Hungarian GP: Leclerc sets FP1 pace as FIA launches Verstappen, Sainz investigation
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set the pace in FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.
Leclerc clocked a fastest lap time of 1:19.075, outpacing the Red Bull of Max Verstappen by 0.484 seconds. Meanwhile, Williams driver Carlos Sainz finds himself facing a double FIA investigation after incidents with Verstappen and Alpine FP1 driver Paul Aron.
Charles Leclerc fastest in FP1 at Hungarian Grand Prix
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Bright conditions greeted the drivers early on Friday afternoon in Budapest.
FP1 once again saw a number of rookie drivers on track, with Leonardo Fornaroli (McLaren) and Frederik Vesti (Mercedes) deputising for Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli respectively.
Paul Aron (Alpine) also stood in for Franco Colapinto, with Colton Herta (Cadillac) and Ryo Hirakawa (Haas) replacing Valtteri Bottas and Oliver Bearman.
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Leclerc, the polesitter at this race in 2025, was the first of the frontrunners to record a representative lap, posting a 1:22.705 on the medium tyre.
That time was soon bettered by Russell, who went 0.649 clear of the Ferrari on the same tyre.
Norris slotted himself between the pair before Leclerc retook top spot with a 1:20.884.
Verstappen caught a slow-moving Sainz on the approach to Turn 12, with the Red Bull driver showing his displeasure by slowing in front of the Williams.
“Yeah, unbelievable these guys,” Verstappen said over team radio. “That was actually really dangerous. Like, he even slammed on the brakes.”
Sainz appeared to protest his innocence by telling Williams: “Radio check. I had no radio. Cable disconnected.”
Both men found themselves under investigation after the session for driving erratically.
Hamilton posted two purple sectors on his first quick lap before catching a dramatic slide in the final corner.
Verstappen got a cleaner run on his next lap to beat Leclerc’s benchmark by 0.096s, with Fornaroli – running McLaren’s version of the Macarena rear wing – also showing an impressive turn of speed on a dusty track, lapping three tenths faster Norris in the early stages.
Despite topping the times, Verstappen reported: “Downshifts are horrendous and the car is jumping like crazy. I have really bad jumping on the front axle. Like, really bad.”
Leclerc became the latest to abandon a lap after encountering a slow-moving Hamilton on the apex of Turn 12.
The latter rose to third with a cleaner lap before Leclerc retook top spot with a 1:20.287, with Verstappen unable to improve his time despite a purple first sector.
Hamilton soon set a purple first sector of his own, but despite rising to second on the timesheets trailed Leclerc by 0.326s.
“The car feels pretty bad,” Hamilton reported. “Ride is very poor.”
Asked to clarify if his complaints focused on the front or rear of the car, he replied: “Overall. The stiffness is too stiff.”
Albon locked up heavily into Turn 1, with Fornaroli having to catch a sliding McLaren through the final corner.
The teams switched to soft at the halfway stage of the session, with Russell going top with a 1:20.066 before Verstappen went 0.507s quicker.
Leclerc went faster still, going 0.484s clear of Verstappen as first Hadjar and then Hamilton took turns in third place.
Norris abandoned his first lap on the red-striped tyre after understeering wide at the right-hander of Turn 11, with Russell the latest to lock up heavily at Turn 1.
As the times tumbled, Sainz found his car suspended in the garage due to an issue with his Williams.
The session was red flagged with 23 minutes left on the clock after Stroll stopped on the exit of Turn 3 after a dramatic spin on acceleration from Turn 2.
“Failure, suspension,” Stroll reported over team radio.
Aston Martin confirmed that Stroll had to stop due to a suspected issue with the rear suspension.
A revised rear suspension features in the team’s major upgrade package for this weekend.
“Something’s wrong with the upshifts and downshifts,” Hamilton told Ferrari during the red flag. “Like, downgraded upshifts and downshifts all the time.”
The session resumed with around 15 minutes on the clock, with Sainz among the cars to venture back out after his earlier problem.
Sainz was forced to abandon a lap on softs after finding a slow-moving Aron in the sweeps of Sector 2, with the Williams noted again for driving erratically.
Sainz then spectacularly locked up all four wheels and came to a stop at Turn 1 a short time later before getting on his way again.
Leclerc suffered a problem with eight minutes left on the clock, telling Ferrari as he entered the pit lane: “Something broke.”
After a detour to the FIA weighbridge, the Ferrari was wheeled back to the garage by a group of mechanics.
Sainz suffered a further blow when he was given a black-and-white flag for impeding.
FP1 classification: Hungarian Grand Prix 2026
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.075
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.484
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.543
4 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +0.922
5 George Russell Mercedes +0.991
6 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +1.285
7 Frederik Vesti Mercedes +1.392
8 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +1.548
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1.685
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.791
11 Lando Norris McLaren +1.949
12 Esteban Ocon Haas +1.976
13 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +2.475
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine +2.629
15 Alexander Albon Williams +2.744
16 Leonardo Fornaroli McLaren +2.815
17 Ryo Hirakawa Haas +2.926
18 Sergio Perez Cadillac +3.014
19 Paul Aron Alpine +3.093
20 Colton Herta Cadillac +4.043
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +4.396
22 Carlos Sainz Williams +4.659
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