Ferrari are the team to beat in Hungary but Lewis Hamilton warns Friday advantage may disappear

Leclerc led FP1 before Hamilton set the fastest time of the day in FP2, beating his teammate by 0.148 seconds. Ferrari completed 98 laps across the two sessions, combining qualifying simulations with long-run work on the Medium and Soft tyres.

The headline times gave Ferrari a clear early advantage, but both drivers warned that Saturday’s qualifying battle would be considerably tighter.

Hamilton improved throughout FP2, eventually setting a 1:18.729 to move ahead of Leclerc. The seven-time Formula 1 Champion said the SF-26 responded better after changes between the sessions, although wind and bumps complicated the programme.

He said: “It was a solid day overall. The conditions were quite challenging, with the wind making things a bit tricky and the track feeling quite bumpy in some places.

“The car felt better in FP2 and we made some good progress between the sessions, although there are still a few areas we need to improve. We’ll go through all the data overnight, keep working on the balance and hopefully find a bit more performance for tomorrow.”

Hamilton completed 23 laps in FP1 and another 26 in FP2. His afternoon programme included a long run on the Medium tyre after the qualifying simulations.

Leclerc was fastest in FP1 with a 1:19.075 before a mechanical problem forced him back to the garage late in the session. He recovered to complete 30 laps in FP2, setting a 1:18.877 before Hamilton moved ahead. The Monegasque ran the Soft tyre during the closing long-run phase and remained encouraged by Ferrari’s overall pace.

Leclerc recapped: “Our overall performance seems to be quite good, which is a positive. There is still a long way to go this weekend, so we have to be on it and work hard to make sure we stay on top tomorrow.

“It’s going to be tight in qualifying. I don’t expect us to see the same gap that we saw to our competitors today, so we will have to do a perfect job. If the feeling in the car is there, I’m sure we will have a good one," predicted the Monegasque.

Ferrari delivered the cleanest and fastest programme among the leading teams, but Friday practice remains an incomplete guide. Different fuel loads, power settings and track evolution can distort the competitive order, particularly around the short and technical Hungaroring lap.

Final practice begins at 12:30 CET local time on Saturday, with qualifying scheduled for 16:00. Ferrari hold the early advantage, but converting it will require the “perfect job” Leclerc expects.