Lewis Hamilton Leads Final Practice Session Ahead of Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton has topped the final practice session ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen trailing behind by 0.25 seconds. The session saw teams using the alternative tyre allocation introduced for this round, resulting in all-out times across various compounds.
The track temperatures of 45°C made it challenging for drivers to improve on their FP2 times, as the earlier rain had cooled the track surface. However, the overnight downpour had also stripped the Hungaroring surface of rubber laid down on Friday.
Daniel Ricciardo set the first timed lap of the session, but his time was quickly beaten by Kevin Magnussen and then by Sergio Perez. Verstappen eventually took the lead with a time of 1m18.478s, using a new set of medium tyres.
Despite numerous attempts on soft tyres, Verstappen’s time remained unbeaten until Fernando Alonso clocked a lap of 1m18.350s with new softs. However, Alonso’s time was overtaken by Lando Norris, who utilized a fresh set of mediums.
Towards the end of the session, the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Hamilton made their runs on soft tyres. Russell secured third place, while Hamilton delivered an impressive lap time of 1m17.811s, putting him at the top of the leaderboard.
Verstappen made a final attempt with new soft tyres but fell short by a quarter of a second, settling for second place. Perez secured third place, just 0.013s behind his teammate.
Ferrari, who focused on long medium runs for most of the session, attempted to move up the rankings but ultimately landed in sixth and seventh place. Nico Hulkenberg claimed fourth place, while Norris, Russell, Leclerc, and Sainz rounded out the top eight.
The top 16 drivers were all within a second, highlighting the competitiveness of the field. Ricciardo outpaced his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, with the two being separated by Esteban Ocon in the lower half of the timesheets.
The stage is set for an exciting qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with both Hamilton and Verstappen vying for pole position.