Hamilton tops second practice session

By Priya Nair — 24 July 2026 — 3 min read

Hamilton tops second practice session

Lewis Hamilton secured the fastest time in the second practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, outpacing his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. Hamilton’s best lap was recorded at 1m 18.729s. Leclerc finished just behind him with a time of 1m 18.877s, placing him second. Lando Norris of McLaren was third-fastest, nearly half a second off Hamilton’s pace.

The session saw several teams working on upgrades. Aston Martin, for instance, introduced a B-spec car, while McLaren also brought a new package. Red Bull, meanwhile, utilized their rotating rear wing. The session began with breezy conditions, and drivers like Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Ollie Bearman, and Valtteri Bottas participated after rookie counterparts had driven in the first practice.

Lance Stroll of Aston Martin did not take part in the second practice due to suspension damage sustained earlier in the day, leaving Fernando Alonso as the sole representative for his team. Alonso continued to gather data on their revised car. Early in the session, Leclerc set a benchmark of 1m 20.103s on medium tyres before Hamilton improved upon it.

Session interrupted by Colapinto crash

The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag after Franco Colapinto crashed his Alpine. Colapinto lost control at the final corner and spun into the barrier, necessitating overnight repairs for his team. This incident occurred just before the halfway point of the session.

Following the red flag, qualifying simulations resumed. Ferrari demonstrated strong performance, with Leclerc briefly returning to the top spot before Hamilton further improved his time. The focus then shifted to long runs, and Hamilton’s earlier effort remained the best of the day.

Other notable performances included Max Verstappen, who finished fourth for Red Bull, and George Russell, who rounded out the top five for Mercedes. Verstappen reported issues with a “super stiff” rear axle and a lack of rear grip during his medium-tyre long run. He also encountered debris on track but no major damage was reported.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, finished 13th. He experienced rear locking issues and struggled with his car’s balance, repeatedly running off track. Antonelli was the only driver in the top positions to set his fastest lap on medium tyres rather than softs.

Challenges for other teams

Several drivers expressed concerns about their car’s performance. Pierre Gasly reported that “something feels wrong on the car, it’s extremely bad. It just feels broken in Turn 12. Something with the front is wrong.” George Russell also described his Mercedes as feeling “dreadful” and “so out of balance,” while his teammate questioned his car’s behavior after almost spinning twice.

Leclerc also faced challenges, experiencing three lock-ups in the first 20 minutes before returning to the pits. Oscar Piastri of McLaren finished eighth, while Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson were sixth and seventh respectively. Nico Hulkenberg and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.

Further down the order, Gabriel Bortoleto finished for Audi, followed by Esteban Ocon for Haas. Gasly was 14th, ahead of Ollie Bearman and the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. Valtteri Bottas, driving for Cadillac, finished 18th, while Fernando Alonso was 19th and reported vibrations from his Honda power unit. Sergio Perez and Colapinto, in his damaged Alpine, finished at the bottom of the order, with Stroll remaining in the garage for the entire session.

The next session for the Hungarian Grand Prix will be qualifying, scheduled for 3pm on Saturday.

Source: formula1.com