Leclerc Tops Hungarian GP FP1 as Aston Martin Upgrade Hits Early Trouble
Charles Leclerc set the pace in FP1 at the Hungaroring with a 1:20.287, finishing 0.484s clear of Max Verstappen and 0.543s ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Lance Stroll suffered a rear suspension failure in his upgraded Aston Martin B-spec car, while Leclerc encountered a gearbox issue late in the session. Five rookie drivers ran for their respective teams.
Top Ten Qualifying Times
Charles Leclerc topped FP1 with 1:20.287, finishing 0.484s clear of Max Verstappen and 0.543s clear of Lewis Hamilton; Isack Hadjar, George Russell, Gabriel Bortoleto, Frederik Vesti, Nico Hulkenberg, Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson completed the top ten. [1]
Incidents and Technical Failures
Lance Stroll stopped at the exit of Turn 2 after a spontaneous suspension failure on the rear-left of his Aston Martin. [3] The incident overshadowed Aston Martin's debut of their heavily upgraded B-spec car and forced an early end to the session's smooth running. Charles Leclerc's afternoon ended with an apparent gearbox problem in the closing stages of FP1. [3]
Rookie FP1 Outings
Five of F1's 11 teams ran a rookie driver during Friday's first practice session: McLaren, Mercedes, Alpine, Haas and Cadillac all altered their usual line-ups. [2] The five drivers who replaced their race counterparts were Leonardo Fornaroli (McLaren, for Oscar Piastri), Frederik Vesti (Mercedes, for Kimi Antonelli), Jack Aron (Alpine, for Juan Manuel Colapinto), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas, for Oliver Bearman), and Will Herta (Cadillac, for Valtteri Bottas).[1]
Frederik Vesti was the top rookie driver, 0.4s off George Russell's effort. [1]
Notes on Practice Pace
- [1]LIVE: F1 Hungarian Grand Prix updates - Charles Leclerc tops FP1 as Aston Martin hits issue (motorsport). Accessed 2026-07-24.
- [2]Which rookie drivers are getting FP1 outings at the Hungarian Grand Prix? (formula1). Accessed 2026-07-24.
- [3]2026 F1 Hungarian GP FP1 LIVE: Leclerc OUT with gearbox issue (total-motorsport). Accessed 2026-07-24.