Leclerc Tops Hungarian GP FP1 as Aston Martin B-Spec Breaks

Charles Leclerc went quickest in Hungarian GP FP1 by nearly half a second, Ferrari looked genuinely rapid, and Aston Martin turned up with 16 new parts and promptly snapped a rear suspension. Just another Friday in Formula 1, then.

Leclerc Sets the Pace

Charles Leclerc clocked a 1m 19.075s on soft tyres to go 0.484 seconds clear of Max Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton a further 0.059s back in third. Ferrari brought an updated Macarena-style rear wing to the Hungaroring, and on this evidence it looks well-suited to the circuit’s high-downforce demands. The Scuderia will not be complaining, at least not about the lap times.

The small print, however, is that Leclerc’s session ended early. Reporting “something broke” over the radio with just over five minutes remaining, the Monegasque was pushed down the pit lane by mechanics. No further improvements were lost, but it is not the kind of closing image Ferrari wanted from its headline session.

Verstappen Sandwiched, Red Bull Cautious

Verstappen spent much of FP1 complaining about “horrendous downshifts” and his RB22 “jumping like crazy.” He was also summoned to the stewards after the session, along with Carlos Sainz, following an early incident where Sainz, apparently without a working radio, blocked the Dutchman mid-lap. Verstappen’s radio response was, predictably, colourful. Red Bull also collected a €400 fine after Isack Hadjar was clocked at 83.8 km/h in the pit lane, three point eight over the limit. Loose change for Milton Keynes, but still. Verstappen had warned Red Bull that setup needed to be right from FP1, and on this showing, there is still work to do.

Aston Martin’s Big Day Goes Wrong Fast

The session’s most dramatic subplot belonged to Aston Martin. The team arrived with a comprehensive B-spec AMR26, 16 updated components, a lighter chassis, new nose, and a full aerodynamic overhaul, with Adrian Newey watching intently from the garage. The B-spec AMR26 had generated significant pre-weekend buzz. Lance Stroll then parked it in the barriers with a rear-left suspension failure 37 minutes in, triggering a red flag. Fernando Alonso at least salvaged 13th, which under the circumstances counts as a result.

The team used its first curfew joker overnight to fit all the new parts. One of those parts broke almost immediately. Progress, of a sort.

The Rest of the Field

Fourth went to Hadjar, fifth to George Russell, whose week continues to carry the weight of a difficult Spa. Gabriel Bortoleto impressed in sixth for Audi, while stand-in Frederik Vesti took seventh for Mercedes. Lando Norris could manage only 11th as McLaren focused on data-gathering with its new floor upgrade, and Sainz propped up the entire field in 22nd after a torrid afternoon.

FP1 Full Results

FP2 runs at 17:00 UTC, check the calendar for your local time. Ferrari will be quietly confident. Aston Martin will be quietly panicking. And Verstappen will be loudly complaining about his gearbox.