© Vladimir Rys2024 Hungarian Grand Prix - Free Practice ReportIn sweltering conditions, the Bulls kept their cool as they got off to a swift start in Budapest, with Max ending the day in P2 overall and Checo finishing fourth.
AftertakingP2inthefirsthourofpractice,Maxrepeatedthefeatinthelater-afternoonsession,postingabesttimeof1:18.031onhisSofttyrequalifyingsimulationtofinish0.243sbehindMcLaren’sLandoNorris.ChecoendedtheopeningsessioninP11butcrankedupthepaceconsiderablyinFP2toendthedayinfourthplacethankstoalapof1:18.255,justovertwotenthsoffhisteammate.
With the team bringing a suite of upgrades for Hungary, including a new engine cover on Max’s car and a new front wing and front and rear corners updates for both, it was no surprise that when Checo emerged at the start of FP1, his RB20 was sporting large aero rakes on either side of the car.
The Mexican driver put in a short run with the data gathering devices on board before returning to the garage, but for Max, it was straight down to business on C5 Soft tyres, a tyre choice counter to most of the field, who spent most of the first half of the session on a mix of Medium and Hard tyres.
Mercedes’ George Russell set the early pace at 1:20.980 on Medium tyres, but Max quickly eclipsed that with a time of 1:20.715, which put him fractionally ahead of Medium tyre runner Lando Norris. Russell then improved to 1:20.083, but Max responded with a lap of 1:19.831 to regain top spot.
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Max held on to top spot until the halfway mark, when Alex Albon bolted a set of Soft compound Pirellis, and he vaulted to the top of the order with a lap of 1:19.794. His stay in P1 was brief, however, as first Russell and then Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took turns in P1. It was Carlos Sainz who went quickest though, with the Spaniard setting a time of 1:18.713. Checo was out on track again, but though the Mexican climbed from 16th to 10th, he reported that he couldn’t keep his tyres cool and eventually ended the session in P11.
Max, who had drifted out to P15 as he made set-up changes and as other Soft tyre runs came in around him, rejoined the fray with 18 minutes left in the session, and the Dutchman pumped in a strong lap of 1:18.989 to take P2 behind Sainz. The time was all the more impressive, having been set on the same set of Soft tyres he had used for his opening run.
After returning to the pits, both Bulls went out for another late run on Softs but there was no improvement for either driver as Max completed 20 laps and Checo put 22 on the board in a productive session.
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Checo was straight out on track at the start of the second hour of practice. On Medium tyres, the Mexican jumped to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:18.568, and the time was good enough to keep the Minister at the top of the pile for the opening half of the session, two tenths clear of Russell in second and Lewis Hamilton in third.
Max, meanwhile, slotted into fourth place on 1:19.213, and as both drivers returned to the garage, Max reported that his brakes were “not biting.”
The Dutchman was soon back on track, and his next flyer of 1:18.724 jumped him back up the order to P2, just behind his teammate. Checo’s second run didn’t yield an improvement, but he added a quickest middle sector to purple S1 from his first run.
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The session was then red-flagged when Leclerc crashed in Turn 4. The Ferrari driver took too much kerb on the exit, and his Ferrari swapped ends before spinning across the track, where he hit barriers hard with the left side of his car.
The session was suspended for a quarter of an hour, and when the green lights went on at the end of the pit lane, the bulk of drivers emerged on Soft tyres for qualifying simulations.
Russell initially took top spot with a lap of 1:18.294 but McLaren’s Lando Norris then went substantially quicker with a lap of 1:17.78. Checo moved to P3 with a good lap of 1:18.255 but there was a nervous moment on his out lap when Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu spun behind him and only quick reactions from Checo avoided a collision between the Red Bull and the out-of-control Sauber.
Max stayed in the garage during the opening flurry of quali sims, but when the Dutchman emerged, he claimed second place behind Norris with a lap of 1:18.031 that also featured a purple middle sector.
With the performance runs complete, the field moved to harder compound tyres for the final 20 minutes of the session. Both Bulls spent the final third on Medium tyres and the pair’s longer runs on the C4s looked good with both running in the low 1m24s.
| Rank | Driver | Team | Time | | 1 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:18.713 | |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:18.989 | |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:19.011 | |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:19.137 | |
| 5 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber | 1:19.180 | |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:19.211 | |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:19.249 | |
| 8 | Yuki Tsunoda | Visa Cash App RB | 1:19.260 | |
| 9 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:19.265 | |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:19.287 | |
| 11 | Sergio Pérez | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:19.440 | |
