F1 returned to the Hungaroring for the 2026 Hungarian GP, with FP1 getting underway in Budapest ahead of the final round before the summer break.
The opening session saw five rookies take to the track in place of the regular drivers, as teams fulfilled their mandatory young driver running requirements.
Leonardo Fornaroli stepped in for Oscar Piastri at McLaren, while Frederik Vesti replaced championship leader Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes. Paul Aron took over from Franco Colapinto at Alpine, Ryo Hirakawa replaced Ollie Bearman at Haas, and Colton Herta stepped out for Cadillac in place of Valtteri Bottas.
With the five rookies given the opportunity to gain valuable Formula 1 running at the Hungaroring, the field went through the opening 60-minute session to set the pace ahead of FP2.
Lance Stroll brought out a brief red flag with 22 minutes remaining in the session after a suspected suspension failure on his Aston Martin.
Ferrari appeared strong throughout the session, with Red Bull and George Russell also featuring near the top of the timing sheets. Audi and Racing Bulls also showed strong pace during FP1.
Charles Leclerc topped the timings, ahead Verstappen and Hamilton.
Full FP1 2026 F1 Hungarian GP report
2026 Hungarian GP FP1 Results
- Leclerc 1:19.075
- Verstappen 1:19.559
- Hamilton 1:19.618
- Hadjar 1:19.997
- Russell 1:20.066
- Bortoleto 1:20.360
- Vesti 1:20.467
- Hülkenberg 1:20.623
- Lindblad 1:20.760
- Lawson 1:20.866
- Norris 1:21.024
- Ocon 1:21.051
- Alonso 1:21.550
- Gasly 1:21.704
- Albon 1:21.819
- Fornaroli 1:21.890
- Hirakawa 1:22.001
- Pérez 1:22.089
- Aron 1:22.168
- Herta 1:23.118
- Stroll 1:23.471
- Sainz 1:23.734
