Hungarian GP FP3: McLaren dominates, Red Bull struggles ahead of qualifying

The final practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring delivered a fascinating glimpse into the pecking order ahead of qualifying, with McLaren once again asserting their dominance, while Red Bull continued to grapple with their car's balance. Under warm conditions, with air temperatures around 27.6°C and track temperatures climbing to 50.6°C, teams pushed hard to fine-tune their setups on the challenging 4.381km circuit.

McLaren's Pole Position Credentials Firmly Established

McLaren continued their impressive form from Friday, with Oscar Piastri topping the timesheets in FP3. The Australian delivered a blistering lap of 1:14.916, a significant improvement on last year's pole time, showcasing the MCL38's strong performance around the twisty Hungaroring. His teammate, Lando Norris, was hot on his heels, just 0.032 seconds adrift, highlighting the team's formidable pace and their strong contention for pole position later today. Both drivers managed to extract maximum performance from their second set of soft tyres, indicating a well-balanced and responsive package.

Ferrari and Mercedes Show Promise

Charles Leclerc maintained his consistent presence at the sharp end, securing third position for Ferrari. While nearly four tenths off Piastri's pace, his performance suggests Ferrari are firmly in the mix for the second row. Lewis Hamilton, after a challenging Friday, showed significant improvement, climbing to fourth. His setup tweaks appeared to pay dividends, though he still found himself a noticeable gap behind Kimi Antonelli, who finished fifth, showcasing Mercedes' potential.

Red Bull's Persistent Headaches

In a surprising turn of events, Red Bull's struggles from Friday continued into FP3. Max Verstappen, despite showing flashes of pace on his first soft tyre run, ended the session down in P12. A mistake on his final flying lap, coupled with ongoing balance and understeer issues as the wind picked up and track temperatures rose, left the reigning champion visibly frustrated. His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, also voiced strong concerns over the car's handling, finishing P19. The team will have a significant amount of work to do to turn their fortunes around before qualifying.

Midfield Battle Intensifies

The midfield fight looks incredibly tight, with several teams showing strong potential for Q3. Kick Sauber, after a difficult start to their weekend that saw them break curfew for car repairs, had a much brighter Saturday. Gabriel Bortoleto impressed with P9, closely followed by Nico Hulkenberg in P10, with less than a tenth separating the two. Their recent upgrade package seems to have transformed the C45. Aston Martin also demonstrated solid pace, with Fernando Alonso in P6 and Lance Stroll in P7, positioning themselves well to capitalize on any missteps from the front-runners.

Notable Moments and Tyre Strategy

The session wasn't without its incidents. Isack Hadjar spun at Turn 13, flat-spotting his tyres and impacting his session, leaving him at the bottom of the standings. Alpine's Pierre Gasly (P18) and Franco Colapinto (P13), along with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson (P14), appeared to struggle for outright pace on their qualifying simulations.

Pirelli provided the C3, C4, and C5 compounds for the weekend, with the C5 softs being the preferred choice for qualifying simulations. Teams also utilized medium and hard compounds for initial runs and tyre scrubbing, with Aston Martin and McLaren notably putting in heat cycles on harder compounds. The track evolution was high throughout the session, with lap times consistently tumbling as more rubber was laid down.

Looking Ahead to Qualifying

As FP3 concludes, the stage is set for a thrilling qualifying session. McLaren clearly hold the advantage, but the battle between Piastri and Norris for pole will be one to watch. Ferrari and Mercedes appear to be the closest challengers, while Red Bull faces an uphill battle to find the elusive balance that has characterized their dominance. The tight midfield promises an exciting fight for Q3 slots, making the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying a must-see event.