Formula 1

What happened in first Hungarian Grand Prix F1 practice

by Matt Beer
2 min read

Up Next

There was little to choose between the Ferraris and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in opening Hungarian Grand Prix practice, with Carlos Sainz ultimately on top.


Key moments

– Sainz fastest by 0.130s from Verstappen
– Encouraging session for McLaren
– Upgraded Haas and Aston Martin hit track


In very hot conditions that might not be representative of a weekend where rain and then cooler temperatures are expected, Sainz’s 1m18.750s during a soft-tyre run with just over 10 minutes to go put him 0.130 seconds ahead of Formula 1 world championship leader Verstappen.

They and Charles Leclerc had swapped positions repeatedly during the hour, with Leclerc ultimately 0.289s off the pace in third.

The second Red Bull of Sergio Perez was down in sixth, seven tenths of a second away from Verstappen. Perez also made an unusual contribution to the session with an alarming sneezing fit broadcast on team radio.

For most of the session Daniel Ricciardo had been a surprise ‘best of the rest’ for McLaren.

He didn’t stay there, slipping back to eighth, but team-mate Lando Norris ended the hour fourth on a lap half a second clear of Ricciardo.

The Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were fifth and seventh, the Alpines of 2021 Hungary winner Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso ninth and 10th.

Alonso was among the drivers to visit the Hungaroring’s run-off areas, with a heavy kerb ride for Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin and a wild lock-up into Turn 1 for Yuki Tsunoda among the other minor incidents.

Kevin Magnussen’s upgraded Haas was 17th, one place and a tenth of a second ahead of team-mate Mick Schumacher in the previous-spec car.

Aston Martin was the other team running a particularly eye-catching upgrade, with a revised rear wing endplate on its cars. Sebastian Vettel was 11th, team-mate Stroll 12th.

Practice 1 Results

Pos Name Car Best Time Gap Leader
1 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1m18.75s
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1m18.88s +0.13s
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1m19.039s +0.289s
4 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1m19.299s +0.549s
5 George Russell Mercedes 1m19.606s +0.856s
6 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 1m19.622s +0.872s
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m19.71s +0.96s
8 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 1m19.841s +1.091s
9 Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 1m20.348s +1.598s
10 Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 1m20.377s +1.627s
11 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 1m20.383s +1.633s
12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 1m20.414s +1.664s
13 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Red Bull 1m20.456s +1.706s
14 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Red Bull 1m20.695s +1.945s
15 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 1m20.81s +2.06s
16 Alex Albon Williams-Mercedes 1m20.834s +2.084s
17 Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 1m20.921s +2.171s
18 Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 1m21.027s +2.277s
19 Robert Kubica 1m21.179s +2.429s
20 Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 1m21.413s +2.663s
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More Networks