Carlos Sainz dominated the first practice ahead of Max Verstappen at the Hungary Grand Prix as Ferrari boosted its hopes of returning to the front of the grid.
Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc finished third and Ferrari gave the impression of reaping the rewards of a revamp of the SF-24’s floor, with the Hungaroring features perhaps also adapting to the Italian team’s car.
Red Bull also introduced primary upgrades to the RB20, which showed promise as world championship leader Verstappen was able to reach top speed later in his career on comfortable tyres that seemed to degrade more quickly. for their rivals.
George Russell is fourth for Mercedes, who are seeking a third outright victory after unexpected back-to-back wins in Austria and Great Britain, but teammate Lewis Hamilton is only tenth after his victory at Silverstone.
Lando Norris, Verstappen’s closest rival for the title, finished sixth, one position ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, but McLaren’s partner was strangely Zhou Guanyu, who took inspiration from a much-improved Sauber to finish fifth.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who comes into the weekend facing speculation over his long run after poor form, was only 11th but didn’t have all the new parts working on Verstappen’s car.
Oliver Bearman is Haas’ latest as the British teenager continues his preparations for his first F1 crusade with the team next year.
Ferrari spent the season as Red Bull’s closest rival, and Leclerc’s victory at his home race in Monaco at the end of May put him 31 points behind Verstappen.
However, powertrain problems plagued Ferrari in Canada before an upgrade introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix finally set them back, with a notable bouncing issue.
Leclerc said in Hungary on Thursday that he was convinced that experiments in Austria and Britain had allowed Ferrari to fix the problem and that he expected a significant improvement this weekend.
It was his teammate Sainz, who still does not have who he will drive with in 2025 with Hamilton replacing him at Ferrari, who knew how to get the most out of the SF-24.
Moments after Leclerc was the fastest, Sainz built a lead of almost 3 tenths of a second at the moment with a 1:18. 713, which would comfortably be the fastest time of the session.
Although the result was incredibly encouraging for Ferrari, the control timesheets should be considered with caution given the excess fuel and force levels used by the teams.
There is also the fact that Hungary is a more suitable track for Ferrari, so even a smart weekend here would ensure that the same point of competitiveness is maintained next weekend in the last race before the summer holidays in Belgium.
Despite an 84-point lead over Norris in the most sensitive drivers’ standings, Verstappen admitted on Thursday that Red Bull’s latest update would be very important in allowing him to gain a foothold in the world championship.
The important delivery of new parts included an updated front spoiler and front and rear corners, as well as a new engine cover and halo designed to aid cooling in the sweltering conditions of Budapest.
While Verstappen was unable to match Sainz’s time, the fact that he was able to overtake faster than Leclerc in a second stint on his comfortable tyres suggests that Red Bull would possibly have the merit in terms of degradation. tyres, which will be key. The decisive thing for Sunday’s result.
For Mercedes, which has just added a new rear corner to the W15 after making surprising strides with a number of innovations in recent weeks, Russell was four tenths behind Sainz.
Hamilton is just over a tenth slower than his teammate, but that earns him six positions on a tight midfield timesheet.
Norris, looking to make up for it after failing to take the chance to win the race on home soil, was part of a second Sainz.
While there have already been six winners out of four others in the first 12 races, Friday’s first visualisation suggests that the welcome unpredictability is here to stay.
Friday July 19:20: F3 Qualifying 15:00: F2 Qualifying 15:45: Second for the Hungary GP (session starts at 16:00) 17:15: The F1 Show
Saturday July 20:45: F3 Sprint 11:15: Third of the Hungary GP (start of consultation at 11:30) 13:10: F2 Sprint 14:15: Preparation for Hungary GP qualifying 15h: Hungary GP qualifying 17:00: Ted book qualifying
Sunday July 21h20: Featured Race F39h: Featured Race F211h: Porsche Supercup 12h30: Grand Prix Sunday – Preparation for the Hungary GP 14h: The HUNGARIAN GRIX 16h: Chequered Flag: from the Hungary GP 17h: Ted’s diary
The next F1 event is the Hungary Grand Prix in Budapest, July 19-21. You will be able to watch each and every one of the queries live on Sky Sports F1. Stream any and all F1 races and more with a NOW Sports Month subscription – no contracts, cancel anytime