Hungarian Grand Prix Practice 1 starts at 11:30 UTC on Friday, July 24, which is 13:30 local time at the Hungaroring. Formula 1’s official race page lists the same opening practice window, followed by FP2 at 15:00 UTC, FP3 and qualifying on Saturday, and the 70-lap race on Sunday.
This is a preview, not a results article. GearPulse is not trackside, has no live telemetry and is not using live timing. It also does not publish the Practice 1 order, Practice 2 result, qualifying result, grid, pole position, race result, podium, fastest lap, classification-revealing penalty or championship change.
That restraint matters because FP1 in Budapest is useful even when the timing screen is messy. The Hungaroring is short, narrow and rhythm-heavy, and the first hour is where teams learn whether their high-downforce setup, tyre preparation and new parts are behaving before track evolution and heat make the picture more expensive to read.
Why FP1 matters in Hungary
Formula 1’s circuit guide lists the Hungaroring at 4.381 km, with 14 turns, a 70-lap race distance and Lewis Hamilton’s 1m 16.627s race lap record from 2020. The official race hub adds the same circuit length, first Grand Prix year of 1986 and 306.63 km race distance.
The character is the real point. Formula 1 compares the track to a karting circuit because there are few long straights and several corners feed directly into the next. That means a car that looks fast in one braking zone can still be difficult across a complete lap if it overheats the rear tyres, misses rotation in the middle sector or cannot settle over the bumps into Turn 1.
| FP1 checkpoint | Why it matters at the Hungaroring |
|---|---|
| Front-end trust | Drivers need a car that changes direction cleanly through linked corners. |
| Rear temperature | Pirelli flags thermal degradation on the rear axle as a key Budapest theme. |
| Traction | Slow exits make poor throttle application costly across the lap. |
| Track evolution | The surface can begin low-grip, then improve quickly as rubber goes down. |
| Overtaking model | Moves are usually built at Turn 1, Turn 2 or by preparing the final corner well. |
The fun fact is that the Hungaroring was built quickly. Formula 1 says work began in 1985 and the venue was race-ready only nine months later, giving F1 its first championship race behind the Iron Curtain in 1986. It still races like a purpose-built pressure cooker: compact, technical and hard to pass on unless the attacker prepares the move early.
Tyres, heat and surface changes
Formula 1 and Pirelli list the softest compound range for Hungary: C3 as hard, C4 as medium and C5 as soft. Each driver receives two hard sets, three mediums and eight softs, plus intermediates and full wets if needed.
That makes FP1 less about a heroic single lap and more about first evidence. Pirelli’s weekend preview says Turns 1 and 12 have been resurfaced for 2026, while older parts of the lap still have rougher asphalt. It also warns that Budapest usually brings some of the highest track temperatures of the season, with thermal degradation and possible graining on the softer compounds.
Motorsport.com’s Friday guide expects warm, mostly sunny conditions, which should make both practice sessions useful for setup work. Sky Sports F1 also frames the weekend as generally dry and warm rather than chaotic, but its preview still points to the track’s tight, twisty nature and Turn 1 as the main overtaking point.
So the most valuable FP1 laps may be the quiet ones. Teams need to know whether the C5 switches on without overheating, whether the C4 can survive repeated traction zones, and whether the resurfaced corners distort the setup read compared with older, lower-grip sections.
Five rookie substitutions change the data
This FP1 has a second layer: several normal race drivers are giving up the hour for rookie, reserve or test drivers. Formula 1 says five of the 11 teams are changing their usual lineups for opening practice.
The headline swap is at McLaren, where Leonardo Fornaroli replaces Oscar Piastri for the session. Formula 1 reports that Fornaroli, the 2025 F2 champion and McLaren reserve, is making his second F1 weekend practice appearance after Barcelona. McLaren also has a Hungary upgrade package to evaluate, including a new floor and other aerodynamic parts, plus a developed experimental rear wing for FP1 only.
Mercedes is also part of the rookie picture, with Fred Vesti replacing championship leader Kimi Antonelli for FP1. Alpine runs Paul Aron, Haas runs Ryo Hirakawa, and Cadillac gives Colton Herta another practice outing.
That makes the session harder to read at full-team level. McLaren’s Piastri comparison is incomplete until FP2, Mercedes cannot directly compare Antonelli against Russell in the first hour, and several midfield teams are trading driver consistency for regulatory mileage and simulator correlation. For FP1, clean feedback may matter more than headline rank.
Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull
Formula 1’s driver standings before the weekend list Antonelli on 204 points, Hamilton on 159, Russell on 154, Leclerc on 126, Norris on 103, Piastri on 92 and Verstappen on 91. That puts Mercedes in front, Ferrari close enough to apply pressure, McLaren needing a stronger second half, and Red Bull still dependent on Verstappen’s ceiling.
The Mercedes comparison is not tidy in FP1 because Antonelli sits out for Vesti. Russell therefore becomes the main live benchmark for the works team in the opening hour, while Vesti’s job is to deliver clean technical data without damaging the weekend plan. Motorsport.com notes that Antonelli’s Belgian GP win has stretched his championship control, so Mercedes’ Hungary target is less about proving it has pace and more about keeping the car predictable.
Ferrari should treat this as an opportunity. Sky Sports argues that the Hungaroring’s corner-heavy layout should suit Ferrari better than power-sensitive Spa or Silverstone, and that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc cannot be ruled out. The direct comparison is useful: Hamilton has the stronger points position, while Leclerc’s value is often how quickly he can expose whether the car has one-lap bite.
McLaren has the most interesting FP1 trade. Fornaroli’s run helps the development programme and gives the team another rookie outing, but it means Piastri loses the opening hour on a weekend where McLaren is evaluating upgrades. Norris therefore becomes the cleanest early read on the MCL40, while Fornaroli’s value is whether he can make the upgrade data believable.
Red Bull’s case is narrower. Verstappen is only seventh in the official standings, one point behind Piastri, but Hungary rewards confidence, braking precision and rhythm more than raw horsepower. Isack Hadjar also gives Red Bull a second reference, yet Verstappen remains the reason the team cannot be written off if the car lands in the right operating window.
Editorial probability board
These are non-betting GearPulse editorial ranges for likely FP1 standouts at session start. They are not odds, advice or a claim about the actual session result.
| FP1 standout candidate | Editorial probability | Pre-session case |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrari driver | 22-32% | Track layout should suit high downforce, traction and corner balance. |
| Mercedes driver | 20-30% | Best championship baseline, but Antonelli sitting out makes the read less complete. |
| McLaren driver | 16-26% | Upgrade package and strong recent Hungary history, offset by Piastri missing FP1. |
| Red Bull driver | 11-20% | Verstappen’s ceiling keeps the range alive if the car finds rhythm quickly. |
| Rookie or reserve data story | 8-15% | Five substitutions mean feedback quality may be as important as lap time. |
| Midfield surprise | 6-12% | Track evolution, soft-tyre timing and run plans can flatter clean early laps. |
The caveat is that FP1 is the easiest session to over-interpret. Fuel load, tyre age, setup phase, aero rake runs and rookie programmes can all make a car look faster or slower than it really is. In Hungary, the best clue is not the single best lap. It is whether a driver can repeat balance through the middle sector without the tyre falling away.
What to watch
Watch Turn 1 and Turn 12 because they are resurfaced. If drivers report different grip or braking confidence there compared with the older sections, setup changes may not translate evenly across the lap.
Watch the C5 soft after the first timed lap. If it gives one sharp lap and then fades, FP2 race-prep work will lean harder on C4 and C3. If it stays usable, qualifying prep becomes less anxious.
Watch the rookie cars for clean correlation rather than ranking. Fornaroli, Vesti, Aron, Hirakawa and Herta are not there to win FP1. They are there to complete programmes, protect the race drivers’ weekend and give engineers data they can trust.
Watch Ferrari against Russell’s Mercedes and Norris’s McLaren. That is the cleanest early front-group comparison because Antonelli and Piastri are not in their regular cars for this hour.
And watch the temperature without turning it into drama. Forecasts point to a stable Friday, but Pirelli’s warning about Budapest heat, rear-tyre thermal degradation and track evolution is enough to make the first hour more than installation mileage.
Bottom line
Hungary FP1 is the high-downforce audit before the weekend becomes more public. The official facts are fixed: 11:30 UTC start, 13:30 local time, 4.381 km, 14 corners, 70 race laps and C3-C4-C5 tyres. The uncertain part is which cars can keep their tyres calm while still rotating through a circuit that punishes every missed rhythm.
Ferrari has a layout-based opening. Mercedes has the strongest points platform but an incomplete FP1 comparison. McLaren has upgrades and a rookie substitution in the same hour. Red Bull has Verstappen’s ceiling but less season margin than usual.
The session should not crown a Hungarian GP favorite. It should tell us which teams have arrived with a setup direction worth believing.