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Formula 1 Hungarian GP

F1 Hungarian GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1 & FP2

Updates from the Friday practice sessions at the Hungaroring for the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix

Lando Norris, McLaren

Following Charles Leclerc’s crash while leading last weekend’s French GP, Max Verstappen picked up the win and extended his F1 world championship lead to 63 points over his Ferrari rival.

But the main talking point in the F1 paddock has been Sebastian Vettel’s announcement that he will retire from F1 at the end of 2022.

The Hungarian GP marks the final race before F1’s summer break.

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The Mercs are also out of the pits so it is a very busy track to find a clean lap on. Perez slots into third for Red Bull ahead of birthday boy Alonso.
Stopwatch
Leclerc now leads the times with a 1m18.911s on the medium tyres, some 0.7s quicker than Verstappen who slots into second.
Stopwatch
Bottas bangs in the first timed lap of FP2 with a 1m21.452s, as the TV director cuts to some Haas mechanics messing about with an air blower. It is the final race before school's out for summer, I guess.
Plenty of drivers heading out early in truth, as Vettel and Stroll come in from an installation lap, while only Latifi, Hamilton and Russell are yet to nip out on the track.
Green flag
FP2 is go! Vettel and Stroll lead out the early takers.
The drivers are being strapped into the cars so we are almost ready to get going. Can't wait.
One driver change to note: Bottas is back in his Alfa Romeo after handing over FP1 driver duties to Kubica. That won't count towards the young driver practice session allocation though, as the Polish driver has started just a few too many races.
The F1 timing screen is partially reset from the earlier F3 qualifying session, but still states Reece Ushijima has the fastest first sector time of any driver. He was quick, but not that quick.
Sun
Alonso would prefer an ice cream cake rather than a birthday cake today, as it is scorchio! The Hungaroring is a touch above 33C and the track temperature is above the 50C mark. It's well hot.
Before the action gets going, let's take a moment to wish Alonso a very happy 41st birthday. Altogether now, Haaaappy Birthdaaaaay toooo youuu...
Plenty of exploratory laps were chalked up in FP1, with the session led by Sainz for Ferrari, while we got a first proper look at the Haas upgrades and Aston Martin's new rear wing.
Hello once again, who is hungry for some more practice action? OK, that pun is as old as the race itself, but at least we got it out of the way. Now on to the serious business.
This afternoon's session starts at 4pm BST, so we'll be taking a short breather on Live until then. Thanks for joining us and be sure to keep an eye on our website and social feeds for all the news from the track as it happens. See you later on.
Breaking news
Here's the full run-down of FP1 from the Hungaroring, as Carlos Sainz topped the times for Ferrari ahead of Max Verstappen: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-hungarian-gp-sainz-leads-verstappen-in-opening-practice/10345100/
Learning their newly-upgraded Haas, Magnussen and Schumacher are 17th and 18th ahead of Alfa reserve Kubica as Latifi's Williams brings up the rear.
Aston Martin twins Vettel and Stroll, then the AlphaTauris of Gasly and Tsunoda continue the two-by-two theme in positions 11-14, before we find the lead Alfa Romeo of Zhou and best-placed Williams of Albon in positions 15 and 16.
Hamilton was seventh, ahead of Ricciardo, with the Alpines of Ocon and birthday boy Alonso tenth. I wonder if he'll be having one of those nice cakes you can get from the Co-Op during the break?
Norris is the best of the rest in fourth for McLaren, with Russell the lead Mercedes in fifth and Perez having to settle for sixth.
Sainz it is then who ends FP1 on top, with Verstappen 0.130s down in second position and Leclerc third for Ferrari.
Alas we did have one improvement right at the end as Stroll moved ahead of Gasly into 12th, right behind team-mate Vettel.
Checkered flag
Perez in fact set a purple opening sector on his final tour, but loses time in the remaining two splits and doesn't improve as the chequered flag waves to bring FP1 to an end.
Into the final throes of the session, it doesn't look like anybody is on course for a late improvement.
Off track
Alonso must have driven more laps around the Hungaroring than I've had hot baths, but this sinuous circuit still has lots of areas where drivers can get caught out - and the double F1 world champion has a big snap of oversteer through Turn 11 that forces him to back out over the run-off.
Perez is still sixth, behind Norris and Russell, and his hopes of improving are hampered by encountering a hard-shod Haas in the final sector which doesn't leap out of the way when he makes a dart up the inside into the penultimate corner.
Several drivers in fact are now back on the hard tyres, including both Mercedes, Tsunoda and Latifi's Williams.
Off track
Norris now moves into fourth position for McLaren, a 1m19.299s for the Briton, as Hamilton has a big snap of oversteer at the Turns 6-7 chicane which causes him to use the run-off. Schumacher meanwhile isn't happy as he encounters one of the Ferraris going slowly at Turn 8.
Stroll has moved up to 12th on a 1m20.580s, but the Canadian has a huge impact with the kerbs at Turn 11. That won't have done the underfloor on his Aston Martin much good.
Also improving that time around was Perez, but his 1m19.622s isn't enough to push Russell out of fourth place.
It's another PB in sector two, and Sainz once more goes fastest on a 1m18.750s to push Verstappen down to second.
As Sainz winds up for another lap, Leclerc improves but stays behind Verstappen on a 1m19.039s. What can the British GP winner produce?
Both AlphaTauris have now been escorted out of the top 10, with positions 9 and 10 currently occupied by Ocon and birthday boy Alonso - the Spaniard celebrating his 41st today by revisiting the scene of his first F1 victory in 2003.
But Verstappen responds with his personal best first sector and punches in the first sub-1m19s lap on 1m18.880s, which is 0.382s faster than Sainz's previous best.
Sainz sets a new purple middle sector and with it goes fastest, taking the top spot back from Leclerc on a 1m19.262s. That pushes Russell back to third, with Verstappen fourth, Hamilton fifth and Ricciardo sixth having just bolted a set of softs onto his McLaren.
Russell has had a few issues into Turn 1 too, his latest a big rear lock up under braking that he called "strange" over the radio with remarkable calmness - as if it had happened to somebody else. He did well to hold that moment.
Tsunoda will need to book a visit to the dentist after a huge lock up at Turn 1 that has torn a huge chunk out of his right-front tyre and will leave him a huge flat-spot and the resultant filling-shaking vibrations. Unsurprisingly, the AlphaTauri sophomore has come into the pits.
They may have shiny new parts, but the Aston Martins are currently at the foot of the leaderboard in 19th and 20th positions, Vettel ahead of Stroll. Both improved on their last laps on the hard tyres.

By: autosport.com

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