FP1 at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP has been completed, view the full report of the session here.
Ryō Hirakawa, Colton Herta, Fred Vesti, Paul Aron and Leonardo Fornaroli all got opportunities in FP1 as five teams used Hungary for mandatory rookie running.
The Japanese driver posted the first time on a 1:34.406 on the medium tyre.
Verstappen and Sainz to see stewards after 2026 F1 Hungarian GP FP1
In the first 10 minutes, Max Verstappen clocked a 1:20.788 to be P1, 0.096s faster than Charles Leclerc. The Dutchman had been blocked by Carlos Sainz on his first attempt into turn 12 as the Spaniard had no radio communication. Cars #3 and #55 got noted for driving erratically and will see the stewards after the session. The four-time World Champion braked on the exit of the corner with frustration.
Purple in Sectors 1 and 2, Lewis Hamilton went rallying through turn 14 as he got wide on the marbles and lost over a second. He then went 3rd on his next lap, 0.277s away from the Red Bull driver. Then the Brit held his teammate up in turn 12.
At the 20-minute mark, a 1:20.287 from Charles Leclerc saw him lead teammate Lewis Hamilton by 0.326s. Max Verstappen and George Russell followed, with the pair separated by 0.005s. Both were half a second off the Ferraris.
Lawson, Hülkenberg, Lindblad, Norris, Fornaroli and Bortoleto completed the top 10. Isack Hadjar only hit the track at this point in the other Red Bull.
On his first competitive lap, car #6 moved up to 7th on a 1:21.616.
Heading into turn 1 on used mediums, Alex Albon had a massive lock-up on the left front and had to return to the pits.
Soft tyres appear
George Russell logged the first soft tyre lap, posting a 1:20.066. World Champion Lando Norris was looking like he could match or marginally beat his fellow Brit but got wide in turn 11.
Paul Aron was the latest driver to have a WRC moment in the final corner as there was absolutely no grip in turn 14 off the line.
Red flag as Lance Stroll spins
Out of turn 2, Lance Stroll had a scary spin as he left rear tyre blew up, suggesting something went wrong with the suspension. He had to park it out of the next corner as the damage was too big to return to the box. Aston confirmed they believed it was a suspension failure.
Once the session restarted, Leonardo Fornaroli locked up at turn 1 as the left front took a battering, although not at the level of Albon. Then a few minutes later, Carlos Sainz had a monster one himself as the right front initially locked up, before slamming on the brakes and locking them all up to avoid the wall.
The Spaniard would face the stewards for a second incident as he was allegedly driving erratically in frustration after getting savagely blocked by Paul Aron before that lock-up.
Charles Leclerc fastest in FP1 at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP
A 1:19.075 from Charles Leclerc saw the Ferrari driver lead the session by 0.484s from Max Verstappen as he went purple in every sector. Lewis Hamilton was P3, 0.059 behind the Dutchman. Isack Hadjar and George Russell were the only other drivers within a second of the top time.
However, it was not a completely clean session for car #16 as he grinded to a snail pace out of turn 12. While he made it back to the pit entry, he had no drive to return to the box. A gearbox issue was seemingly the cause.
