The Hungarian Grand Prix saw a suspended second practice session, which ended with Lando Norris taking the lead. Charles Leclerc had earlier crashed during the session.
In Hungary’s scorching 31-degree Celsius heat, drivers eagerly hit the track as the green light flashed at 1700 local time. Nico Hulkenberg was among the first, stepping in after rookie Oliver Bearman took over his Haas for FP1. Sergio Perez initially set the pace, but Max Verstappen soon reported brake issues, saying over the radio, “My brakes are not working. They’re not biting.” Both Red Bulls were on medium tyres, unlike McLaren, which opted for the hard compound.
The session took a dramatic turn with 44 minutes remaining. Charles Leclerc hit too much kerb at Turn 4, spinning off into the barriers and bringing out the red flags. Thankfully, Leclerc emerged unscathed, and his Ferrari was swiftly recovered by marshals. Action resumed with under half an hour left, and most drivers switched to soft tyres for their flying laps. The drama continued as Zhou Guanyu spun, narrowly missing Perez’s Red Bull.
Lando Norris topped the timesheets with a blistering lap of 1m 17.788s in his McLaren, outpacing Verstappen by 0.243s. Carlos Sainz led Ferrari in third, with Perez fourth. George Russell secured fifth for Mercedes, followed by Kevin Magnussen in sixth for Haas and Lewis Hamilton in seventh.
Daniel Ricciardo grabbed eighth in his RB, while Alex Albon in the Williams and Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin rounded out the top ten. Valtteri Bottas placed 11th for Kick Sauber, with Logan Sargeant’s Williams in 12th and Oscar Piastri’s McLaren in 13th after floor damage repairs. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were 14th and 16th, split by Hulkenberg’s Haas. Lance Stroll, testing updates on his Aston Martin, finished 17th.
Leclerc couldn’t rejoin, ending up 18th, while Yuki Tsunoda took 19th after a suspension change. Zhou completed the standings in 20th.
With the day’s action done, teams and drivers will analyze their data before returning for the final practice on Saturday at 1230 local time, gearing up for the qualifying showdown later that day.
