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Would either McLaren driver give up a win this time? Six Hungarian GP talking points.
Will the pendulum swing again at McLaren? Verstappen-Russell resolution. Ferrari up, Mercedes down. Will Tsunoda end points drought? Aron’s run. New-look Hungaroring.
30th July 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Oscar Piastri scored his first grand prix victory in Hungary 12 months ago and returns to the scene of that triumph this weekend.
Will he extend his lead over his team mate and championship rival Lando Norris – who handed him that victory last year when told to by their McLaren team? Or will one of their rivals break their run of consecutive one-two finishes?
Here are the talking points for the final round before the summer break.
‘Six Hungarian GP talking points’;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/07/30/...alking-points/
‘Can’t be part of us’: Day McLaren team orders storm erupted... and why it sits on new timebomb
July 31st, 2025
Michael Lamonato
Fox Sports (Australia)
Oscar Piastri won his first grand prix 12 months ago at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the Formula 1 landscape has changed irrevocably ever since. It isn’t just that Piastri, long heralded as a champion in waiting, finally got his name onto coveted list of grand prix winners. It’s what that moment represented for the sport.
Piastri followed Lando Norris to McLaren’s first front-row lockout in 12 years. On Sunday he led the team’s second one-two finish in more than a decade. It was the McLaren’s second victory of the season after a long run of highly competitive races. It had been nibbling away at Red Bull Racing’s championship advantage, but Hungary had seen it take a big bite out of the stalled giant’s status as title leader.
Norris, despite finishing second, was even being whispered about as a potential drivers championship contender. The culmination was the dawn of a new reality. McLaren was no longer Formula 1’s rising team, and its drivers were no longer the next generation of winners. They had arrived as the sport’s new leaders. And they’d done it earlier than expected. McLaren management had targeted 2025 for its first wins and the rule changes in 2026 as a possible return to title contention.
‘The culmination was the dawn of a new reality’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...c979a1a987c3e2
Leclerc waits for Hungaroring while Vasseur drives away Hamilton's crisis at Ferrari
30 Jul 2025
Pietro Vurro
GPblog.com
As Formula 1 heads to Budapest for the final round before the summer break, Ferrari is looking to build on its recent momentum. Team Principal Fred Vasseur is optimistic following a successful upgrade package in Belgium, while Charles Leclerc is taking a more reserved approach ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The SF-25 showed clear signs of improvement at Spa-Francorchamps, thanks to significant updates brought by the team. With progress in both aerodynamic efficiency and overall balance, Ferrari believes it is moving in the right direction.
“In the last few races we’ve made progress in terms of competitiveness, and in Belgium, thanks to the great work done in Maranello, we introduced an upgrade package that further improved our performance,” said Vasseur. “Before the mandatory summer break, we have one more race to go – the Hungarian Grand Prix – where we want to keep improving.”
‘Vasseur drives away Hamilton's crisis’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/lecle...sis-at-ferrari
Ferrari extends Vasseur’s contract as team principal
31st July 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Ferrari’s announcement of a new contract for Vasseur puts an end to doubt over his future. The team’s CEO Benedetto Vigna said the decision “reflects our trust in Fred’s leadership — a trust rooted in shared ambition, mutual expectations and clear responsibility.”
Vasseur, who strongly attacked articles questioning his future at the team last month, said he is “grateful for the trust Ferrari continues to place in me.” He described his new deal to remain at the team as “a challenge to keep progressing, to stay focused, and to deliver.”
“Over the past 30 months we’ve laid strong foundations and now we must build on them with consistency and determination. We know what’s expected and we’re all fully committed to meeting those expectations and taking the next step forward together.”
“Reflects our trust in Fred’s leadership”;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/07/31/...eam-principal/
Ferrari F1 Eyes Back-to-Back Success With Hungarian GP Focus
By Saajan Jogia Newsweek
Updated July 30, 2025
The Tribune, California
Following the boost Ferrari received at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, team principal Fred Vasseur has revealed preparations for the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, the last round before the summer break. Vasseur explained that Ferrari did not want to postpone introducing the upgrades to the next round in Budapest and thus, took the risky decision to test it during the sprint weekend at Spa. This would also help Ferrari's setup strategy for the race at the Hungaroring. He added:
"It's never easy to introduce something on a Sprint weekend but we didn't want to postpone to Budapest. It's true that with the format of the weekend, the fact that you don't long stint on Friday or you're doing a long stint of four laps, it's not easy to have references. But at the end I think it was the right call because it's also the best preparation for us for Hungary."
Despite Ferrari gearing up its development of the 2026 car, Vasseur suggested that his team will continue bringing minor track-specific upgrades until the end of this season, but ruled out a major upgrade. He said: "I think we are all in the same situation that the closer you will be to the end of the season, the more focused you will be on next year and for sure we will have to bring some small items until the end, more related to the layout of the track or the weather conditions or whatever, but no big package."
“The best preparation for us for Hungary";
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/sports...mainstage_card
“Really positive” first run with updated Red Bull floor gives Tsunoda confidence boost
31st July 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Yuki Tsunoda says he feels a confidence boost heading into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix having run Red Bull’s new floor for the first time last weekend. “I am looking forward to getting back in the car,” said Tsunoda. “Things felt really positive during and after qualifying with the updated floor on the car. The race didn’t go to plan, but the performance I felt in the car has given me confidence moving into the final race before the summer break.”
Team principal Laurent Mekies said the team made a positive step with the upgrade it introduced last weekend. “The team is happy with the upgrade package,” he said, “there is no question as to whether we brought performance to the car, we absolutely feel we did. Does it fix all the limitations in the car? No, but it is a step forwards.”
“Really positive”;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/07/31/...fidence-boost/
What is the weather forecast for the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix?
The weather forecast is in ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix from the Hungaroring in Budapest.
30 Jul 2025
Formula One - Official Site
FRIDAY, AUGUST 01 – FP1 AND FP2
Conditions: Mainly sunny and likely dry day expected. Still a slight chance of one shower in the afternoon under a cloudier sky. Light westerly wind with gusts up to 30 kph. FP1: 28°C // FP2: 28°C
Maximum temperature expected: 28 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 16 Celsius
Chance of rain: <20%
SATURDAY, AUGUST 02 – FP3 AND QUALIFYING
Conditions: Sunny at first becoming cloudier and unsettled from the afternoon. Gradually increasing chance of showers up to level 3 from noon. Light southwesterly wind in the morning veering westerly in the afternoon. FP3: 27°C // Q: 28°C
Maximum temperature expected: 28 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 16 Celsius
Chance of rain: 20%
SUNDAY, AUGUST 03 – RACE
Conditions: High chance of rain the night before. Mostly cloudy day with a moderate to high chance of rain in the morning decreasing a bit for the race (30%). At this range, the confidence in the forecast is low. Light northwesterly wind. Race start: 27°C
Maximum temperature expected: 27 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 17 Celsius
Chance of rain: 60%
‘Weather forecast’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...vY2lUGQMW6ou7K
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Hungarian GP: Norris leads McLaren 1-2 in opening practice.
With McLaren locking out the top two positions in opening practice and the margin between its drivers nearly invisible, the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend is already shaping up to be a fierce internal contest.
01/08/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Norris set the fastest lap of the session – 1m16.052s – on his initial run on soft tyres. The Briton had already shown promising speed on medium compounds earlier in the hour, becoming the first to break the 1m17s barrier with a 1m16.837s in the opening 20 minutes.
As the switch to softs began, it was Charles Leclerc who first leapt to the top with a 1m16.791s, briefly demoting Norris. But the McLaren driver quickly responded, unlocking significant time in the middle sector to produce his session-best lap. Piastri soon followed and posted the quickest first sector of all, but faded slightly across the remainder of the lap to fall 0.142s short.
The Australian wasn’t finished. On his next attempt, Piastri improved through the middle sector and crossed the line just 0.019s shy of Norris’s benchmark, setting the stage for what promises to be another tense weekend in their battle for the title.
‘McLaren 1-2’;
https://f1i.com/news/545293-hungaria...-practice.html
F1 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix – FP1 Results
01/08/2025
Motorsport Week
Position Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:16.052 26
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:16.071 0.019 30
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:16.269 0.217 28
4 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:16.681 0.629 31
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:16.734 0.682 28
6 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:16.878 0.826 26
7 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:16.880 0.828 26
8 George Russell Mercedes 1:16.925 0.873 26
9 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:16.940 0.888 25
10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:16.958 0.906 25
‘FP1 Results’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...x-fp1-results/
F1 – Norris narrowly ahead of Piastri in opening practice for Hungarian Grand Prix
01.08.25
FIA (Press Release)
Lando Norris topped the opening practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, beating championship-leading McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by just 0.019s as Charles Leclerc took third place for Ferrari, a little over two tenths of a second adrift of top spot.
Piastri was dialling himself into the track conditions, however, and with 15 minutes on the clock he moved up to second place 0.248s off Norris. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen also moved up the timesheet, taking fourth place on Medium tyres with a lap of 1:18.194, half a second back from Norris. As running increased, track evolution ramped up strongly and with 20 minutes gone, Williams Alex Albon vaulted to P2 with a Medium-tyre time of 1:17.866. Norris was back out on track on Mediums, however, and the Briton went a full second quicker than the Thai driver to return to top spot on 1:16.837.
Leclerc posted a 1:17.420 to take P2, half a second adrift of Norris and Carlos Sainz put the other Williams third, 0.9s off the P1 pace. Just past the halfway mark, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto bolted on Soft tyres and he jumped from the bottom end of the order to sixth place with a time of 1:17.959. Leclerc then made the same tyre choice and he took P1 on 1:16.791, a little over four hundredths of a second clear of Norris’ best Medium time. As Albon took third on the red-banded tyres ahead of the similarly shod Hamilton, Norris joined the C5 party and he roared back to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:16.052, seven tenths of a second ahead of Leclerc. Piastri couldn’t match that time and the Australian slotted into second place with a lap of 1:16.194. He went again, however, and on his second attempt improved by just over a tenth of second to sit 0.019s off his team-mate.
‘Norris narrowly ahead of Piastri’;
https://www.fia.com/news/f1-norris-n...ian-grand-prix
Everything you need to know from FP1 at F1's Hungarian GP
Aug 1, 2025
Jack Benyon
The Race
Lando Norris led a McLaren 1-2 in FP1 for the Hungarian Grand Prix, a session that featured a clear and persistent threat to the McLaren dominance and two 'new' drivers to evaluate. Charles Leclerc was a thorn in the McLaren drivers' sides but Norris looked absolutely supreme at the top of the time sheets.
He was as much as seven tenths clear at one stage, and only a soft-tyre run from team-mate Oscar Piastri at the end of the performance running reduced the gap to 0.019s. Norris could not improve on his 1m16.052s after flat-spotting his tyres at Turn 1. Leclerc - boosted by a podium at Spa and a chance to hone Ferrari's new suspension introduced there - repeatedly went to the top of the order and ended up within striking distance of Norris, 0.217s adrift.
Isack Hadjar - who has been told to "cheer up" by his entourage after a strong start to his rookie F1 season - set the fourth-fastest time and split the Ferraris, with Lewis Hamilton just behind. "The car doesn’t feel good," said Hamilton, who locked up at Turn 1 and slid wide at the Turn 9 right-hander, visibly fighting the Ferrari around a lap. He was four tenths off his team-mate Leclerc.
‘Isack Hadjar - who has been told to "cheer up"!’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...e-mclaren-1-2/
Max opens Hungarian GP weekend in P9
01 August 202
Misha van der Kroon
Verstappen.nl
Max Verstappen finished ninth in the first free practice session ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. On the 4.381-kilometre-long Hungaroring, it was Lando Norris who set the fastest time for McLaren, ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri in P2. Charles Leclerc took third for Ferrari, while Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) rounded out the top five. Max's Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Yuki Tsunoda ended the session in P17.
‘P9’;
https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5901/
Norris leads Piastri, Leclerc in FP1 - 2025 Hungarian GP practice results
August 1st 2025
Pablo Elizalde
Motor Sport Magazine
McLaren driver Lando Norris outpaced championship rival Oscar Piastri to go quickest in the opening practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
McLaren enjoyed a strong start to a weekend in which it is favourite once more, with Norris leading Piastri by just 0.019sec as the running kicked off on Friday.
Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc was the only driver who managed to get close to the McLaren duo with the third-fastest time, slightly over two tenths off the pace.
‘Charles Leclerc was the only driver who managed to get close to the McLaren’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a.../?nowprocket=1
2025 Hungarian GP Schedule – F1 Session Times at the Hungaroring
Find out when every session takes place at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, including the race start time
1 Aug 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport
Here’s the full schedule for 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, with local and global times so you never miss a moment of the action.
Session Date UK (BST) USA (ET) USA (PT) Australia (AEST)
Practice 1 Fri, Aug 1 12:30–13:30 07:30–08:30 04:30–05:30 21:30–22:30
Practice 2 Fri, Aug 1 16:00–17:00 11:00–12:00 08:00–09:00 01:00–02:00 (Sat)
Practice 3 Sat, Aug 2 11:30–12:30 06:30–07:30 03:30–04:30 20:30–21:30
Qualifying Sat, Aug 2 15:00–16:00 10:00–11:00 07:00–08:00 00:00–01:00 (Sun)
Hungarian GP Sun, Aug 3 14:00 09:00 06:00 23:00 (Sun)
‘Session Times’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/202...e-hungaroring/
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Norris leads FP2 as McLaren dominates – 2025.
Norris goes quickest in second practice in Hungary by nearly three tenths from Piastri.
August 1st 2025
Pablo Elizalde
Motor Sport Magazine
Lando Norris remained on top of the times in second Hungarian Grand Prix practice as McLaren continued to show dominant form. The British driver, quickest in the opening hour of running, posted a best time of 1m15.625sec as teams focused on their qualifying runs before switching to longer stints.
Norris was nearly three tenths of a second faster than McLaren team-mate and championship rival Oscar Piastri, again second fastest.
‘McLaren dominates’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a.../?nowprocket=1
F1 2025 Hungarian GP – Free Practice 2 Results
Norris tops second practice as McLaren flexes its muscle at the Hungaroring
1 August 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport
F1 Hungarian GP 2025 FP2 results
Check out the full Hungarian GP 2025 Free Practice 2 results from the second practice session at the Hungaroring below.
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:15.624
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.291
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.399
4 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +0.495
5 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.609
6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.705
7 George Russell Mercedes +0.793
8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +0.803
9 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull +0.861
10 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.896
‘Free Practice 2 Results’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ice-2-results/
Max Verstappen under threat as FIA launch Hungarian Grand Prix investigation
01 Aug 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Max Verstappen is facing a trip to the FIA stewards after an investigation was launched over a bizarre incident during FP2 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver was spotted appearing to throw a towel from the cockpit of his RB21 while moving at slow speed during Friday’s second free practice session in Budapest.
Verstappen and a Red Bull team representative are required to visit the stewards at 1820 local time in Hungary over an alleged breach of Article 34.14 c) of F1’s sporting regulations. The rule concerns cars being released in an unsafe condition.
‘Bizarre incident - Throw a towel from the cockpit of his RB21’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...-investigation
McLaren in a league of their own with Max Verstappen struggling in FP2 at 2025 Hungarian GP
Norris and Piastri set the pace as Verstappen and Red Bull fall behind
1 August 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
McLaren appear to be in a league of their own at the 2025 Hungarian GP as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lead the way in FP2, with the Brit topping the times with a massive 0.399 gap to Charles Leclerc in third, whilst Max Verstappen was left nowhere. Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda both struggled for pace, managing only eighth and ninth respectively, with Tsunoda voicing frustration over the Red Bull RB21’s balance around the Hungaroring.
And he wasn’t alone either as his four-time world champion teammate told his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, the same thing, echoing his comments by saying, “It’s like driving on ice.” Both drivers reported issues with front and rear grip, with the car falling well outside the competitive window as the Dutchman went one step further and slammed his car as “undriveable”. While it’s not unusual for Red Bull to face setup challenges on a Friday, they now face a steep task to turn things around overnight if they hope to get Verstappen back in the fight on what is typically a driver-dependent circuit.
The Dutchman could only manage 14th on the timesheets, finishing behind his teammate Tsunoda, who at least made it into the Top 10 with ninth. Verstappen took pole here in 2019 and 2023, whilst he managed to claim victory in 2022 and 2023. Can he win again? It’s going to require a huge effort from Laurent Mekies and Pierre Wache overnight.
‘Max Verstappen was left nowhere’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/mcl...arian-gp-2025/
Lewis Hamilton is now approaching unwanted Ferrari record before the Hungarian Grand Prix
1 August 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer
Lewis Hamilton close to Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari record. Hamilton is now in the top three of Ferrari drivers who have raced for the team without scoring a podium in a Grand Prix. Although Hamilton has won the Sprint race in China this season, he did not stand on the podium as there is no podium ceremony.
Driver Races before first Ferrari podium
Didier Pironi 19
Gilles Villeneuve 14
Lewis Hamilton 13
Gerhard Berger 12
Cliff Allison 6
Felipe Massa 5
Carlos Sainz 5
Luigi Villoresi 4
Clay Regazzoni 4
With 13 races to his name without a podium, he is now close to tying with Gilles Villeneuve who has 14 races to his name before he earned his first podium with a third place at the 1978 Austrian Grand Prix. Didier Pironi leads the table with 19 races before earning his first podium, while Hamilton surpassed Gerhard Berger who went 12 races without a podium at the last race in Belgium.
‘Lewis Hamilton close to Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari record’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lew...an-grand-prix/
Fernando Alonso to make F1 Hungarian GP return after FP1 absence
1 August 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Fernando Alonso will take part in FP2 for Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix after sitting out FP1 on medical grounds. The Spaniard skipped the first session at the Hungaroring to limit time in the AMR25 due to a muscular issue in his back, with reserve driver Felipe Drugovich taking his place.
However, the two-time World Champion has, according to the Silverstone-based squad, received further treatment and will be back in the car for FP2. Aston’s Trackside Officer Mike Krack said previously that he was confident of Alonso’s swift return, saying that “plan is to have Fernando in the car from FP2 onwards.”
‘Muscular issue in his back’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...r-fp1-absence/
