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The Hungaroring circuit in Budapest kicked off the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with a warm and sunny Free Practice 1 session, setting the stage for what promises to be a thrilling Round 14 of the 2025 Formula 1 season. With an air temperature of 25.9°C and a track temperature of 37.9°C, conditions were ripe for teams to gather crucial data, especially with a chance of rain looming for Sunday. The session saw a mix of established stars and promising rookies take to the track, delivering an intriguing first hour of running.
McLaren immediately asserted their authority, with Lando Norris topping the timing sheets, closely followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris's best lap of 1:16.052 was just 0.019 seconds quicker than Piastri's 1:16.071, highlighting the incredibly tight internal battle at the Woking-based squad. Both drivers demonstrated strong pace across all sectors, with Piastri setting the fastest Sector 2 time and Norris claiming the quickest Sector 3. This strong showing from McLaren, particularly after Piastri's recent win at Spa, suggests they are a force to be reckoned with on this twisty circuit, where Norris also secured pole position last year.
Despite previously stating that the Hungaroring isn't a track he traditionally excels at, Charles Leclerc put in an impressive performance for Ferrari, securing third place with a time of 1:16.269, just over two-tenths off Norris. This strong start could signal a shift in his fortunes at a circuit where he has never achieved a podium finish or a front-row start. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, however, had a more challenging session, finishing P5. Hamilton expressed dissatisfaction with his car's balance, noting significant time loss in Turns 5, 8, and 9, despite Ferrari showing strong straight-line speed.
FP1 saw several young talents get their chance to shine. Isack Hadjar, driving for Racing Bulls, delivered a standout performance, placing an impressive fourth. Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) also showed great promise, finishing P6 and P7 respectively, making them the lead cars for their respective teams in this session.
However, it wasn't a smooth session for all rookies. Kick Sauber faced significant challenges, with Paul Aron, replacing Nico Hulkenberg, forced to stop his car due to a technical issue, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car. His teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, also encountered problems, with his car seen on stands in the pits, limiting his running to the second-least laps of anyone in the field and leaving him P19. Meanwhile, Felipe Drugovich stepped in for Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin, as Alonso sat out the session due to a muscular back injury. Drugovich completed a respectable number of laps, finishing P16, and will be hoping Alonso recovers for FP2.
Reigning champion Max Verstappen, who recently confirmed his commitment to Red Bull for 2026, had a relatively subdued session by his standards, finishing P9. His focus appeared to be on longer runs and understanding the medium compound tyres, rather than outright pace. His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, finished P17.
Other teams also used the session to test upgrades. Red Bull introduced a revised front wing and increased cooling around the front brake ducts, while Aston Martin also featured a different front wing. Racing Bulls brought new front brake drums and larger cooling louvres. Williams' Alexander Albon showed good pace, securing P11, while Carlos Sainz, driving the other Williams, was P15. Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto finished P13 and P18 respectively, with Colapinto having to abort an early soft tyre run.
Pirelli provided the C3, C4, and C5 compounds for the weekend. Most teams started the session on the harder compounds (mediums and hards) to gather initial data before switching to the softer tyres for performance runs. The soft tyres proved durable enough for multiple push laps, aided by cloud cover that helped cool the track temperature. However, grip remained a premium, with Norris, Hamilton, and Drugovich all experiencing lock-ups into Turn 1, a key overtaking spot for Sunday's race.
As the chequered flag waved, McLaren's strong start has certainly sent a message to the paddock. With more practice sessions to come, teams will be working hard to fine-tune their setups and unlock further performance ahead of what promises to be a tightly contested Hungarian Grand Prix.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.