Carlos Sainz led the timesheets early doors at the Hungaroring with a promising advantage over the Red Bull after the first performance glimpse ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Spanish driver had a hard-fought battle for the top spot during the first hour on track with the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc – ultimately posting a lap in 1:18.750 to lead the way.
McLaren’s Lando Norris showed some good pace and took fourth ahead of Mercedes teammates George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who were split by the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
Norris’s teammate, Daniel Ricciardo was further down the field in eighth when time ran out, running half a second behind his teammate, meanwhile, the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso filled the final places in the top 10.
Aston Martin showed some improvement in their pace thanks to a new rear wing on the car this weekend. Sebastian Vettel finished in 11th with his teammte Lance Stroll in 12th.
Reports ahead of this weekend suggested that the layout at the Hungaroring would suit the prancing horses over other teams, and early results point to this being true.
Backing this idea further was Red Bull Principal, Christian Horner who spoke to Sky Sports F1 after the session, and said he accepted that his team could be on the back foot this time out.
“I think they could have the advantage here but after the summer break maybe Spa, Monza may come back ironically towards us,” Horner said.
“I think it is going to ebb and flow but it is going to be very, very tight.”
