F1 | FP2 | Hungarian GP | Norris beats Piastri and Leclerc again as Verstappen struggles to P14 - Motorsport

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As the F1 Hungarian GP marks the final round before the summer break, the one-hour FP2 session saw Norris leading the pack at the sunny Hungaroring circuit. The first practice had the Brit setting the pace, with his teammate Oscar Piastri following close. Completing the top 3, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc pulled off a steady drive during FP1.

The current championship standings are close. The McLaren drivers shared the top 2 regularly throughout the campaign, with Piastri just 16 points ahead before this 14th round. Nevertheless, Leclerc, Verstappen and Russell keep pushing in order to break that Papaya 1-2.

The FP1 session had a familiar face back at the wheel as Paul Aron joined the rest of the grid for the second time this 2025 season. However, the Aston Martin two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso, could not take part due to a muscular injury. The Spaniard was back for FP2.

Green lights for FP2

The FP2 session started off swiftly at the F1 Hungarian GP, with the grid eager to take advantage of all that new rubber set on the circuit from the other series.

This session will give all 20 drivers the chance to try out both their qualifying and their race set-ups. Being the first to go wide and enter the gravel at turn 12, Nico Hulkenberg brought a lot of stones onto the track. This caused a couple of other drivers to worry about potential floor damage.

Setting the early benchmark at the Hungaroring, George Russell took P1 with a 1:17:442. With most of the drivers out on mediums, only Ocon, Bearman, and Bortoleto were out on hards for the beginning of FP2 at the F1 Hungarian GP.

However, two of the top 5 drivers, Piastri and Russell, encountered some issues. While Oscar Piastri almost went over the track limits at turn 4, George Russell had some wheel-to-wheel action with Ollie Bearman in turns 8 and 9.

Meanwhile, in front of the grid, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc were battling for that top spot. Yet, Norris managed to get ahead of the Ferrari with a 1:16:916.

The Racing Bulls rookie, Isack Hadjar, was also seemingly keeping up with his FP1 result, as he already took up a place in the top 5. Another rookie, this time from Mercedes, Antonelli set a competitive time, which put him in P4 ahead of his teammate.

45 minutes on the clock

While the two McLarens returned to their spots at the top, Yuki Tsunoda complained about the balance of his RB21, and Verstappen seemed to share the sentiment as his flying lap did not show much improvement.

Furthermore, both Alpine drivers were struggling as well at the rear end of the field. As Leclerc attempted to overtake the McLarens in the time sheets, his fast lap saw him lose +0.478 to Norris. With most of the grid back in the pits to look over their progress, Hamilton tried his hand at a fast lap. However, the Brit returned to the pits after bailing out on his lap as he made a mistake at the chicane.

Fernando Alonso took his time before taking his Aston Martin back to the garage, trying to adapt to the car after missing out on FP1. Carlos Sainz was the first car on softs during this FP2 session at the F1 Hungarian GP. A lot of sliding and oversteering caused him to temper his approach. However, a purple S1 helped him climb up to P3.

A surprising turn of events had Lance Stroll up into P1 after switching to the soft compound. But his reign ended quickly as the McLarens returned to the circuit for their qualifying lap simulations.

Half an hour left at the Hungaroring

A lot of traffic compromised some drivers as everyone returned hungry for a good flying lap. The upper half of the grid was all on softs, yet Norris was the one to take the fastest time with a 1:15:624.

Meanwhile, Hadjar was looking good again as he still kept up with Ferrari and McLaren. Even if the Racing Bulls were doing well, their main team, Red Bull, was struggling more and more with balance. A strange incident also involving a Red Bull driver had Verstappen throwing an object out of his car.

Oscar Piastri was yet again leaving the track and driving on the grass, the Australian having many of the same problems this FP2 session. Lewis Hamilton tried his hand at another flying lap, but the Briton did not make any improvements.

A replay showed Max Verstappen throwing a towel out of his cockpit, the moment being flagged by the Stewarts for investigation after the session. While this puzzling incident took over for a couple of minutes, the top three were all close to one another. Leclerc, in third, seemed to be the only driver who managed to even pose a threat to the McLarens.

Last 15 minutes until the checkered flag

The FP2 session of the F1 Hungarian GP was slowly coming to its end. Every driver was using the soft compound at this moment. Another paradox, as the drivers were getting their elbows out, Yuki Tsunoda was ahead of his teammate and the current world champion.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz received a strange message on the radio about the unsafe condition of his car, calling him back to the garage as he lost telemetry. However, his Williams engineer took back his statement and told him to stay out.

At this point in the session, the FP2 had the grid try out their race pace in preparation for Sunday. Both Aston Martin cars were in P4 and P5, a great result considering the outcome of their season so far. In the meantime, Leclerc had a moment in the gravel, but he kept control of his Ferrari.

The long runs put Norris as the strongest competitor for the F1 Hungarian GP race. Piastri’s pace had him second to his teammate; however, this could change fast.

The end of the FP2 session

With less than 10 minutes left in the F1 Hungarian GP FP2, Verstappen turned on his radio yet again to complain of the lack of balance. Nevertheless, nothing could be done, and he was told to keep going as such.

The best rookie of this GP weekend, Isack Hadjar, pointed out the loss of grip in his front tyres on the radio. The traffic did not help his issue.

Finally, the closing laps of the FP2 session did not bring any other major changes in the grid positions. Verstappen was all over the track in his lap with lots of understeer. Lando Norris had a major lock-up in the last seconds, which almost caused him to crash into Piastri. The McLarens nearly hit each other.

The FP2 F1 Hungarian GP matched the first practice, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri having another 1-2 finish. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc joined them again.