Charles Leclerc topped Hungarian GP FP1 as Ferrari began the Hungaroring weekend with an impressive one-three, although the session ended with concern when the Monegasque driver’s SF-26 stopped with an unexplained technical failure. Charles Leclerc set the fastest time of 1:19.075, while Lewis Hamilton finished third, 0.543 seconds behind his Ferrari teammate.
The SF-26 looked convincing throughout the opening practice session, with both Ferrari drivers immediately competing near the front of the order. However, the cause of Charles Leclerc’s late stoppage must still be investigated, with the source suggesting only a possible connection to the transmission rather than confirming the affected component.
Ferrari aim to confirm their recent progress in Hungary
Ferrari’s objective at the Hungarian Grand Prix is to confirm the strong performances shown first at Silverstone and then at Spa-Francorchamps. The Barcelona upgrades and the first power-unit development introduced through the ADUO concessions have allowed Ferrari to make a significant step forward and move considerably closer to championship leaders Mercedes.
The opening practice results supported the reasons behind Ferrari’s cautious optimism before the Hungarian GP. However, the team are not considered favourites, despite the Hungaroring appearing to suit the characteristics of the SF-26 better than the previous two circuits.
The Hungarian track places particular emphasis on traction, which remains one of Ferrari’s weaknesses. Although the car’s performance through slower corners could prove advantageous, as explained in our analysis of the SF-26’s low-speed corner strength, only the remaining sessions will reveal the true competitive order.
The weekend also marks the debut of Ferrari’s upgraded Macarena rear wing. In addition to producing the aerodynamic load required at the Hungaroring, the new specification is intended to improve the stability of the SF-26’s rear end.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton immediately competitive
Ferrari began its FP1 programme on the medium tyres, which were fitted to both Charles Leclerc’s and Lewis Hamilton’s cars. The team initially conducted a comparison between two rear-wing configurations. Lewis Hamilton ran what the source described as a semi-standard version of the evolved Macarena wing, while Charles Leclerc used the full or “official” specification.
Both Ferrari drivers were competitive from the beginning and quickly moved towards the leading positions. At the end of the first stint on the yellow-walled medium tyres, Charles Leclerc held first place with a lap of 1:20.287. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen followed approximately four tenths behind.
After returning to the garage, Ferrari made several set-up adjustments and examined the airflow data associated with the evolved rear wing. The early running therefore provided the team with an important opportunity to compare the two specifications while also evaluating the SF-26’s balance on the medium compound.
The promising start was also consistent with the pre-weekend indications from the Ferrari and Mercedes performance comparison at the Hungaroring, although fuel loads, engine modes and individual run plans mean FP1 times cannot establish a definitive competitive hierarchy.
Charles Leclerc sets the pace in Hungarian GP FP1
With approximately 30 minutes remaining, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton returned to the circuit on the red-walled soft tyres for their first qualifying simulations of the weekend. Charles Leclerc moved to the top of the timesheets after his opening attempt, establishing an advantage of around half a second over Max Verstappen.
The Ferrari SF-26 appeared particularly well balanced around most of the lap. Charles Leclerc encountered some difficulty only through the final two corners, where the car showed a small amount of oversteer. Lewis Hamilton completed his own flying lap and moved into third place, approximately six tenths behind Charles Leclerc’s benchmark at that stage of the session.
Charles Leclerc ultimately remained fastest with his 1:19.075, while Lewis Hamilton reduced the final gap to 0.543 seconds. The result gave Ferrari first and third positions in the opening practice classification and provided an encouraging first indication of the car’s potential at the Hungaroring.
Late SF-26 failure interrupts Charles Leclerc’s race simulation
With around 23 minutes remaining, Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin caused a red flag following what appeared to be a possible failure on the AMR26. The interruption lasted approximately ten minutes before the drivers were allowed to return to the circuit.
Charles Leclerc resumed the session on the same set of soft tyres used during the previous stint. Lewis Hamilton instead returned on the used medium tyres from his opening run. Ferrari then began a race-pace simulation with both cars as the team turned its attention towards longer-run performance.
Charles Leclerc was unable to complete the programme because a component failed on his SF-26, forcing him to stop the car. The source suggests that the problem may have been related to the transmission, but the precise cause had not been established and Ferrari must investigate the car before the next session.
Lewis Hamilton’s race simulation was considerably more straightforward. His lap times remained consistent, reinforcing the positive trend shown by Ferrari throughout FP1. The SF-26 appeared competitive over both a single lap and the early long-run programme, although direct comparisons remain difficult because the teams may have been using different fuel loads and run plans.
Ferrari’s Hungarian Grand Prix weekend has therefore begun positively, with Charles Leclerc leading the session and Lewis Hamilton completing the top three. Nevertheless, the team must remain cautious at such an early stage of the weekend, while understanding the cause of Charles Leclerc’s stoppage will now be a priority before the second practice session.
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