Formula 1 is back on track for the Hungarian Grand Prix after a week off and on Friday it was Verstappen tagging behind Carlos Sainz in FP1 and Lando Norris in FP2.
Now it’s time for the very last free practice session ahead of this afternoon’s qualifying, in a rather warm atmosphere as it’s 27 degrees as the first cars start to head out on the asphalt.
Sergio Perez is the first one to head of the garage with his Red Bull along with Zhou, the rest follows behind but without too much rush to get going.
Mediums seem the preferred choice for most of the grid, hard tyres only for the two Red Bulls, after McLaren and Aston Martin also switched to the yellow compound at the end of the first lap.
Not much action in the opening minutes, it’s Max Verstappen leading the way ahead of his teammate and as others join the track we see the first sets of Softs on the Alpines and Valtteri Bottas’s C44.
With these compounds quite a few cars have gotten close to Verstappen’s times, until Alex Albon goes first.
Briefly his time is beaten by Norris and Russel, meanwhile a yellow flag is called out: Charles Leclerc has gone straight on at Turn 1 on his first flying lap on cold tyres.
A better day for Daniel Ricciardo, who set a time good enough to go second behind Norris who is still leading the way.
Another yellow flag is waved, as Gasly locks up and goes through the gravel at that same Turn 1 that met Leclerc’s Ferrari just minutes ago.
Sainz and Hulkenberg brush close to one another, with the Spaniard going second.
Ferrari appears rather unstable around Turn 4, but ultimately Leclerc comes up from P18 to almost match his teammate’s time and settles in P3.
Russell takes the top spot when everyone – but the Red Bulls who are still running on Hards and Aston who is on Mediums – is on the softest compound.
Not the same story for the other Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton struggling to find the pace to go beyond P9.
Sergeant appears in P5, while both McLarens are looking fast, certainly faster than Ferraris that they have left behind.
1m16.098s for Lando Norris, who is now leading the way faster than Russell in what seems a good day at the office for McLaren and Williams, as meanwhile Albon has climbed up to P3.
Last the minutes of running to go and it’s time for Max Verstappen to come out on Softs: P3 for him, two tenths slower than Norris.
Disappointing session for Perez, Leclerc and Kevin Magnussen, who are struggling to find pace and get comfortable with the car compared to their teammates.
Same for Hamilton who loses the rear of his Mercedes and spins at Turn 9, while at Aston they are both struggling with Alonso in P14 and Stroll in P15.
As the checkered flag is waved across the Hungaroring, Verstappen goes straight into Turn 1 and Magnussen goes off at Turn 11.
