Carlos Sainz led the first practice session, beating Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc by over two-tenths.
The Ferraris aim to keep up their speed after a tough triple-header.
As it happened:
The Hungaroring looked different due to recent flooding. On a hot Friday in Budapest, Sergio Perez was first on track with aero rakes on his RB20 to check airflow. Oscar Piastri faced technical issues early on and stayed in the pits for a while but later joined without further problems. Kevin Magnussen, who won’t be with Haas next year, had brake troubles. Oliver Bearman replaced Nico Hulkenberg for this session. Zhou Guanyu reported debris from his sidepod but still finished fifth.
Max Verstappen started strong with an updated car and soft tires, leading initially. George Russell nearly collided with Yuki Tsunoda at turn one, complaining about Tsunoda not checking mirrors. Midway through the session, a virtual safety car appeared because Alex Albon damaged his car on a curb in sector two. Both Aston Martin drivers struggled; Alonso sarcastically wished his teammate ‘good luck’ when asked for advice, while Stroll called his car ‘shocking’.
Carlos Sainz took the top spot from Verstappen late in the session with a time of 1:18.713 on soft tires. Verstappen ended second, and Leclerc third.
Fans might think Sainz’s performance is shaking up the competition!
What do you think? Will Sainz keep this momentum?
