Ferrari strike fear into F1 rivals as Hungarian GP domination continues in FP2

Ferrari continued its early domination of the Hungarian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton eased to the top of the timing boards during FP2 in Budapest.

Charles Leclerc in the sister SF-26, who went quickest in the opening hour of running at the Hungaroring, slotted into second, a tenth and a half slower than the seven-time F1 drivers' champion.

Lando Norris made the most of the upgraded McLaren to go third, ahead of Max Verstappen, George Russell and Isack Hadjar.

Oscar Piastri, in his first session of the day after Leonardo Fornaroli deputised for him in FP1, could only manage eighth.

Lance Stroll was unable to take part in the second free practice session with his Aston Martin still being repaired after suffering left-rear suspension failure earlier in the day during his first taste of the B-spec AMR26.

Franco Colapinto, meanwhile, triggered a second red flag on the first day of track action in Hungary when his Alpine crashed heavily at the final corner just before the halfway stage of FP2.

Kimi Antonelli ended the session down in P13, having failed to get a clean push lap. His first effort was disrupted by the red flag, and he ran wide on his second attempt.

The report continues below...

First half

Before a wheel was even turned in the second hour of running, the field was reduced to 21 cars following the damage sustained to Stroll's Aston Martin during FP1.

The left-rear suspension failure triggered the first red flag of the weekend, and his AMR26 could not be fixed in time, ruling him out of action for the rest of the day; a considerable blow to the Silverstone squad, which has brought 16 updates to what is now its B-spec car for the final round before the F1 summer break.

The Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc dominated proceedings early in the session, with times in the mid-1:19s. Verstappen was third for much of the opening half-an-hour, as the trio continued their control of proceedings in Budapest.

Approaching the halfway point, Norris brought the benchmark down with a low 1:19; a 1:19.228, to be precise. He was followed up by the Red Bull driver, who settled into second, a couple of tenths of a second off the pace of the MCL40.

With 32 minutes left on the clock, Colapinto found himself heading backwards into the wall at the final corner, which has proven tricky and low-grip across the entire day.

The dusty, slippery surface coupled with heavy gusts of wind left the Alpine driver a passenger as he crashed helplessly into the barriers, significantly damaging the rear of his A526 and bringing out the second red flag of the day.

Final 30

After the six-minute interruption was lifted, Ferrari resumed its fine form, with Leclerc and then Hamilton bringing the hammer down, becoming the first drivers to breach the 1:18s at the Hungaroring, a tenth separating the pair.

The Scuderia was expected to have the measure of its rivals at the short, go-kart track-like circuit, where a premium is placed on corners.

After Verstappen got himself between the two SF-26s in FP1, the Maranello-based squad strengthened its grip. Hamilton put five tenths of a second between him and the McLaren of Norris in third.

Racing Bulls and Audi continued their tense fight for supremacy at the top of the midfield this weekend, with Liam Lawson getting the better of the German marque with seventh.

Team-mate Arvid Lindblad considered pushing Gabriel Bortoleto onto the grass during the dying moments, but told his team he felt it would be "rude" to do so during practice.

The 18-year-old found himself sandwiched between the R26s in P10, behind Nico Hulkenberg and ahead of the Brazilian.