Hungaroring FR3.5: Carlos Sainz Jr leads practice sessions

The Spaniard, whose Formula 1 ambitions were dealt a blow last month when his backer Red Bull decided to promote Formula 3 rookie Max Verstappen to an F1 race seat with Toro Rosso next year, was fastest in both wet and dry conditions in Hungary.

Sainz did not actually set the fastest time of the day, as Oliver Rowland went quickest at the end of the second session, but the Briton and Pierre Gasly had their final times deleted as they were set a few seconds after F3 European points leader Esteban Ocon brought out the red flags.

That bumped Rowland from first to second, and Gasly from third to sixth, and both drivers were subject to further investigation by the officials after the session.

The track dried slowly in the afternoon session after rain earlier in the day, and it was only in the final 15 minutes that the slick tyres really started to work and the laptimes began to fall.

Sainz appeared to have the field under control during the closing minutes, repeatedly setting new benchmarks as he found roughly one second with each lap in improving conditions.

Rowland was regularly his closest challenger along with Gasly, Oscar Tunjo, Luca Ghiotto and Ocon in the final 10 minutes, but once Rowland's and Gasly's best laps were taken away, Sainz's advantage over the field was one second.

The Red Bull junior had been 2.6 seconds clear of Tunjo in the wet first session of the day, with Rowland three seconds adrift in third.

First practice

Second practice