Sainz Takes Lead in Scorching Hungary FP1 Race

Carlos Sainz edges ahead of Max Verstappen in the sweltering first practice at the Hungaroring.

The Hungaroring welcomed the F1 paddock with a mid-week storm, but it was indeed the expected furnace for the weekend that prevailed during these Free Practice 1, with tarmac temperatures reaching 60 degrees!

Red Bull brought a major update this weekend, with Max Verstappen naturally given priority. This consists of a brand-new version of the RB20, eliminating the cannon cooling on the engine cover.

The team found a more efficient way to cool the car, completely abandoning the cannon shape on the engine cover. Sergio Pérez, who has all the new features except for the cover, might have this version starting from Zandvoort, and the team should alternate between the two versions depending on the tracks. The car also receives a new front wing and new brake ducts.

Mercedes has introduced new rear brake ducts, while Ferrari made a slight modification to its floor around the diffuser. Aston Martin is bringing a significant update with a front wing, a brand new floor, a diffuser, and a beam wing.

Alpine F1 is also introducing new rear brake ducts, Williams has a new engine cover allowing more cooling with a wider rear outlet. Lastly, RB F1 has brought modified brake ducts to the front and rear.

A global computer outage from Crowdstrike, a Mercedes partner, had severe repercussions. The team had to work on solutions to fully utilize all its IT tools. Some broadcasters were affected, and given that Microsoft was also impacted, it would not be surprising if other teams lost time addressing this.

Max Verstappen was the first driver to head out on soft tires, quickly setting an initial benchmark of 1’19″831. This was not approached during the first half of the session. Later, Oscar Piastri got close, just 0″044 off, on medium tires.

Alex Albon improved to 1’19″794 with soft tires, and George Russell surpassed him with 1’19″137. Albon hit a curb and damaged part of the floor. Lewis Hamilton placed second, 0″150 behind Russell, before Lando Norris and then Piastri slotted in between the Mercedes.

Yuki Tsunoda did the same, placing fourth, just ahead of Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo then climbed up just behind the seven-time world champion. Charles Leclerc then took the lead with 1’19″011.

Carlos Sainz did even better with 1’18″713, while Guanyu Zhou climbed to fourth position. Pérez moved up to tenth position as the Ferrari drivers set out for a new lap.

Fernando Alonso’s engineer asked if he had any feedback to improve the balance of the AMR24, receiving a major upgrade package this weekend. The driver sounded despondent on the radio: “Good luck,” implying the car was challenging to drive. Lance Stroll was more forthright: “The car is rather shocking to drive at the moment.”

Verstappen set another time but failed to beat Sainz and slotted in between the two Ferraris. Times barely changed towards the end of the session, as most drivers were running long stints. Verstappen remained in the pits towards the end of the session.

Thus, it’s Sainz who holds the best time ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc. Russell is fourth, followed by Zhou, Norris, Piastri, and Tsunoda, then Stroll and Hamilton. Pérez is 11th, while the Alpine cars of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are 17th and 18th. Ollie Bearman, replacing Nico Hülkenberg, finishes last but just 0″076 behind Kevin Magnussen.

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Verstappen Chases Sainz at Fiery Hungaroring EL1 Verstappen Chases Sainz at Fiery Hungaroring EL1