Ferrari made a strong start to the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend as Charles Leclerc topped the opening Free Practice 1 session at the Hungaroring, setting the fastest lap of 1:19.075.
The Monegasque driver delivered an impressive performance around the tight and technical Hungaroring circuit, finishing 0.484 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, who placed second for Red Bull Racing.
Ferrari continued its dominant start as Lewis Hamilton completed the top three, just 0.543 seconds behind Leclerc, giving the Scuderia a strong early indication of its competitiveness at the Hungarian circuit.
Behind the leading trio, Isack Hadjar produced an impressive performance by finishing fourth with a gap of +0.922 seconds, ahead of George Russell in fifth position with +0.991 seconds.
Lando Norris, who was expected to challenge at the front with McLaren, ended the session in 11th place, more than 1.9 seconds away from Leclerc’s benchmark. Meanwhile, teammate Oscar Piastri finished 12th with a gap of +1.976 seconds.
Aston Martin had a difficult opening session, with Fernando Alonso finishing 13th and Lance Stroll 21st, showing that the team still has work to do to find the right balance for the Hungaroring layout.
The midfield battle remained extremely close, with several drivers separated by only fractions of a second. Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hülkenberg, Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly continued evaluating their setups ahead of the next practice sessions.
With high temperatures and the Hungaroring’s low-speed corners demanding strong aerodynamic performance, teams focused on tyre management, car balance, and race preparation rather than chasing outright lap times.
Ferrari’s early pace puts Leclerc and Hamilton in a strong position heading into the rest of the Hungarian GP weekend, but Red Bull and McLaren remain close contenders as the teams continue fine-tuning their cars.
Hungarian GP FP1 Top 10:
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) — 1:19.075
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) — +0.484
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) — +0.543
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) — +0.922
- George Russell (Mercedes) — +0.991
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) — +1.285
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) — +1.392
- Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) — +1.548
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — +1.685
- Lando Norris (McLaren) — +1.949
Ferrari strikes first at the Hungaroring, but the battle is far from over.
