Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in Free Practice 1 for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, despite the Ferrari driver’s session ending early with an apparent mechanical problem. Leclerc’s best lap of 1:19.075 put him 0.484 seconds clear of Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton completed the top three in the second Ferrari.

There was also trouble for Lance Stroll, with the Canadian driver suffering a rear suspension failure that picthed his heavily upgraded his Aston Martin into a spin and bringing out the red flags.

With several teams introducing upgrades for the high-downforce Hungaroring, the full field headed out promptly when the session began. Five reserve and rookie drivers were also in action, including Frederik Vesti in place of championship leader Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes and Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli in Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.

George Russell established the early pace on Pirelli’s medium tyre before Leclerc and Verstappen traded improvements as grip levels increased. Verstappen briefly moved to the top despite reporting difficult downshifts and later suggesting his Red Bull felt as though it was being held back.

Leclerc responded with a series of quicker laps, while Hamilton moved into contention in the sister Ferrari. Several drivers struggled under braking at the newly resurfaced Turn 1, with Russell, Williams’ Alex Albon, Cadillac reserve Colton Herta and Carlos Sainz all experiencing lock-ups during the session.

Russell was the first front-runner to switch to the soft tyre and recorded a 1:20.066, but Verstappen immediately improved to 1:19.559. Leclerc then delivered the decisive lap, producing a 1:19.075 to open a gap of almost half a second at the head of the order.

The session was interrupted with just over 20 minutes remaining when Stroll lost control following an apparent left-rear suspension failure. The Canadian spun coming out of Turn 2 before stopping on the exit of the following corner, prompting a nine-minute red-flag period.

Running resumed with 17 minutes left, but Leclerc’s benchmark remained unbeaten. The Monegasque’s own session ended shortly afterwards when he slowed with a suspected power unit or gearbox issue. He managed to reach the pit-lane entry before stopping, leaving Ferrari to investigate the cause ahead of FP2.

Verstappen retained second place, 0.059s ahead of Hamilton, with Isack Hadjar fourth in the second Red Bull. Russell finished fifth, followed by Audi pair Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg, who were split by Vesti in seventh.

Racing Bulls drivers Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson completed the top 10, leaving reigning World Champion Lando Norris in 11th. Fernando Alonso was 13th with Aston Martin’s heavily revised car, while Fornaroli finished 16th. Sergio Pérez, Alpine’s Paul Aron, Herta, Stroll and Sainz completed the final five positions, with Sainz ending the session 4.659s away from Leclerc’s leading time.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.075 19 199.451
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:19.559 0.484 25 198.237
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:19.618 0.543 23 198.090
4 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:19.997 0.922 25 197.152
5 George Russell Mercedes 1:20.066 0.991 21 196.982
6 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:20.360 1.285 30 196.261
7 Frederik Vesti Mercedes 1:20.467 1.392 24 196.000
8 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:20.623 1.548 29 195.621
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:20.760 1.685 28 195.289
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:20.866 1.791 28 195.033
11 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:21.024 1.949 26 194.653
12 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:21.051 1.976 24 194.588
13 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:21.550 2.475 20 193.397
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:21.704 2.629 29 193.033
15 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:21.819 2.744 28 192.762
16 Leonardo Fornaroli McLaren/Mercedes 1:21.890 2.815 29 192.594
17 Ryō Hirakawa Haas/Ferrari 1:22.001 2.926 25 192.334
18 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:22.089 3.014 22 192.128
19 Paul Aron Alpine/Mercedes 1:22.168 3.093 28 191.943
20 Colton Herta Cadillac/Ferrari 1:23.118 4.043 28 189.749
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:23.471 4.396 11 188.947
22 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:23.734 4.659 23 188.353