Lewis Hamilton leads Ferrari one-two to top a red-flagged FP2 at the 2026 Hungarian GP

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Ferrari racer Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap time during FP2 at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix to pip his teammate Charles Leclerc atop the timesheets by 0.148 seconds.

The second free practice session at the Hungaroring on Friday was not a happy occasion for Aston Martin and Lance Stroll. The Canadian suffered a rear suspension failure during FP1 at the Hungarian GP earlier in the day, and it even ensured that he also did not take part in FP2.

Aston Martin were surprised that Stroll’s rear suspension broke during FP1 in Hungary, as it was not the area of his suspension that the Silverstone squad have upgraded this weekend. The reason why Stroll’s suspension suddenly broke was also not instantly clear to the team.

FP2 at the Hungarian GP also quickly proved to be a frustrating occasion for Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. The Argentine crashed his Alpine A526 at the final corner just under half an hour into the 60-minute session and brought out the red flags, as he lost the rear end on turn-in.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, plus the weather forecast

Mercedes pilots George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had sat out FP1 for reserve driver Frederik Vesti, also struggled with the balance of the W17 in the early parts of FP2. A braking issue particularly almost caught Antonelli out, as he “nearly spun twice on braking”.

Colapinto’s crash cost Antonelli his first chance to try a flying lap on the soft C5 Pirelli tyres during FP2, as well. And once the 2026 drivers’ championship leader returned to the track, taking a big hit on the Turn 6 kerb meant Antonelli continued to labour with the soft tyres.

Leclerc, in contrast, was picking up where he left off in FP2 and rose to the top of the order with a 1:18.877. Hamilton was starting to find speed with his SF-26, as well, and he slotted into second by just 0.037 seconds. Not long later and Hamilton moved top with a 1:18.729.

Ferrari have widely been touted as the favourite to win the 2026 Hungarian GP, as the SF-26 is believed to have the best chassis and their car is strong in high-downforce areas. The best that any of their rivals managed in FP1 and FP2 also only reinforced Ferrari’s pre-race status.

Leclerc topped FP1 at the Hungarian GP by 0.484s over Max Verstappen of Red Bull, and the four-time F1 champion could only finish FP2 in P4 with a 0.692s deficit to Leclerc. McLaren’s Lando Norris was Ferrari’s big rival in FP2, but the 2025 champion was 0.499s off Hamilton.

Full 2026 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix FP2 results