Ferrari asserted themselves on the opening day of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, with Lewis Hamilton topping the second free practice session ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc to complete a clean sweep for the Italian squad. The seven-time world champion, who holds the record for the most wins at the Hungaroring, clocked 1min 18.729sec on the soft tyre, 0.148 seconds clear of Leclerc. Earlier, Leclerc had set the pace in FP1 with a 1:19.075, despite his SF-26 grinding to a halt at the pit entry late in the session. European outlets noted that the Scuderia’s form suggested a genuine threat to Mercedes’ constructors’ championship lead, with Hamilton now second in the drivers’ standings, 45 points behind the Silver Arrows’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

The afternoon running was interrupted midway through when Franco Colapinto lost the rear of his Alpine at the final corner and slammed backwards into the barriers. The impact damaged the rear wing and left the Argentine stranded, prompting a six-minute red flag. Colapinto, who had sat out FP1 as his car was handed to reserve driver Paul Aron under F1’s rookie practice rules, called it “not a good day, nor an ideal start,” lamenting a car with little grip. Argentine media, closely tracking his campaign, reported that team principal Flavio Briatore publicly backed his driver on social media, urging him to focus on Saturday’s recovery. Colapinto’s accident meant he ended the day with only 11 laps completed, while teammate Pierre Gasly was 14th.

Multiple incidents punctuated the sessions. Lance Stroll’s heavily updated Aston Martin ground to a halt with a suspension failure in FP1, causing a separate red flag and leaving the Canadian unable to take part in FP2. Fernando Alonso, running a sister car with 16 upgrades, could only manage 19th in the afternoon. Championship leader Antonelli, who also missed FP1, struggled for rhythm in FP2, locking up multiple times and finishing 13th, while Mercedes teammate George Russell was fifth but reported a “dreadful” balance. In the midfield, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto built on a strong sixth in FP1 to take 11th in the later session, just behind teammate Nico Hülkenberg. Sergio Pérez, now at Cadillac, completed a low-key programme of data gathering and ended the day 20th.

With qualifying set for Saturday, Ferrari’s one-lap pace on soft tyres positions them as the team to beat, but the long-run simulations in warmer conditions hinted at closer race pace from McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Antonelli will need a step up in performance to defend his points lead before the summer break, while Colapinto faces a race against time for his mechanics to rebuild the damaged Alpine ahead of the final practice hour. Teams in Budapest are mindful that track position is crucial on the tight, twisting circuit, where overtaking is notoriously difficult.