Ferrari surged through Hungarian Grand Prix practice, clocking the single‑lap fastest times and a pace that seemed to eclipse rivals by roughly half a second.
Fast‑Start Supremacy
The Scuderia dominated the Friday sessions, with Kimi Antonelli’s times pushing the benchmark forward. In the final practice, Antonelli’s laps ran at a rate that, when projected over a full race stint, averaged a full 0.46 seconds per lap quicker than his teammate Charles Leclerc. Yet the one‑lap advantage masked inconsistencies that emerged during the race‑distance simulations.
Long‑Run Reveal
Heavy fuel loads revealed a stark contrast. Antonelli preserved his superiority, but other Ferraris fell short. Revved times for the race distance lagged, leaving the team to question whether setup changes can close the gap. Hyundai´s Lando Norris and George Russell, for instance, posted faster long‑run margins than Lewis Hamilton, whose 0.67 slower per lap number surprised many.
Red Bull’s Trending Toward the Long‑Run
Red Bull also made the pivot from one‑lap speed to endurance. Max Verstappen veered down from second place in the first practice to fourth in the second, while teammate Isack Hadjar saw a 0.79‑second per lap deficit relative to Antonelli’s long‑run tempo. The pattern has prompted a re‑evaluation of Saturday’s setup, where the team must gap the Hungarian track’s notorious overtaking challenges.
Aston Martin’s Update Stalled
An ambitious weekday update failed to translate into track time. Ferdinand Alonso emerged as the field’s second‑slowest during the second long‑run, trailing 3.42 seconds per lap. The gap widened to 3.93 seconds when compared to Valtteri Bottas. Aston Martin’s low top‑speed performance, especially on the first sector’s lengthy straights, remains the team’s primary weakness.
Midfield Momentum and Variances
Other teams continued to fight for position. Nico Hulkenberg posted a 1.25‑second advantage per lap, with Racing Bulls trailing 1.46 seconds. Alpine slid further back at 2.16 seconds, whereas Haas managed a 1.94‑second pace. Williams, by contrast, showed a 3.01‑second per lap deficit, placing it nearer to Cadillac and Aston Martin than the top‑10 tally.
With the Saturday race‑distance simulations highlighting significant gaps, each squad must fine‑tune – or overhauling – their set‑ups to better balance speed against consistency before the weekend’s climax.”
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