Spaniard Carlos Sainz, driving for Ferrari, led the first practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring near Budapest. The session, the thirteenth round of the Formula One World Championship, saw Sainz set the pace while fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who turned 41, finished in tenth and Mexico’s Sergio Pérez, driving for Red Bull, secured sixth place.
In his best effort of 26 laps, Sainz clocked a lap of 1 minute, 18.750 seconds on the 4.381-kilometer circuit, 0.130 seconds quicker than Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who dominated the championship with 233 points. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, stood third in this session, also using soft compound tires. The pace set by Sainz highlighted Ferrari’s early form as the practice progressed.
Sainz, who is fourth in the championship standings, trailed Verstappen by 89 points after the session. Verstappen had just captured his first F1 win of the season at Silverstone, while Leclerc pushed hard to stay within reach. The session, run in dry but hot conditions with track temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius, provided a clear sense of how teams might approach the rest of the weekend. Sainz completed 26 laps, the same total as Leclerc and two more than Verstappen, and his best lap came roughly ten minutes before the end of the session.
Alonso showed strong pace despite being the oldest driver on the grid. The two-time world champion celebrated his birthday on the track, claiming a long and successful career that includes 32 Grand Prix wins. Alonso completed the Hungarian layout 27 times in the session and ended up one second and six-tenths behind Sainz on his best attempt.
Pérez, often referred to as Checo, finished the session sixth, 0.872 seconds behind Sainz. The Guadalajara native completed 24 laps and recorded a best time of 1:19.622 on soft tires, a reflection of competitive pace across the top teams during the session.
Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion who announced his retirement at season’s end, ended the session in Ferrari machinery in eleventh place, just over a second behind Sainz. The German veteran’s performance provided a sharp contrast to Sainz’s early speed as teams prepared for the upcoming rounds before the holiday break.
Poland’s Robert Kubica took control of the Alfa Romeo during the first practice, pursuing his teammate Valtteri Bottas who shared the drive in this session. Kubica finished nineteenth, about two seconds and four-tenths behind Sainz, as teams evaluated setup directions for the weekend and beyond.
The second practice session for the final race before the summer break was scheduled to start at 5 p.m. local time, equivalent to 15:00 GMT, offering teams another opportunity to refine setups and analyze tire behavior in preparation for qualifying and the race.
– Timeline of the first free practice for the Hungarian GP:
1. Carlos Sainz ESP Ferrari 1:18.750
2. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 0.130
3. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 0.289
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 0.549
5. George Russell GBR Mercedes 0.856
6. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 0.872
7. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 0.960
8. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 1.091
9. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 1.598
10. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 1.627
11. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 1.633
12. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 1.664
13. Pierre Gasly FRA AlphaTauri 1.706
14. Yuki Tsunoda JPN AlphaTauri 1.945
15. Zhou Guanyu CHN Alfa Romeo 2.060
16. Alexander Albon THA Williams 2.084
17. Kevin Magnussen DIN Haas 2.171
18. Mick Schumacher GER 2.277
19. Robert Kubica POL Alfa Romeo 2.429
20. Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams 2.663