During the first free practice sessions at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, the Ferrari Formula 1 team demonstrated additional signs of progress following the introduction of two major technical upgrades: a significantly revised floor and a newly designed rear suspension package. These two substantial modifications have contributed to enhancing the overall performance and competitiveness of the Ferrari SF-25 single-seater car.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton appeared to be facing greater challenges in finding the ideal car setup. In order to improve his on-track performance and fine-tune the behavior of his car, he required direct comparisons with the telemetry data and performance information from his teammate. These insights were essential to achieve an optimal car balance. Additionally, further useful information was expected to arrive from the detailed data processing carried out through simulator sessions following the on-track running.
Ferrari Shows Competitive Race Pace Close to McLaren, But McLaren Still Leads the Field
The Italian team focused its Friday efforts on conducting race simulations using both the Soft and Medium tyre compounds supplied by Pirelli. The lap times recorded by Ferrari were between one and two-tenths of a second slower than the averages posted by Australian driver Oscar Piastri, who was behind the wheel of the McLaren.
From the garage, Ferrari engineers provided very specific driving instructions to Lewis Hamilton regarding his approach to corners 4 and 5 of the Hungaroring circuit. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion was advised to slightly compromise his entry into turn 4 in order to extract more performance and better rotation through turn 5. Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc managed to extract more consistent performance from the Medium compound, particularly in the final phase of his long-run stint during the second free practice session.
Red Bull, on the other hand, encountered a challenging start to the race weekend. Both of their drivers, Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda, reported problems related to car balance and a general lack of front-end and overall grip. In response to these issues, during the second free practice session, Red Bull mechanics decided to adjust the static suspension geometry by modifying the tyre angles. They opted for a setup featuring reduced camber and toe-in. This change aimed to improve the tyre’s contact patch with the track surface, thereby increasing grip levels, especially at the front end, by recovering effective camber.
In terms of lap time performance, Max Verstappen was more than half a second slower per lap when compared to Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda lost close to a full second per lap. According to messages exchanged over team radio communications, the Red Bull RB21 struggled to bring the front tyres up to the correct operating temperature window. As a result, the car suffered from significant understeer, which further impacted performance.
There were also encouraging signs coming from the Aston Martin and Mercedes teams, where both George Russell and Fernando Alonso—despite the latter dealing with some physical discomfort—were able to produce lap times that were competitive and close to those achieved by the McLaren drivers.
Slightly Lower Performance for Andrea Kimi Antonelli Due to Older Suspension Spec
Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli posted slightly slower lap times compared to his competitors. However, this was largely due to the fact that he was using these first two free practice sessions to rebuild his confidence and familiarity with the car. For this Hungarian Grand Prix, the Mercedes team decided to reinstall the older rear suspension configuration that had originally been used in the first few races of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
This decision proved beneficial for the performance of the Mercedes W16, as the car showed improvements in handling and predictability. The increased mechanical stability and consistent feedback helped both Mercedes drivers to better understand and manage the behavior of the car on track.
Hungarian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton Struggles with Soft Tyre Degradation
Both Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli encountered difficulties during the latter stages of their long-run simulations. According to a radio message from the British driver, the balance of his Ferrari-powered car became increasingly unstable and difficult to manage. This instability was primarily due to uneven thermal degradation between the front and rear tyres.
The Soft compound tyres fitted on the front axle provided better grip and suffered from less thermal degradation, which helped Lewis Hamilton in the initial laps of the stint. However, the rear Soft tyres experienced a rapid and significant increase in surface temperature. Additionally, the various traction zones—particularly those requiring simultaneous throttle application and steering input—contributed to higher surface abrasion and the tearing of rubber fragments from the tyre tread due to mechanical stress.
Charles Leclerc, in contrast, experienced more linear and consistent tyre degradation throughout his stint. On average, the Monegasque Ferrari driver experienced a lap time drop-off of just under two-tenths of a second per lap, which is considered relatively manageable in race trim.
In addition to benefitting from using a different compound compared to Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc adopted a more conservative approach at the beginning of his race simulation stint. His lap times can be clearly divided into two distinct phases: the first three laps of the simulation and the final three laps. The noticeable performance drop-off occurred shortly after his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, requested the activation of the so-called “Mode X” engine setting.
Ferrari’s Use of “Mode X” Aimed at Simulating High Fuel Loads
This engine mode, referred to as “Mode X,” is understood to replicate a power unit mapping configuration that more closely resembles the settings used during the opening phase of a Formula 1 race, when cars are typically running with a heavy fuel load. Judging by the increase in lap times that followed its activation, this hybrid configuration appears to have been designed to help the Ferrari team collect valuable data representative of the early laps of a Grand Prix, when tyre management and fuel efficiency are particularly critical.
Meanwhile, the McLaren team continued to assert its dominance at the front of the field, leading the way in both qualifying simulations and in terms of race pace. Within the intra-team battle for supremacy and potential championship contention, British driver Lando Norris appeared to be further ahead in terms of weekend preparation and execution when compared to his Australian teammate, Oscar Piastri.
Lando Norris, who was the winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix last year in 2024, showed inconsistent lap times throughout his long-run simulation. Traffic encountered during his laps severely affected his rhythm and prevented him from unlocking the full performance potential of the MCL39. Despite this, analysis of the raw data indicates that the actual performance ceiling of the McLaren might be even higher than what was observed during Friday’s free practice sessions.
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