Lewis Hamilton emerged fastest in the second free practice session for the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP, leading Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris at the Hungaroring, read the full FP2 report below.
Earlier in the day, Leclerc topped FP1 with a 1:19.075, finishing 0.484s ahead of Max Verstappen, while Hamilton completed the top three. Lance Stroll’s suspected suspension failure sent him spinning at Turn 2 and interrupted the session, stopping him from taking part in the second practice session of the weekend. While the stewards summoned Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen over separate incidents. Leclerc also encountered a suspected gearbox issue in the closing stages after losing drive near the end of the session.
Balance problems shape the beginning of FP2
With the 60-minute FP2 session starting, the majority of the pack made their way out on track, now with the usual grid set up after rookies took over some of the cockpits in FP1 at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP. Leclerc set the first benchmark lap time with a 1:20.103, though his teammate seemed to want to put his name on top of the timings with a 1:19.648. Meanwhile Pierre Gasly reported having a problem with his car over the radio after the French driver went wide and into the gravel.
Other drivers, including George Russell, reported having trouble with finding balance around the Hungaroring, where the wind seemed to have picked up between the two free practice sessions. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri went wide and off the track as Leclerc locked up in Turn 1. Kimi Antonelli was the next driver to complain during FP2 at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP, as he seemed to keep locking up his rear tyres.
1-2 for Ferrari hints at advantage for the Italian team duing FP2 at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP
Ferrari was the team to beat during the first part of FP2, as Hamilton beat his own fastest lap, setting himself on top with a 1:19.585, followed by his teammate with a gap of only 0.135 seconds between them. The Italian team seemed to be alone in having a normal session, as Verstappen in third was 0.588 seconds behind Leclerc in second. While Leclerc started to improve his lap, he locked up going into turn 12, going wide and loosing his lap.
With 40 minutes left on the clock, only three of the 22 cars were out on the track while the rest were waiting in their boxes, getting ready to be let out on track again. Though shortly after the last of the three cars went into the box, the rest of the grid went back out on track, trying to gain as much data as possible around the Hungaroring.
Red flag interrupts FP2 as Colapinto went into the barriers
Once the drivers switched to the soft tyres, Ferrari lost its lead initally as Norris set the new fastest lap with a 1:19.228, just 0.193 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Franco Colapinto went into the barriers in the final corner, causing a red flag and interrupting FP2 at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP. Both Ferraris were on an out lap on new soft tyres as Antonelli tried to put in a fast lap, but Franco Colapinto hit the barriers on the entry to the final corner.
The session restarted with around 25 minutes left on the clock as most of the drivers headed back out on the track. As Norris was first on the timing sheet, the rest of the grid tried to find the right settings for qualifying and the race later in the weekend.
Meanwhile Antonelli still had problems with locking his tyres, as he couldn’t keep his car in the line going over the kerbs, and while that probably hurt his tyres, he was able to keep it out of the barriers, continuing the second practice session of the weekend.
Ferrari showed dominance as drivers top the session
Norris’ time was beaten by both Ferraris, as Leclerc went fastest with a 1:18.877, followed by his teammate with a gap of 0.037 seconds. Though once again Hamilton seemed to have a problem with not seeing his name on top of the timing sheet, as the Brit went fastest with a 1:18.729. Meanwhile, Antonelli locked up again while Verstappen seemed to lose some debris around the Hungaroring.
The complaining during FP2 at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP went on as Verstappen reported to have issues with the grip on his rear, seemingly having a continuous problem with his Red Bull. Ferrari stayed dominant during the second practice session of the weekend, ending FP2 with a 1-2, with Hamilton on top, followed by Leclerc and Norris.
