Ferrari imposed its control over the free practice sessions for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the Formula One World Championship, at the Hungaroring in Budapest, with its drivers Charles Leclerc from Monaco and Briton Lewis Hamilton alternating at the top of the first and second sessions.

Leclerc topped the times in the first free practice, recording 1:19.075 minutes, ahead of Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen by 0.484 seconds, but his session ended with a car problem after returning to the Ferrari garage. Leclerc regained his form by winning the British Grand Prix three weeks ago.

His teammate Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, came third with a gap of half a second, while the second Red Bull driver, Frenchman Isack Hadjar, placed fourth. Mercedes' British driver George Russell showed more competitiveness with McLaren, while reserve driver Danish Fred Vesti replaced Italian Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, and finished seventh.

Audi drivers Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto and German Nico Hülkenberg finished sixth and eighth, ahead of Racing Bulls drivers Briton Arvid Lindblad and New Zealander Liam Lawson. McLaren's British driver Lando Norris reached eleventh place, while two-time world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso came thirteenth in his Aston Martin.

The Aston Martin car saw major updates including 16 different new parts, drawing attention to see the extent of the gains achieved. Haas, Audi, and Cadillac introduced modifications to the rear wing and brake ducts, while Red Bull, Williams, and Mercedes made smaller updates, and McLaren tested a new rear wing and floor.

After an early fast lap from Verstappen, Ferrari asserted its dominance with Leclerc topping the times, while Hamilton, despite being second at the time, complained of his car's vibration on a circuit where he has the opportunity to become the first driver to achieve 10 pole positions at a single track. Teams switched to soft tires after 30 minutes, with Russell leading for Mercedes before being overtaken by Verstappen and then Leclerc.

The session was stopped with a red flag after 38 minutes when Canadian Lance Stroll's car stopped at turn three, due to what appeared to be a suspension system problem in the new Aston Martin. Leclerc indicated a problem with his car, while Hamilton showed that his car was not in its best state, reflecting the chaotic and fragmented nature of the session due to problems, changes, slides, and strong gusts of wind on the dusty track.

In the second free practice, Hamilton led ahead of Leclerc, recording the best lap with a time of 1:18.729 minutes, beating his teammate by 0.148 seconds. Norris, winner at the Hungaroring last year, came third, but half a second behind, ahead of Verstappen and Russell.

Hamilton holds the record for the number of pole positions with 104, and hopes on Saturday to repeat his last qualifying success achieved in Hungary in 2023. He sits second in the drivers' championship standings, 45 points behind Antonelli, who struggled in the second session and finished it in thirteenth place.