Charles Leclerc Sets Fastest Time in FP2
After a first free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix that didn’t provide significant insights due to bad weather and limited laps completed by the drivers (but gained attention mainly for Sergio Perez’s dramatic mistake), the second session saw much more activity on the Hungaroring circuit. FP2, contrary to general expectations, concluded with Charles Leclerc setting the fastest time.
Mission accomplished, but caution remains
The Ferrari driver, who yesterday stated to the press that the Hungarian track suits the characteristics of the Prancing Horse better, clocked a time of 1:17.686, using the soft tire, just 15 milliseconds faster than Lando Norris, further confirming the impressive form of McLaren seen at Silverstone. However, despite the positive result for the Monegasque, there is still a question mark hovering over his performance, as well as that of all other drivers.
Attention on the new format
In Budapest, there is a general atmosphere of uncertainty regarding the new qualifying format, which will debut tomorrow and will require drivers to use a different tire compound in each qualifying session: hard tires in Q1, medium tires in Q2, and soft tires in Q3. This change has also impacted tire management in free practice sessions. While waiting for the developments tomorrow, Charles Leclerc has expressed positive comments on this afternoon’s performance: “It has been a good day, even though it’s difficult to understand the true competitiveness as with this new tire-related format, every team has followed a different program,” he said. “As for us, we completed the planned work, and the car feels good, so we look forward with confidence to what we can achieve tomorrow.” – the Ferrari man concluded at the end of Friday practice.
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