Leclerc fastest in Hungarian GP FP1, Hamilton third
Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in the opening practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton third.
- 1’19”075
- 1’19”618
- 44
- 19
What Happened
Scuderia Ferrari HP led the timesheet in Free Practice 1 for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc fastest and Lewis Hamilton third. The team ran two SF-26 cars on Medium tyres initially, each with different rear wing configurations for comparison. Leclerc's car featured an additional central aerodynamic element.
1’19”075
Set after switching from Mediums during the session.
- 1’20”287
- 1’20”613
- 1’19”075
- Both drivers completed 44 laps total: Leclerc 19, Hamilton 23.
- Session was red-flagged when Lance Stroll stopped on track.
- Leclerc parked his car in pit lane late in session with a problem.
- Both drivers did long-run work on higher fuel loads: Leclerc on Softs, Hamilton on Mediums.
After set-up changes, both SF-26s switched to Soft tyres, with Leclerc immediately setting a competitive time. Hamilton's best on Softs was 1’19”618 before the red flag. In the closing stages, they ran long stints on different compounds before Leclerc's car had an issue.
Previously from Ferrari N.V.
Ferrari enters the Hungarian Grand Prix as the last race before the summer break, encouraged by recent positive results. Leclerc emphasized that perfect execution was key to the team's strong performances, including a second-place finish in Belgium. Earlier this week, the team noted they are focused on applying the same attention to detail in Hungary.
- Ferrari Heads to Hungarian GP as Last Race Before Summer Break
- Leclerc: Execution Key for Hungarian GP After Ferrari's Strong Two Races
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ferrari N.V.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Practice sessions set the stage for the race weekend. Ferrari showed strong pace with Leclerc's quick lap, using different rear wing configurations for development. This is the last race before the summer break, so performance here could set momentum for the team.
Terms in This Story
- SF-26
- Ferrari's 2026 Formula 1 car model.
- Red flag
- A signal that stops the session due to a hazard on track.
- Pit lane
- The area where cars enter and exit the pits for service.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.