Fernando Alonso Fears Worst as Carlos Sainz Pursues Top Spot at Hungarian Grand Prix with Upgrades

Hungarian Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz Leads Free Practice 1

Carlos Sainz has set the pace in Free Practice 1 of the Hungarian Grand Prix, with a time of 1’18.713. The Spanish driver was consistent throughout the session, and his performance has put him in a strong position to fight for pole position this weekend.

Sainz’s Ferrari team has made significant changes to their car, including a modified soil with reinforced side profiles to improve handling and reduce rebound in curves. The high temperatures at the Hungaroring, with temperatures reaching 57 degrees on the asphalt, have also benefited the car, which struggles to get its tires up to temperature quickly.

The good degradation of the tires has placed Ferrari alongside Red Bull and McLaren as favorites for the rest of the weekend. Sainz’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, was third fastest, just behind Verstappen.

Alonso Unhappy with Car

Fernando Alonso, driving for Aston Martin, was unhappy with his car’s performance in Free Practice 1. The team presented seven new features on his car, but Alonso was still struggling to find the right balance. He was 13th fastest, two tenths ahead of Lance Stroll, who was testing the Silverstone spec car.

Sainz’s Best Virtual Start Time

Carlos Sainz was also fourth on hard tires after the first set of tires, just 0.2 seconds behind Verstappen. Piastri and Russell were also ahead of the Red Bull number 1 on paper.

Free Practice 1 Results

1. Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1’18.713 25
2. Max Verstappen Red Bull 1’18.989 +0.276 18
3. Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’19.011 +0.298 28
4. George Russell Mercedes 1’19.137 +0.424 26
5. Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo 1’19.180 +0.467 22
6. Lando Norris McLaren 1’19.211 +0.498 24
7. Oscar Piastri McLaren 1’19.249 +0.536 25
8. Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull 1’19.260 +0.547 24
9. Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1’19.265 +0.552 24
10. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1’19.287 +0.574 27

After the First Set of Tires

1. Max Verstappen Red Bull (B) 1’19.831 9
2. Oscar Piastri McLaren (M) 1’19.838 +0.007 9
3. George Russell Mercedes (M) 1’20.083 +0.252 9
4. Carlos Sainz Ferrari (D) 1’20.094 +0.263 11
5. Lando Norris McLaren (M) 1’20.288 +0.457 10
6. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo (M) 1’20.495 +0.664 10
7. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull (M) 1’20.498 +0.667 12
8. Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull (M) 1’20.520 +0.689 12
9. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes (M) 1’20.536 +0.705 8
10. Alex Albon Williams (M) 1’20.631 +0.800 7