Lando Norris led a McLaren one-two in the opening practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, outpacing teammate Oscar Piastri by a mere 0.019 seconds.
The result sets a competitive tone as the Formula 1 season heads into its summer break, with piastri holding a 16-point advantage over Norris in the world championship standings.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured the third fastest time, trailing the McLaren duo by 0.217 seconds. he was separated from his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, by racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar.
Haas driver Oliver Bearman finished sixth, ahead of Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Aston Martin‘s Lance Stroll rounded out the top ten.
Aston Martin’s fernando Alonso missed the first session due too a muscular back issue sustained at the Belgian Grand Prix. Reserve driver Felix Drugovich deputized for alonso, who is expected to return for the second practice session.
The session was largely uneventful, though Drugovich and Williams driver Carlos Sainz experienced moments at the first corner, locking their front brakes.
Mercedes has reintroduced an older rear suspension setup in an effort to diagnose a recent loss of performance. The team suspects their newer suspension design,intended to enhance aerodynamic stability,might potentially be negatively impacting corner entry behavior.
Sauber also utilized a reserve driver, with Paul Aron replacing Nico Hulkenberg.Though, Aron’s session was cut short after only eight laps due to a car failure. The other Sauber, driven by Gabriel Bortoleto, finished 19th.
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