Lando Norris (McLaren) dominates free practice 2 at the Hungaroring.
Lando Norris, the British driver for McLaren, set the fastest time during the second free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix. On the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest, Norris outpaced three-time world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by 0.243 seconds and Spain’s Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) by 0.397 seconds, who had led the first practice session.
Notable performance and surprise from Kevin Magnussen.
Mexican driver Sergio Pérez, under pressure to improve his performance, finished fourth, followed by Britain’s George Russell (Mercedes). Danish driver Kevin Magnussen from Haas surprised everyone by taking the sixth position, ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who won the Grand Prix at Silverstone two weeks ago.
Top 10 completed by Ricciardo, Albon, and Alonso.
Daniel Ricciardo (Racing Bulls) finished eighth, followed by Alex Albon (Williams) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), completing the Top 10 of this session.
Charles Leclerc and Alpine Struggle.
Charles Leclerc’s (Ferrari) crash causes interruption.
The session was marked by a major incident involving Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver lost control of his Ferrari at turn 4, causing a spin and hitting the safety rails. This accident led to a 15-minute interruption of the session. Fortunately, Leclerc emerged unscathed, although his car suffered significant damage to the left side.
Disappointing performance for Alpine Cars.
Oscar Piastri, Norris’ teammate at McLaren, recorded the 13th fastest time, having set his fastest lap on hard tires. On the French side, the results were less impressive: Esteban Ocon finished 14th and Pierre Gasly 16th, once again highlighting the difficulties faced by the Alpine cars.
Track conditions and other incidents.
Hungarian heat and S-scare for Zhou Guanyu.
The session took place under intense heat, with track temperatures dropping below 50 degrees. Another notable incident involved Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, who narrowly avoided a crash at the same spot as Leclerc, barely avoiding a collision with the slow-moving Sergio Pérez.
Summary of performances and prospects.
This free practice session in Hungary highlighted Lando Norris’ dominance and the challenges faced by some teams, such as Ferrari and Alpine. The upcoming days will be crucial for the drivers and their teams as they prepare for the main race.
