Hungarian GP 2026 – FP1 Classification: Leclerc unstoppable, Ferrari flies. Verstappen the primary threat to Charles and Hamilton

Hungarian GP 2026 – FP1 Classification: Leclerc unstoppable, Ferrari flies. Verstappen the primary threat to Charles and Hamilton

F1 Hungary, Free Practice 1 standings

PosDriverTeamTime/Gap – TyresLaps
1Charles LeclercFerrari1:19.075 (S)19
2Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing+0.484 (S)25
3Lewis HamiltonFerrari+0.543 (S)23
4Isack HadjarRed Bull Racing+0.922 (S)25
5George RussellMercedes+0.991 (S)21
6Gabriel BortoletoAudi+1.285 (S)30
7Frederik VestiMercedes+1.392 (M)24
8Nico HulkenbergAudi+1.548 (S)29
9Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls+1.685 (S)28
10Liam LawsonRacing Bulls+1.791 (S)28
11Lando NorrisMcLaren+1.949 (S)26
12Esteban OconHaas F1 Team+1.976 (M)24
13Fernando AlonsoAston Martin+2.475 (H)20
14Pierre GaslyAlpine+2.629 (M)29
15Alexander AlbonWilliams+2.744 (S)28
16Leonardo FornaroliMcLaren+2.815 (M)29
17Ryo HirakawaHaas F1 Team+2.926 (M)25
18Sergio PerezCadillac+3.014 (S)22
19Paul AronAlpine+3.093 (M)28
20Colton HertaCadillac+4.043 (S)28
21Lance StrollAston Martin+4.396 (H)11
22Carlos SainzWilliams+4.659 (M)23

F1 Hungary, Free Practice 1 report

The Budapest weekend starts great for Ferrari. In FP1 of the Hungarian GP, the best time was set by Charles Leclerc, who dominated the competition on a single lap, pulling away by as much as 484 thousandths from Max Verstappen and over half a second from the other red car of Lewis Hamilton. 1-3 Ferrari then, which seems to confirm the predictions from the eve that the Maranello cars were the big favorites for the Hungarian weekend.

Read more Ferrari super with Leclerc, but there’s a thrill: a problem knocks out the SF-26 at the end of FP1

The only sour note was a small technical problem that forced Leclerc to stop the session a few minutes early, making the Monegasque driver give up on practice starts. Red Bull can also smile, as despite Max Verstappen’s nervousness, they placed Isack Hadjar in fourth position, albeit almost a second behind Leclerc.

Further back are the Mercedes cars, with George Russell only fifth while Andrea Kimi Antonelli did not drive, leaving his car in the hands of Frederik Vesti, seventh behind Bortoleto’s Audi and ahead of the other Hinwil car driven by Nico Hulkenberg. The top-10 is completed by the two Racing Bulls of Lindblad and Lawson.

It was not exactly a dream debut, however, for Adrian Newey’s new ‘EVO’ version Aston Martin: Lance Stroll was forced to stop during FP1 due to a sudden failure of the left rear suspension.

Read more Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio, luxury and sportiness

In a session full of rookies, our own Leonardo Fornaroli deserves a mention; with McLaren, he finished the session in 16th position without attempting a ‘time attack’ on soft tires, but focusing exclusively on the work requested by the team.

F1 Hungary, Free Practice 1 live coverage

You can relive the emotions of Budapest FP1 with our live report.

The schedule and times

F1 returns to the track this afternoon for FP2, which will start at 17:00. Tomorrow FP3 at 12:30 and then qualifying at 16:00. The eleventh GP of the year will start on Sunday at 15:00. Here are all the times and TV information.

Read more Verstappen incorrigible: in FP1 clashes with Sainz and gets furious with the car: “The downshifts are awful”

Translated from

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *