Mercedes and Ferrari Top Free Practice Sessions at F1 in Hungary, Mclaren Is Right Behind

I haven't been to the Hungaroring in years, but I can still remember how big it feels once you see it in person. There are plenty of good vantage points, and I'm considering a trip over for the 2024 edition of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Until then, let's look at some of the most interesting facts about the Eastern European race, as it will soon be celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Hungarian Grand Prix Preview

The Hungaroring sits near Hungary's capital of Budapest, and judging by the rural area surrounding it, you wouldn't think one of Europe's most incredible tracks is hiding nearby. Nelson Piquet won the inaugural GP in 1986 and proceeded to do so in 1987. Believe it or not, Ayrton Senna was second-fastest in both years. The Brazilian legend took top honors in 1988, 1991, and 1992.

Even so, he is the third most successful F1 driver at the Hungaroring, as Michael Schumacher is second with four victories. Lewis Hamilton is still the man to beat in Hungary, with eight successes recorded between 2007 and 2020. Unfortunately for the British driver, he hasn't won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, almost two years ago. Looking at the list of drivers who have won the Hungarian GP twice, neither of them is still racing today, and Sebastian Vettel is the only one to have come so far in the past ten years.

But Max Verstappen may change that by the end of this weekend. The same statement could be valid for two other drivers on the grid: Daniel Ricciardo (he won the 2014 edition) and Esteban Ocon (he won in 2021). You might remember that particular event, which started with a massive crash in turn one and ended with six drivers having to retire early. Vettel was also disqualified after the event, and the young Alpine-Renault driver scored his first and only F1 victory. Speaking of constructors' results, Mclaren is on top of the list with 11 wins, Williams and Ferrari are tied with seven, Mercedes with five, and Red Bull with just three.

Considering last year's race, Max Verstappen had a formidable run after qualifying P10. He scored another victory on Sunday, with five drivers crossing the finish line within less than 17 seconds away. George Russell had been fastest in qualifying but ultimately had to settle for a P3 finish, five seconds behind teammate Lewis Hamilton. The former champion still holds the lap record since 2020, when he stopped the clock at 1:16.627. We'll have to wait and see if he can make a comeback this weekend, although it will be hard for him to achieve that with all the young talent on the grid.

Free Practice 1

The first free practice session of the weekend was off to a difficult start, with rain falling over the race track in Mogyorod. Spectators were still finding their seats in the grandstands as Sergio Perez shockingly went off track and crashed his Red Bull Racing RB19 into the barriers. Just three minutes had passed since the start of the session, and it's almost unfathomable that something like this could happen at the F1 level so early into the session.

Even though the Mexican driver has denied this, he is probably feeling the pressure within the team, as Daniel Ricciardo has rejoined the ranks through Scuderia Alpha Tauri. Many people thought Perez could be the one to win against Max Verstappen this season, and he did show several signs of driving brilliance last year. But he has had a few problematic moments these past few races, although it doesn't feel like Ricciardo could do any better if he had the chance to drive the RB19.

The session was red-flagged until the car was towed back to the paddock, and with more rain falling on the track, multiple drivers opted to stay in the pits instead of coming out for practice. Seven drivers didn't set a lap time in FP1, including big names like Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and Lewis Hamilton. Oscar Piastri and George Russell played a little game toward the end of the session, each claiming the fastest lap on several occasions.

Ultimately, the more experienced Britton had the upper hand and stopped the watch at 1:38.795. Mclaren's newfound hope was 0.359 seconds slower overall, and they were the only two drivers to dip below the 1:40 mark in FP1. Lance Stroll, Lando Norris, and Fernando Alonso were up next, with less than 0.7 seconds between the first and the latter.

Free Practice 2

The skies cleared for the start of FP2, and you could instantly tell that the track surface was a lot grippier. Ten minutes after the beginning of the second practice session of the weekend, Logan Sargeant was the fastest driver out there, with a lap of 1:18.836. Perhaps equally surprising was that Alex Albon was the second fastest, which must have been a nice moment for Williams. Fifteen minutes into FP2, Sergio Perez also went onto the track, recovering from his earlier crash.

Max Verstappen took little time to follow suit and jumped right into P2 with 40 minutes to spare. Albon, Stroll, Hulkenberg, and Tsunoda continued to set the pace for the next 10 minutes, but the Japanese driver was the first to dip below the 1:18 mark. It was a short-lived victory for Yuki, though, as Lando Norris stormed in and took control of the session for a little while. Once Scuderia Ferrari's ace driver, Charles Leclerc, took to the track, he was keen to have his name on top of the list.

Even though he was only 0.015 seconds faster than Norris, that was enough to put him on top of the leaderboard for the remainder of the session. Pierre Gasly also squeezed in between Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda after completing 25 laps of the Hungaroring throughout the session. Teammate Esteban Ocon was fifth fastest, with Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas just inches behind. Fernando Alonso and Zhou Guanyu had a similar rhythm, and they were both faster than Carlos Sainz, who had to settle for tenth.

There are more and more talks about the Spaniard's future with Ferrari, although some have speculated that Charles Leclerc might also make a move soon. We'll have to see about that during the short season break in August. Max Verstappen was only 11th fastest in FP2, although that is no clear indication that he'll be slow for the rest of the weekend. Daniel Ricciardo had a relatively good weekend start, finishing the session in P14. That may not sound like much, but consider this: he was faster than both Mercedes drivers, but more importantly, ahead of Sergio Perez.

With seemingly zero chances of rain for Sunday's main event, it's still complicated to say how things will play out judging by the practice sessions alone. Max Verstappen has been as strong as ever this season, and Sergio Perez is going through a rough spot. But the situation should become more apparent by the end of the qualifying session, and I'll report back to you right after that point.

As always, the main event is set to take place on Sunday afternoon, as drivers face a 190.53 miles (306.63 km)-long race ahead of them. We should see them fighting for the podium over 70 laps if all goes well. The outcome will influence the leaderboard for the 2023 season and some of these drivers' F1 careers. If there's one of them out there who has nothing to worry about, it's probably Max Verstappen.