Leclerc tops time sheets in Hungary’s FP2: Results

Charles Leclerc topped the time charts in Hungary with a 1:17.686 lap time in FP2 with Lando Norris close behind.

After two very different practice sessions, it is unclear who we will see on the front row for Sunday’s race.

FP1 saw heavy rain fifteen minutes into the session and after a crash from Checo on his first flying lap and several other spinouts from drivers on slicks, the grid ran intermediate tires for the rest of the session.

Today’s sessions also saw Pierre Gasley, Yuki Tsunoda, and Estaban Ocon in the top five, followed by Nico Hulkeburg in a Haas and Valterri Bottas in an Alfa Romeo.

George Russell and Oscar Piastri who fought for the fastest lap in a wet FP1, found themselves at the bottom of the time sheets in FP2.

Max Verstappen, who is currently leading in the Driver’s Standings, did not set a time in FP1 and came across the line .593s behind Leclerc to finish FP2 in 11th.

Checo’s crash on his first flying lap saw him out for the remainder of the session as his car needed repairs. With the return of Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri, the pressure subsequently falls to Perez.

The RedBull driver has failed to make it into Q3 in the last five races while Verstappen remains the persistent leader.

What does the return of Daniel Ricciardo mean for RedBull in 2024?

Ricciardo has said previously that he would only return to the grid in a competitive car and while AlphaTauri are currently at the bottom of the Constructors Championship, Ricciardo will be eying that Red Bull seat.

As for Daniel, all eyes will be on the Aussie driver this weekend. Since the announcement of his return last week, excitement and scrutiny have swirled around Red Bull racing.

The free practice sessions today did nothing to predict how Ricciardo will perform this weekend as he remained solidly in the middle of the time sheets.

Will the McLaren upgrades from Silverstone benefit lower speed tracks?

If you missed the race in Silverstone, McLaren showed up with another round of upgrades to their cars that proved to be nothing but a step in the right direction with a P2 finish for Lando Norris and a P4 finish for Oscar Piastri.

The car showed out on the high speed track, and while both McLaren drivers topped the time sheets in separate free practice sessions this afternoon, it remains to be seen if the upgrades will prove fruitful on a much slower track.

Has the Aston Martin excitement come to a close?

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin have excited fans since the start of the season with five podiums so far this season, planting him firmly in 3rd place in the Driver Standings while his teammate, Lance Stroll is in 8th.

Alonso has finished in the top seven of every race this year while Stroll finds himself all over the place.

Alsono is hungry for success this season after the switch to Aston Martin this year in the wake of Sebastian Vettle’s departure at the end of the 2022 season.

Overall, both Alonso and Stroll had solid free practice sessions this afternoon making them look competitive going into qualifying tomorrow.

Free Practice session three will take place at 1230 local time followed by Qualifying starting at 1600.

Hungarian GP FP2 Results