It was still under the sun of the Hungaroring that Free Practice 2 of the Hungarian Grand Prix took place. The drivers took to the track for the most representative session of the heat possibly expected in racing, although showers might disrupt the day on Sunday.
The first half hour was an opportunity for the drivers to ride on medium tires and try to improve the morning lap times. After the first burst of fast laps, it was Charles Leclerc who had the upper hand in 1’18″911, ahead of Carlos Sainz in 1’19″548.
Max Verstappen was slightly behind at 0″743 from Leclerc. Behind, we temporarily found Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon, who was at this time the only one to have fitted soft tires.
Lewis Hamilton was in the background and worried on the radio regarding the delay he was showing on Leclerc: “Are we at 1.9 with the same tires?”asked the Briton on the radio, while Mercedes F1 was much livelier this morning.
Fernando Alonso then took fourth position, and Pierre Gasly reached the top 10 in seventh position. Valtteri Bottas, who returned to his Alfa Romeo following leaving it with Robert Kubica this morning, also entered the top ten, in ninth position.
Pérez reclaimed fourth place, and Lance Stroll moved into sixth position, just ahead of Guanyu Zhou. Sebastian Vettel then placed his Aston Martin AMR22 in fifth position. Alex Albon spun at the first corner but was able to restart without having damaged his car, except his tyres.
The leaders then improved their times, with Leclerc keeping the session lead in 1m18.445s. Sainz and Verstappen also improved by remaining two tenths behind the Monegasque, but it was Lando Norris who created the surprise.
The McLaren F1 driver set the second provisional time at 0″217 from Leclerc, and Daniel Ricciardo confirmed the good form of the Woking team on this first day, settling in fifth position, just ahead of Alonso. McLaren n It’s usually not in good shape on the first day, but like this morning, the MCL36s seem fast on the Hungaroring.
As usual, the second part of these EL2s was dedicated to racing simulations. Nevertheless, Verstappen was unhappy with his RB18, complaining of oscillations in turns 4 and 11. Ricciardo made a small error without consequences.
Leclerc eventually finished the session ahead of Norris and Sainz, then Verstappen. These three drivers stood in 0.065, while Ricciardo was fifth ahead of Alonso, Vettel, Russell and Pérez. Bottas completed the top 10 ahead of Hamilton and Zhou, then Esteban Ocon, while Pierre Gasly, 15th, edged out the Haas.
| Pos. | Pilot | Car | Temps | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari F1-75 | 1:18.445 | 27 |
| 02 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL36 | 1:18.662 | 29 |
| 03 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari F1-75 | 1:18.676 | 29 |
| 04 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull RBPT RB18 | 1:18.728 | 26 |
| 05 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren Mercedes MCL36 | 1:18.872 | 27 |
| 06 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine Renault A522 | 1:19.049 | 30 |
| 07 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR22 | 1:19.253 | 31 |
| 08 | George Russell | Mercedes W13 | 1:19.355 | 28 |
| 09 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull RBPT RB18 | 1:19.397 | 28 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo Ferrari C42 | 1:19.411 | 30 |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W13 | 1:19.547 | 23 |
| 12 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo Ferrari C42 | 1:19.605 | 26 |
| 13 | Stephen Ocon | Alpine Renault A522 | 1:19.614 | 27 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR22 | 1:19.702 | 30 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri RBPT AT03 | 1:19.730 | 28 |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-22 | 1:19.818 | 29 |
| 17 | Mick Schumacher | Haas Ferrari VF-22 | 1:19.985 | 28 |
| 18 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams Mercedes FW44 | 1:20.488 | 30 |
| 19 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri RBPT AT03 | 1:20.521 | 31 |
| 20 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW44 | 1:20.615 | 20 |
