Ferrari dominated the first day of running at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix on July 24, with Lewis Hamilton topping the second practice session. The Italian team established a significant pace advantage over Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull, signaling a strong position ahead of Saturday’s qualifying at the Hungaroring.
The scarlet cars of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc appeared to be in a league of their own during Friday’s sessions. While Ferrari expected to be competitive given the tight and twisty nature of the circuit, they may have exceeded expectations by maintaining a half-second advantage over the rest of the field by the end of the first day.
Ferrari’s One-Two Dominance in Practice Two
After Charles Leclerc topped the opening session, Lewis Hamilton found further improvement to lead the second practice. Hamilton edged out Leclerc by 0.158 seconds, securing a Ferrari one-two result. The gap to the rest of the field was stark; Lando Norris, the nearest non-Ferrari challenger in his upgraded McLaren, finished nearly half a second behind Hamilton.
“It was a solid day overall. The conditions were quite challenging, with the wind making things a bit tricky and the track feeling quite bumpy in some places.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari Driver
Despite the strong showing, Hamilton noted that there are still areas to improve, with the team planning to analyze data overnight to refine the car’s balance.
Mercedes Struggles with Crumbling Tarmac
While Ferrari soared, Mercedes faced systemic struggles with the W17’s baseline setup. George Russell, who finished fifth in both practice sessions, pointed to the recently resurfaced track as a primary cause for the lack of grip. Russell described the surface as super bumpy
and noted that the asphalt was actively breaking up in the final corner.
This inconsistent grip led to chronic lock-ups. To compensate, Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord reported that engineers had to aggressively wind the front wing out to induce a manageable understeer.
The day was particularly difficult for championship leader Kimi Antonelli. After sitting out FP1 for a rookie driver session, Antonelli’s FP2 was marred by rear brake locking and wind gusts, leaving him in 13th place—nearly two seconds off Hamilton’s pace.
Long-Run Pace and Technical Recoveries
Despite the single-lap deficit, Mercedes sees a path forward in race trim. Telemetry suggests the W17’s tire degradation and race pace are highly competitive against Ferrari and McLaren when running high fuel loads.
“Our single lap [pace] didn’t look great, the long run looked more competitive but what we feared with Ferrari seemed to be the case. They look very strong.”
George Russell, Mercedes Driver
Russell also entered Saturday with a psychological boost, confirming that software mapping and battery deployment issues that hampered his speed at the Belgian Grand Prix have been fully resolved. He described the fix as a huge load off my mind
.
Aston Martin Upgrades and Session Disruptions
Stroll was unable to participate in FP2 as his car could not be repaired in time.
The team is currently operating without its new Honda power unit, which is expected to arrive after the summer break in late August.
The Friday schedule was further disrupted by a 10-minute red flag in FP2 when Franco Colapinto lost control of his Alpine at the final corner and shunted into the barriers.
Friday Practice Two Standings
The gap between the top two Ferraris and the rest of the field highlights the challenge facing the other contenders heading into Saturday’s qualifying.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:18.729 | — |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:18.877 | +0.148s |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:19.228 | +0.499s |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:19.421 | +0.692s |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:19.662 | +0.933s |
With Mercedes and Red Bull trailing by nearly a second, the focus shifts to the simulator. Mercedes must determine if they can translate their strong long-run pace into a single flying lap on a crumbling surface. For Ferrari, the goal is to protect a dominant lead in one of the season’s most critical qualifying sessions.
