Sam Bird disturbed by ‘awful’ noise from Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari SF-25 during Hungaroring onboard. Charles Leclerc led Ferrari’s challenge against McLaren at the 2025 Hungarian GP.

Scuderia Ferrari positioned itself as the closest competitor to McLaren during Friday’s practice sessions for the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, thanks to a strong performance from Charles Leclerc. However, it was a more difficult day for his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who appeared noticeably off the pace throughout both sessions at the Hungaroring.

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri dominated the timesheets during both FP1 and FP2, showcasing their MCL39’s strong balance and grip around the technical Budapest circuit. Lando Norris set the fastest lap in FP1 with a time of 1:16.052, which he then improved to 1:15.624 in FP2. Oscar Piastri followed closely behind, clocking in with a best lap of 1:15.915. Notably, McLaren were the only team to break into the 1:15s during the second session.

Charles Leclerc put Ferrari in third place with a best time of 1:16.023, offering the Maranello squad some encouragement heading into Saturday. In contrast, Lewis Hamilton struggled to find pace, ending FP2 in sixth position with a time of 1:16.329—trailing not only the McLaren drivers but also both Aston Martin racers.

Aston Martin Bounce Back as Ferrari’s Setup Experiment Faces Early Challenges
Aston Martin, who had failed to score any points at the previous race in Belgium, showed renewed promise in Budapest. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso delivered solid performances during FP2, setting the fourth and fifth-fastest times respectively. Alonso had even skipped FP1 due to back pain but returned strongly in the afternoon session.

Despite Ferrari’s efforts to close the gap, the SF-25 appeared to suffer from a series of technical issues that prevented Hamilton from mounting a stronger challenge. One of the most concerning moments during Friday’s running came from the audio of Hamilton’s onboard footage, which captured an unusually rough and clunky series of downshifts as he approached Turn 12. Former Formula E driver Sam Bird, now a broadcaster, commented during BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra that the gearbox noises sounded “awful”—highlighting a possible mechanical issue or at least a calibration mismatch.

Bird pointed out that Hamilton had initially shown competitive pace, going fastest in sector one with a purple time, but he then dropped significant time—over three-and-a-half tenths—in sector two. He noted that the seven-time World Champion appeared uncomfortable through the Turn 6-7 chicane and identified the downshifts into Turn 12 as particularly poor, describing them as reminiscent of “B-grade” execution. Ultimately, Hamilton ended his best lap seven-tenths of a second off Norris’s benchmark, despite starting it with the fastest first sector.

Setup Tweaks in Focus: Ferrari Banking on Monaco-Spec Rear Wing to Unlock Pace
Ferrari have brought their Monaco-spec rear wing to the Hungarian Grand Prix in hopes of improving vertical downforce in the slower corners that define sector two of the Hungaroring. Additionally, the Scuderia has made changes to the front wing configuration of the SF-25, aiming to reduce the chronic understeer that has plagued Hamilton in recent races.

The modifications appeared to benefit Charles Leclerc more than his teammate. The Monegasque driver extracted more performance through the middle and final sectors, placing Ferrari in a competitive position relative to McLaren. Leclerc’s ability to push harder through sector two was particularly significant, considering that McLaren held a distinct advantage in that area throughout the day.

Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, was unable to match Leclerc’s rhythm or consistency. Even though he attacked the kerbs aggressively—particularly through the tricky Turn 6-7 sequence—he continued to lose time in sector two, which ultimately ruined his fastest attempt in FP2. This allowed both Aston Martin drivers to edge ahead of him on the final timesheet.

Ferrari’s Next Steps: Helping Hamilton Catch Up Ahead of Qualifying
Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur, who was recently awarded a contract extension to lead the Scuderia into the upcoming regulatory era, will be keenly observing the developments across the weekend. The team will be under pressure to ensure that both drivers can extract maximum performance from the SF-25, especially given the visible improvements from rival teams like McLaren and Aston Martin.

While Charles Leclerc demonstrated that Ferrari has the potential to challenge McLaren under the right conditions, attention will now shift to improving Hamilton’s setup and confidence behind the wheel. The goal will be to close the gap in sector two and lift him at least ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso in qualifying.

With track temperatures expected to play a key role and tyre management critical across all sectors, Ferrari must optimise every detail if they hope to deliver a strong qualifying result. The team has shown signs of progress, but turning that promise into performance for both drivers remains the real test as the weekend continues in Budapest.