Why Ferrari dominates Hungarian GP practice

Ferrari owned Friday at the Hungarian Grand Prix 2026, nobody should be surprised. Lewis Hamilton topped FP2 with a lap of 1:18.729s, leading Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc as Franco Colapinto’s crash interrupted the qualifying simulations at the Hungaroring.

Ferrari on top from start to finish

Charles Leclerc was fastest in FP1, finishing 0.484s clear of Max Verstappen and 0.543s ahead of Hamilton. Ferrari carried that momentum straight into the afternoon.

After the initial soft-tyre laps in FP2, Leclerc held a 0.037s lead over Hamilton, but the Briton completed a second push lap and overhauled his team-mate by 0.148s to top the session with a 1:18.729.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was third-fastest and almost half a second off the pace. Max Verstappen was fourth, 0.692s back, with George Russell fifth for Mercedes at 0.933s. Ferrari’s advantage over the rest of the field was clear and convincing across both sessions.

Between significantly cooler track conditions and heavier gusts of wind, finding the right car balance on the bumpy and low-grip circuit proved a huge undertaking, with parts of the 4.381km layout also clad in brand-new tarmac. Ferrari handled it better than anyone.

Colapinto crash stops the session at the worst time

Franco Colapinto caused a red flag just before the halfway stage of FP2 with a heavy crash at the final corner of the Hungaroring. The Alpine driver hit the barriers backwards, destroying the rear end of his A526.

The 23-year-old had set personal bests in the first two sectors, but with gusts of wind proving strong, the combination with a low-grip surface left him powerless to prevent the accident.

The timing could not have been worse. After Colapinto’s crash, FP2 resumed with 26 minutes left, with a train of cars waiting to leave the pits for qualifying simulations on soft tyres, with a few drivers having been interrupted by the red flag.

Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli did not get representative soft-tyre laps in, partly due to the red flag from Colapinto’s final corner crash right in the middle of the soft-tyre runs. Antonelli, the championship leader, ended up 13th. It was a messy afternoon for Alpine. You can read more about Colapinto’s future at the team in our article on why Flavio Briatore drops hints amid Alonso rumours.

Meanwhile, Colapinto was ahead of Lance Stroll in 22nd by default, as Aston Martin could not repair the suspension damage that brought Stroll’s first practice session to an end prematurely, keeping him out of FP2 entirely.

Why Mercedes and Russell are struggling at the Hungaroring

Mercedes came into this weekend hoping for a bounce-back after a painful Belgian GP. A battery deployment failure in Belgium left Russell a sitting duck on the Kemmel Straight, before contact with Hamilton sent him spinning into the gravel. It was his second DNF of the season, and teammate Antonelli’s victory stretched the gap between them to 50 points. You can read more about that in our piece on why Russell’s battery failure ruined his Belgian GP.

Friday in Hungary did not bring the relief Russell was looking for. Russell reported a “dreadful” rear balance, Antonelli reported rear locking, Leclerc locked up the front in Turn 1, and Pierre Gasly was convinced something was wrong with his car. The Hungaroring was causing problems everywhere.

Russell finished fifth, nearly a full second off Hamilton’s pace. Mercedes clearly has work to do before Saturday. Our article on how Mercedes is solving Russell’s software fix gives more background on the team’s ongoing struggles.

What it means for qualifying

Ferrari’s pace advantage is real and it is large. Hamilton’s fastest time was 0.148s faster than FP1 leader Leclerc’s, with Norris in third almost half a second off the pace. If those gaps hold into qualifying, Ferrari will start from the front row in Budapest.

The heavy traction zones tend to put a lot of stress on the rear tyres, and any sliding through the longer-radius corners will also put strain on the tyre surface. This could open the door for strategy plays on Sunday, but Ferrari’s outright speed makes it very hard to pass at the Hungaroring.

Ferrari also appears to be sticking with the winglets on the rear wing, suggesting confidence in their current setup direction. Their rivals will need to find big improvements overnight to have any chance of threatening the Scuderia on Saturday.

The Hungaroring is always a great spectacle. For the full history and circuit guide, check our Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 guide. Keep up with all the action and follow the latest standings on our official F1 results page, and stay tuned to rnt-motorsports.com for every update from Budapest this weekend.