Max Verstappen fastest in FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix
- Toby McLuskie
Max Verstappen was the fastest in the first practice session of the weekend, proving that the engine is fine after the big crash with Lewis Hamilton in the British Grand Prix. The Dutchman's 1:17.555 lap time was enough to finish ahead of the Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton in second and third respectively.
Red Bull and Mercedes on top again, with Ferrari as well
Verstappen was able to find the fastest time of the session, which was somewhat expected with his form this season. On the other hand, Sergio Perez will not be happy with his performance. The Mexican was only able to best an eighth-place finish and finished behind a large number of drivers in the midfield. It was a strong showing from the Mercedes duo of Bottas and Hamilton. The Finn finished only 0.061 seconds behind the Dutchman, whilst Hamilton was only 0.167 seconds off the front. It was a superb showing for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz finished the session in fourth, whilst Charles Leclerc finished in seventh. The Spaniard, however, was still 0.560 seconds off the front and 0.393 seconds off Hamilton in third.
McLaren, Alpine and AlphaTauri show strong signs
It was a strong showing for one driver from each of the three teams named above, whilst their teammate struggled throughout FP1. For McLaren, it was once again Lando Norris who was the strongest of the pairing as the young Brit finished in ninth place, compared to Daniel Ricciardo's 14th place finish. The Aussie struggled throughout the whole session and was unable to move into the top 10 at any point. Pierre Gasly was able to find himself in the top five at the end of the hour, whilst his AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda started strong but found the wall with 15 minutes to go, causing a red-flagging of the session. The rookie finished in 12th place. Fernando Alonso was Alpine's star driver, once again, as the two-time World Champion finished in sixth place, only 0.830 seconds off Verstappen. Esteban Ocon struggled throughout the hour but was able to find himself second and fourth at some point in FP1. However, the Frenchman wasn't able to hold onto his strong time and finished in 11th.
Haas, Aston Martin, Williams and Alfa Romeo all have quiet sessions
It was a very quiet FP1 for all eight drivers from Haas, Aston Martin, Williams and Alfa Romeo. It was a different view at the bottom of the timings chart, however. Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi was dead last, whilst his FP1 teammate, Robert Kubica, was in 18th. Aston Martin have had a very odd first 10 races of the season, with some races being successful but most being off the pace that many expected. In FP1 today, Lance Stroll saved it until the end of the session and finished 10th, whilst Sebastian Vettel finished in 13th. It was an unusual sight for many as Nikita Mazepin was not bottom of the timings charts, as the rookie finished the session 19th. His fellow rookie and teammate Mick Schumacher finished in 17th. As for George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, the Williams duo had an extremely quiet session. They finished in 15th and 16th place respectively.