Red Bull and Mercedes struggle in Hungary

Hungarian Grand Prix 2026. Ferrari set the pace and left both teams with big questions to answer before qualifying.

Red Bull and Mercedes struggle in Hungary from the first lap

Ferrari dominated both Friday sessions at the Hungaroring, with Lewis Hamilton topping FP2 and Charles Leclerc leading a Ferrari one-two in FP1. The opening day at the Hungaroring proved highly challenging for the Milton Keynes-based team, with both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar struggling for car balance.

Verstappen ended Friday fourth on the timesheets but seven-tenths adrift, while Hadjar was sixth, one second slower than pacesetter Lewis Hamilton. That is a big gap around a circuit Red Bull had hoped would suit them better.

Heading into the weekend, Red Bull had hoped the Hungaroring would offer a better opportunity than Silverstone and Spa, as the shortcomings on the electrical side of the power unit are exposed to a lesser extent at the Hungarian Grand Prix venue. But Friday told a different story.

Why Red Bull admitted there will be “no miracles”

Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché admitted the team remains some way off the frontrunners following Friday’s running at the Hungaroring, with Ferrari standing out in particular. He also revealed that neither driver was satisfied with the balance of the RB22 after the opening two practice sessions.

Waché admitted after the second practice session: “A lot of work to do. We are not where we should be, and not where we want to be.”

Red Bull had several problems to solve with the RB22 ahead of third practice and qualifying, with the wind also catching the team out. Waché said: “A lot of complaints.” It was difficult to solve the issue with the massive change in the wind compared to FP1, which was quite a lot stronger. The track bumpiness made it hard to find the limit, and when the car is on the edge, a small perturbation massively affects the balance.

Hadjar described Friday at the Hungaroring as one of the toughest of the season, although he believes the first practice session still provided some useful pointers. “It’s been one of the toughest Fridays of the season so far. Conditions are very tricky, very bumpy as well, so it’s hard on the tyres, on the brakes,” Hadjar said. You can read more on the Red Bull team structure heading into the second half of the season in our piece on the Red Bull Lambiase replacement for 2027.

Mercedes lost in Hungary: a strange and difficult Friday

The story of Red Bull and Mercedes struggling in Hungary was made worse by how confusing Friday felt for the Silver Arrows. Both Mercedes drivers reported confidence-sapping balance issues and a lack of overall grip.

George Russell complained on the radio, telling the team that “it feels dreadful, it’s like the car is so out of balance.” In FP2, Russell’s fastest lap was 0.933 seconds off Hamilton’s benchmark.

Traffic, mistakes and repeated rear locking prevented Antonelli from producing a representative qualifying lap. “That was a tricky first day here in Budapest and that was likely true for everyone,” Antonelli explained. “When I got in the cockpit for FP2, I was struggling with the balance.”

Mercedes has taken pole position at each of the 10 rounds so far during a largely dominant 2026 season, but the team acknowledges it may have its work cut out to preserve that unbeaten qualifying streak. The team confirmed there is lots of work to do overnight, with some “head-scratching” needed to find a good chunk of performance going into FP3.

The Spa software fix: problem solved, but new questions remain

Before arriving in Hungary, Mercedes had also been working hard on the software issue that hit Russell’s Belgian GP. Mercedes confirmed Russell suffered a lack of power due to a problem with the software which manages energy deployment. However, deputy technical director Simone Resta said the same software was used on other Mercedes-powered cars, including Antonelli’s, who won the race. “The software is the same for all the cars,” he said, “it was there in every car, but it affected George more than Kimi.”

The problem that Russell faced in qualifying was related to an element deep in the code on his power unit that meant his deployment was being front-loaded around the lap, biasing extra energy usage on the run to Les Combes. You can read our full breakdown in the article about why the Mercedes deployment problem at the Belgian GP hurts and also how it links to the wider story of 2026 F1 AI engine deployment control.

Mercedes also expects deployment to be less decisive in Hungary because the circuit layout is more energy-rich. That is at least a small comfort for the team, even if the handling balance remains a puzzle.

What happens next for both teams?

Despite the difficult Friday, both Red Bull and Mercedes believe they are not completely out of the picture. Despite ending their Friday nearly a second down on the top time, Mercedes found more encouragement on higher fuel, but their qualifying pace and difficult handling left substantial work before Saturday.

Mercedes also endured a difficult afternoon with George Russell struggling for rear balance and Antonelli sliding off the track on his qualifying simulation. Yet Ferrari driver Leclerc expects Friday’s gaps between the top teams to flatter Mercedes on a messy practice day where few drivers managed to get a lap fully hooked up.

So the picture might look a little rosier by Saturday. But for now, both Red Bull and Mercedes struggle in Hungary while Ferrari sits very comfortably at the top. Follow the latest standings and session results on our Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 guide page.