and Team GB. She focuses on tennis, cricket and athletics and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from Durham University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Durham, she plays club cricket and follows distance running. “The best sport reporting starts by listening.”
