The Ferraris came out of the blocks quickly in Hungary with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton posting the quickest laps in the first and second practice sessions, respectively. Leclerc topped the timesheets during the first practice session while Hamilton set the quickest time in the second session, giving Ferrari a perfect start in Hungary. But Leclerc was not getting too excited just yet. “We’re going to have to do everything perfectly because we expect it to be very tight for qualifying and for the race,” said the Monegasque driver, who is expecting a fight in Hungary.
Leclerc ended FP2 in second place, just 0.148 seconds behind Hamilton after overcoming a mechanical issue that cut short his FP1. He said Ferrari usually starts Fridays on the back foot, making this performance encouraging. However, he warned that, “Normally we are on the back foot on the Friday so it’s a good thing that we had a good Friday, but we still need to stay on it and work hard in order to get better for tomorrow. It’s going to be tight tomorrow as always. I don’t expect us to have the gap that we’ve had today, so we’ll have to do everything perfect. If the feeling is there, I’m sure we’ll do a good job in Q3.”
FIA Signals Stricter Approach After Charles Leclerc – Oscar Piastri Incident
Away from the excitement on the track, Leclerc found himself at the heart of a significant conversation involving Formula 1 drivers and FIA stewards. During a scheduled meeting at the Hungarian Grand Prix, officials took a closer look at his defensive maneuver against Oscar Piastri during the Belgian Grand Prix. The two made contact after Leclerc squeezed the McLaren as they approached Les Combes, which ended up damaging Piastri’s floor. While the stewards initially deemed it a racing incident, the decision sparked concerns among several drivers about how much space should be given during heavy braking zones.
After a thorough discussion, the FIA stewards acknowledged the drivers’ worries and agreed that a similar move in the future would likely lead to a five-second time penalty. This meeting was one of the FIA’s two annual sessions with drivers aimed at reviewing racing standards and enhancing consistency in decision-making. Piastri voiced that allowing such aggressive defending could promote risky maneuvers, while Leclerc conceded that his action might have crossed a line. He noted that drivers often push their limits but recognized that the move was probably “too sketchy” and not the kind of racing style he wants to depend on regularly. This outcome provides teams and drivers with clearer guidance as they head into the rest of the 2026 season, while Ferrari now turns its attention back to transforming Friday’s pace into pole position and, ultimately, a win in Hungary.
