22
14:22
New best lap by Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc sets a new best lap time and pushes his teammate back to second position. 0.245 seconds separate the two. Verstappen is third ahead of Sergio Pérez’s second Red Bull.
20
14:20
New best lap by Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz completed another flying lap on his first set of tires to move into first place with a 1:19.671.
19
14:19
Vettel continues on hard
Sebastian Vettel is still on the hardest tire compound. He is currently far behind. More than rank 18 is not yet available in the early phase of training.
17
14:17
Verstappen just behind
Max Verstappen lags behind again and is again only a hair’s breadth behind his competitor in the Ferrari. 0.009 seconds, that’s all that separates the two drivers.
16
14:16
Leclerc takes the lead back
Charles Leclerc regains his top position. There is a 1:19.863 in his ninth round in the first practice session.
14
14:15
New best lap by Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz sets a new best lap time with a 1:20.184. Leclerc is just 0.041 seconds past. Verstappen is 0.059 seconds behind the current leader. So it’s close between the two top teams.
13.
14:12
Pérez back on track
After the installation laps with the measuring tools, Sergio Pérez was in the pits for the last few minutes. Now he’s back on track, running the softest tire compound.
12.
14:11
Many on hard
Most of the field started the first practice on the hardest tire compound. On the medium are Ricciardo, Ocon and Albon. Leclerc, Verstappen and Sainz, who lead the list of results, drove softly.
10
14:10
New best lap by Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc sets a new lap time. A 1:20.225 puts him 0.4 seconds ahead of his teammates. A little later Verstappen crosses the line. With 0.018 seconds he stays just behind the Ferrari driver.
8th.
14:08
New best lap by Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz beats Verstappen’s previous time. On the soft tire he brings the 1: 20.696. Mick Schumacher is currently 14. Sebastian Vettel returned to the pits after five laps. He is in 15th place.
6.
14:08
Pit radio George Russell
Russell radios his Mercedes engineers about a strange whistling noise from the turbo and asks for reassurance that everything is fine.
4.
14:04
Max Verstappen’s new best lap
Max Verstappen is already significantly faster and delivers the 1:21.234. He was on the soft tire. Carlos Sainz is 0.143 seconds behind.
4.
14:04
First lap times
There are the first lap times. But they are not yet to be taken seriously. Alex Albon has a 1:24.171.
3.
14:03
Kubica for Bottas
Robert Kubica was already in action in France in the first training session. Today the Polish racing driver drives Valtteri Bottas’ car again.
2.
14:03
The weather
It’s hot in Hungary. In the first practice session, the drivers encounter a track temperature of 55 degrees and an air temperature of 32 degrees. Rain is not expected today, but it could definitely get wet in qualifying on Saturday.
1.
14:00
Pérez with measuring instruments
Sergio Pérez is already on the track. The Mexican screwed some measuring devices to the car. So you’re testing the aerodynamics of some parts.
1.
14:00
Start 1st workout
The traffic lights are green, the start of the 1st training session in Budapest has taken place. Among the first drivers on the track is Sebastian Vettel, who is the number one topic of conversation these days.
13:55
The distance
The 4.381 kilometer long Hungaroging was opened in 1986 and has been an integral part of Formula 1 ever since. The asphalt surface was recently completely renewed for the 2016 season. A demanding track with few overtaking opportunities awaits the drivers, which is why pole will be of particular importance. 14 curves with a radius of 20 to 400 meters require concentration.
1:48 p.m
What’s in it for Mercedes?
There is also a big question mark behind Mercedes. In France, the team was able to put two riders on the podium for the first time this season, but benefited from mistakes made by the competition. The track in Hungary also has a lot of bumps, which the current Mercedes shouldn’t quite like. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton also celebrated eight wins in Hungary. So he likes the track.
13:44
What goes for Schumacher?
Mick Schumacher scored points at Silverstone and Spielberg. In France, however, things didn’t go so well for the German and he finished in the back places. In Hungary, Haas brings the only major update this year. But not on Schumacher’s car. The parts could only be completed for one car. Since Kevin Magnussen is better placed in the World Cup, he already gets the upgrade in Hungary.
13:38
Ferrari must counter
Max Verstappen has now pulled 63 points away from Charles Leclerc in the World Cup standings. The reason for this is not the performance of the Ferrari, but too many mistakes. Sometimes the technology goes on strike, sometimes the driver throws the race away in a good starting position. Opportunities that Red Bull doesn’t miss to collect points in the World Cup. In Budapest Ferrari is the favorite on paper, but it will certainly not be easy to reduce the gap to Verstappen again.
13:31
Vettel cracker on Thursday
In the last few weeks it still sounded as if Sebastian Vettel wanted to continue at Aston Martin, now the German surprised on Thursday with his retirement from Formula 1 sport. Vettel created an Instagram account on which he published a video statement about his decision shortly afterwards. In it, Vettel emphasizes that his priorities have shifted in recent months and that it is now time to take care of his family more intensively, among other things. The 35-year-old won 53 times in Formula 1. Vettel was world champion four times. He had the most successful years together with Red Bull. Then came the move to Ferrari, where Vettel actually wanted to emulate idol Schumacher. But it never really sparked between the Italians and Vettel. Last career station was Aston Martin, where the great successes failed to materialize.
Warm welcome!
Hello and welcome to the Formula 1 weekend at the Hungaroring in Budapest. At 2:00 p.m. the 1st training session over 60 minutes is scheduled.