F1 started its Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with Free Practice 1. As expected, the sun was present, as was the heat, while the rest of the weekend might take place in the rain.
Note that Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel have changed gearboxes. For the Red Bull driver, it’s already the last in the pool before having to take a penalty, but it is possible that Red Bull wanted to secure the shot on a track that puts a lot of pressure on these parts.
The main attraction before FP1 was Kevin Magnussen’s Haas VF-22, which appeared in the pit lane, as is now F1 2022 technical presentation protocol.
As expected, the American single-seater sports new sidepods, largely inspired by the Ferrari F1-75. As the an says Günther Steiner, the goal was to get closer to a concept that wins races, and Haas’ technical imperatives make Ferrari’s choice logical.
The objective of this development is to improve the flow of air between the front of the platoons and the rear part of the engine cover, in particular on the upper part. The diffuser of the VF-22 has also evolved, as have the vertical fins in front of the floor, and the edges of the floor.
The rest of the teams brought specific parts to the Hungaroring, a circuit that requires a lot of downforce. In particular, we saw a vertical drift on the rear wing of the Aston Martin which seems to exploit a gray area of the regulations linked to the curvatures of the part.
Red Bull and Ferrari already in battle on the track
Note that for this session, Robert Kubica replaced Valtteri Bottas at Alfa Romeo F1. Like last weekend, the Pole benefits from a ride thanks to his Polish sponsor Orlen, who benefits from the proximity of F1 to his country.
Max Verstappen took the lead in 1’21″2, before Carlos Sainz beat him in 1’20″6. Charles Leclerc then took the lead by improving by four tenths, in 1’20″225, but the Spaniard once more took the lead in 1’20″184.
Sergio Pérez took fifth place behind Daniel Ricciardo, before Leclerc regained the session lead in 1m19.863s. Pérez then passed Ricciardo, and Sainz improved to 1m19.671s. Esteban Ocon took provisional sixth place ahead of the Mercedes F1 drivers, George Russell ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc accelerated in 1’19.426, and Verstappen beat Sainz’s time by a thousandth of a second. Pérez then sneezed into his radio, complaining of allergies as he rode.
Hamilton took fifth place 0.284 behind Leclerc, quickly beaten by Russell, who moved his W13 into second place just 0.184 from the benchmark. The young Briton, however, complained of tailgating in turn 1.
Hamilton then passed Pérez, and Sainz reclaimed the lead in 1’19.262. Ricciardo finally did a lap time on soft tyres, like all the other top 10 riders, and he took sixth place. Verstappen s is carried in the lead in 1’18″880.
Lando Norris moved up to fourth place, confirming the good form of the McLarens on this first day of the weekend. Sainz then regained the lead in 1’18″750. The Spaniard retains the lead in this first session.
He leads Verstappen and Leclerc, then Norris, Russell and Pérez, who signed the best first sector but did not improve his time at the end of the session. Hamilton, Ricciardo and the Alpines of Ocon and Fernando Alonso complete the top 10, while Pierre Gasly is 13th behind the Aston Martins.
| Pos. | Pilot | Car | Temps | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari F1-75 | 1:18.750 | 26 |
| 02 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull RBPT RB18 | 1:18.880 | 24 |
| 03 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari F1-75 | 1:19.039 | 26 |
| 04 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL36 | 1:19.299 | 21 |
| 05 | George Russell | Mercedes W13 | 1:19.606 | 28 |
| 06 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull RBPT RB18 | 1:19.622 | 24 |
| 07 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W13 | 1:19.710 | 25 |
| 08 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren Mercedes MCL36 | 1:19.841 | 28 |
| 09 | Stephen Ocon | Alpine Renault A522 | 1:20.348 | 30 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine Renault A522 | 1:30.377 | 27 |
| 11 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR22 | 1:20.383 | 26 |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR22 | 1:20.427 | 25 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri RBPT AT03 | 1:20.456 | 28 |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri RBPT AT03 | 1:20.695 | 27 |
| 15 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo Ferrari C42 | 1:20.810 | 23 |
| 16 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW44 | 1:20.834 | 28 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-22 | 1:20.921 | 24 |
| 18 | Mick Schumacher | Haas Ferrari VF-22 | 1:21.027 | 25 |
| 19 | Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo Ferrari C42 | 1:21.179 | 20 |
| 20 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams Mercedes FW44 | 1:21.413 | 27 |