The second free practice session (FP2) of the Hungarian Grand Prix ended with the same top three drivers as in the first session. Charles Leclerc continued to stay firmly attached to the two McLaren cars, while the British team faced a risky moment as their drivers nearly collided. The weekend is heating up early for the orange papaya squad. Meanwhile, it was a difficult day for Max Verstappen, who was investigated and visibly unhappy with the performance of his Red Bull car.
First 30 Minutes
The session started with the green light, and the track quickly saw the two Mercedes cars hit the asphalt, trying to improve after a lackluster FP1 performance. George Russell immediately set the fastest time on the soft yellow tires, but the session was just beginning, and many top teams had yet to start their runs.
Following the Silver Arrows were the Ferrari cars, with Charles Leclerc temporarily taking the lead. However, the McLaren team soon asserted their dominance, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris battling for the fastest laps. Despite this, the closest challenger remained the Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, who kept close pace with the papaya duo.
Red Bull, however, struggled again—not just with Yuki Tsunoda. Max Verstappen faced difficulties handling a slippery car, which dropped him to the lower end of the top ten, just behind Lewis Hamilton.
Last 30 Minutes
With thirty minutes remaining in the FP2 session, teams began their qualifying simulations. Carlos Sainz was the first to fit the soft red tires, but he did not complete a clean flying lap. Shortly after, Lance Stroll took the top spot with Aston Martin, which appeared to have found a good balance for the Hungaroring circuit.
Not long after, the McLaren team made their presence felt again, securing the top two positions. Between the two papaya drivers, Lando Norris seemed to extract his flying lap slightly more easily than Oscar Piastri, placing almost three tenths of a second ahead. Both drivers made minor errors, with Norris especially risking a mistake after running wide onto the grass, nearly losing control.
Within Ferrari, both drivers aborted their first attempts on soft tires. Then Charles Leclerc confirmed himself as the fastest Ferrari, setting a time only four tenths behind Norris’s McLaren. Lewis Hamilton was further back but still trying to close the gap to his teammate George Russell.
For Red Bull, the situation remained grim. Max Verstappen was over a second behind the McLaren cars, and the team continued making significant setup changes to find better performance. Furthermore, Verstappen faced an investigation after the session ended for throwing an object found inside his car onto the track.
In the final ten minutes of FP2, teams started race pace simulations. Ferrari tested different strategies, with Lewis Hamilton running on the soft red tires and Charles Leclerc on the yellow medium compound. The fastest laps remained with the two McLaren drivers, who posted times in the high 1:21 range. The Ferrari and Mercedes cars ran comparable pace to each other.
However, tire degradation quickly became an issue for almost all drivers, hinting at a likely two-stop race strategy. Verstappen’s session ended in disappointment, as his race simulation proved forgettable due to ongoing car handling issues.
The session concluded with Charles Leclerc in third place behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who were involved in a near-contact incident. As Norris exited the pit lane, Piastri was approaching at speed. The Australian driver locked up his tires, narrowly avoiding a collision that could have caused significant damage to the McLaren team.
Final results from FP2:
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