Ferrari confirmed its impressive Hungarian Grand Prix potential in FP2, with Lewis Hamilton moving ahead of Charles Leclerc as the two SF-26 cars established themselves at the front. More significantly, the Maranello team appeared competitive on both qualifying-style laps and the high-fuel runs that offered an early indication of race performance.
Ferrari had already looked potentially very strong during the opening practice session at the Hungaroring. However, the team still needed to refine the car and, above all, move in the correct set-up direction to optimise the SF-26. The objective was clear: extract its maximum performance and establish Ferrari as the benchmark around the demanding Hungarian circuit.
Ferrari find a strong balance in Hungarian GP FP2
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc wasted no time at the start of FP2, leaving the pit lane as soon as the light turned green. Both Ferrari drivers initially used sets of Medium tyres while testing the latest set-up refinements.
As usual, changes were made to the power unit mappings during the out-laps. The drivers then selected push mode in the third sector before beginning their first timed attempts. The SF-26 appeared easy to drive, and Lewis Hamilton finally looked fully involved in the fight at the front.
The seven-time world champion appeared much more comfortable in the car than he had been earlier in the day, an impression also supported by his radio communications. That was particularly encouraging at a venue where Lewis Hamilton’s exceptional Hungarian Grand Prix record has raised expectations surrounding Ferrari’s prospects.
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, was less precise in the first sector, particularly through Turns 6 and 7. After completing a cooldown lap to bring the tyres back under control, the Monegasque driver immediately removed half a second from his previous time and moved close to his teammate’s pace without appearing to take excessive risks.
Lewis Hamilton was forced to lift during another attempt after making a couple of small mistakes in the third sector. Both Ferrari drivers continued analysing the behaviour of their cars and searching for the limit as the team worked to improve the balance further.
The SF-26 retained a tendency towards oversteer, although it did not appear to be causing either driver serious difficulty. There were also occasional signs of instability during changes of direction, but these appeared to be issues that could be addressed through detailed set-up work rather than fundamental weaknesses.
Ferrari work to improve the SF-26 handling
One of the most interesting aspects of the session was that neither Ferrari driver appeared completely satisfied with the car despite setting extremely competitive lap times. That suggested there was still performance available if the team could make the SF-26 more predictable.
Onboard footage from Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren indicated that Ferrari’s main rivals were not displaying the same overall balance as the Italian cars. McLaren arrived in Budapest with a major MCL40 upgrade package and revised rear-wing concept, but Ferrari appeared to possess the cleaner platform during this phase of FP2.
After spending approximately five minutes in the garage, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc returned for their second runs, this time using the red-walled Soft tyres.
The session was then interrupted when Franco Colapinto crashed into the barriers, triggering double yellow flags and sending the field back to the pits. Following a pause of around 10 minutes, the cars returned to the circuit with Ferrari continuing on the Soft compound.
Carlo Santi and Bryan Bozzi issued several tyre-related instructions as the Softs appeared difficult to bring into the correct operating window. After expressing dissatisfaction with his tyres, Charles Leclerc completed an additional preparation lap in an attempt to reach the required temperature target.
Lewis Hamilton followed the same approach. Both drivers then selected push mode with what appeared to be a relatively clear track ahead of them.
Lewis Hamilton moves ahead despite traffic and used tyres
Neither Ferrari driver produced a completely clean first qualifying simulation. Several steering corrections were required, while Charles Leclerc confirmed over the radio that his lap had been anything but good.
Despite those imperfections, Charles Leclerc moved to the top of the timesheets, with Lewis Hamilton only 0.053 seconds behind. The narrow gap underlined how closely matched the Ferrari drivers were, but also reinforced the sense that neither had yet extracted the full potential of the car.
While Charles Leclerc elected to return to the pits, Lewis Hamilton believed another lap would help him understand the SF-26 more clearly. His tyres already had six laps of running behind them and he also encountered traffic, but the Stevenage-born driver nevertheless moved ahead of the entire field.
Even after taking first place, Lewis Hamilton was not fully satisfied. The British driver remained convinced that he could extract more performance from the Ferrari, offering another encouraging sign for the remainder of the weekend.
The SF-26’s speed was consistent with expectations that its strength in slower corners could suit the Hungaroring. Ferrari had also introduced an upgraded Macarena rear wing specification as part of its effort to maximise aerodynamic performance at the circuit.
Ferrari also look strong in high-fuel race trim
Ferrari’s programme continued with high-fuel testing, as both drivers ran with a significant amount of fuel onboard to evaluate how the SF-26 behaved in race conditions.
Charles Leclerc completed this phase on the Soft tyres and needed to begin managing degradation after approximately five laps. Lewis Hamilton followed a different programme by using the yellow-walled Medium compound, allowing Ferrari to compare the behaviour of the two tyres under representative fuel loads.
The drivability of both Ferrari cars remained extremely good with the additional fuel onboard. Accurately interpreting the lap times was difficult because of the number of variables involved, including tyre compounds, fuel loads, engine modes and traffic.
Heavy traffic particularly disrupted part of Charles Leclerc’s race simulation, although most of the field experienced similar difficulties around the short Hungaroring lap. Ferrari’s overnight simulator work will now be important as the engineers attempt to refine the set-up further before FP3 and qualifying.
Ferrari leave Friday with clear Hungarian GP potential
Friday was an extremely positive day for Ferrari, but the team will need to maintain its concentration because the truly decisive part of the weekend begins on Saturday. Both SF-26 cars demonstrated significant potential, yet the comments and behaviour of the drivers suggested there was still more performance to unlock.
Ferrari must now continue along the same development path while optimising the balance and tyre preparation of both cars. Charles Leclerc had previously warned that Ferrari could not simply assume the Hungaroring would suit the SF-26, but the opening day provided substantial evidence that the car is genuinely competitive.
Comparisons with Mercedes and the other leading teams will become clearer once qualifying engine modes and lower fuel loads are used on Saturday. Nevertheless, Ferrari’s performance supported the encouraging picture outlined by the pre-weekend Ferrari and Mercedes data comparison.
On the evidence available from FP1 and FP2, Ferrari’s position among the favourites appeared fully justified. The SF-26 was quick over a single lap, stable with more fuel onboard and capable of setting the pace even when neither Lewis Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc believed they had produced their best possible lap. Those are highly encouraging signs for the Prancing Horse ahead of the competitive sessions.
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