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What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP

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Formula 1
Hungarian GP
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP

Alonso delivers first verdict on Aston Martin F1 car upgrades

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Alonso delivers first verdict on Aston Martin F1 car upgrades

F1 Hungarian GP: Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-2 in FP2, Colapinto crashes for Alpine

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Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP: Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-2 in FP2, Colapinto crashes for Alpine

Newey: Major Hungarian GP upgrade "just the first part" of new Aston Martin F1 car

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Hungarian GP
Newey: Major Hungarian GP upgrade "just the first part" of new Aston Martin F1 car

Why fans don't get true picture of driver performance with 2026 F1 rules - but it is fixable, according to Haas boss

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Hungarian GP
Why fans don't get true picture of driver performance with 2026 F1 rules - but it is fixable, according to Haas boss

F1 Hungarian GP: Leclerc tops FP1, Stroll suffers suspected suspension failure with upgraded Aston Martin

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Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP: Leclerc tops FP1, Stroll suffers suspected suspension failure with upgraded Aston Martin

LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Stroll suffers suspension failure as Aston Martin runs massive upgrade package

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Stroll suffers suspension failure as Aston Martin runs massive upgrade package

LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Hamilton heads FP2 after Colapinto crash, Stroll sidelined for Aston Martin

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Hamilton heads FP2 after Colapinto crash, Stroll sidelined for Aston Martin

Williams: F-duct for Monza a no-brainer

Williams technical director Sam Michael is baffled why rivals teams are unsure about their plans to run the F-duct at Monza this weekend - because he thinks it a 'no-brainer' to keep it on the car

A number of leading outfits have spent the last few weeks evaluating whether or not to keep the F-duct on for the Italian Grand Prix.

McLaren initially planned to remove it for the first time this season, but is now likely to run back-to-back tests on Friday to work out which is best, while Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull Racing are all keeping their options open.

The low-downforce nature of the Monza circuits means there is much less drag for the F-duct to remove for a straight-line speed boost, and keeping it on the car can provide a penalty in terms of aerodynamic efficiency down the straight.

However, Michael thinks that the boost provided by an F-duct at Monza more than makes up for any disadvantages - which is why his outfit has never wavered from its plan to run it.

"I don't really understand why there is an F-duct issue [for Monza]," said Michael. "On the Monza wing we've got, there is a massive drag difference. I don't know why you would never do it.

"There is this debate that as you take drag off, it becomes less of a delta. That is true, but it is still a stalled wing so if the wing stalls then it stalls - for us it is a no brainer. I think everyone will run it."

Scuderia Toro Rosso is the latest team close to introducing its F-duct, with the outfit scheduled to evaluate its design in a test at Vairano in Italy today.

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