Overview
- Ferrari topped both practice sessions at the Hungaroring on Friday with Charles Leclerc fastest in FP1 and Lewis Hamilton quickest in FP2, placing the team firmly on the pace for qualifying.
- Aston Martin brought a wide‑ranging AMR26B upgrade but its debut was interrupted when Lance Stroll suffered a suspected left‑rear suspension failure that spun him off and kept him out of the rest of the day.
- Leclerc ended FP1 early after reporting “something broke” when his SF‑26 stopped at the pit entrance, leaving Ferrari to diagnose a technical fault ahead of qualifying.
- Mercedes had an unexpectedly tricky day with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli struggling for single‑lap balance and the team saying it needs overnight work to find setup and software fixes.
- Teams warned that 2026’s AI‑assisted power‑unit deployment remains sensitive to tiny changes in wind, tyre grip and driver inputs, making simulation and on‑track tuning unreliable and raising questions for the weekend’s qualifying and race strategies.