#HungarianGP FP2: @CharlesLeclerc tops time-sheets ahead of @LandoNorris. #F1

Leclerc Hungarian GP FP2 – Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the time-sheets in FP2 at the Hungarian GP in-front of McLaren’s Lando Norris who was second and team-mate Carlos Sainz who rounded out the top three.

 

 

Leclerc’s benchmark was a 1:18.445 set on the C4 red side-walled soft compounds and was 0.217 seconds quicker than Norris with Ferrari team-mate Sainz a further 0.231 seconds adrift in third.

 

Both F1-75 entries ran ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with the reigning champion encountering a difficult afternoon as he was off the pace and complaining of car oscillations in his RB18 racer.

 

Leclerc lead the way thanks to his earlier qualifying simulation run, which might take on greater significance should qualifying not go ahead due to forecasts of thunderstorms on Saturday.

 

As in the earlier FP1 session, Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was the first to emerge on track ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll and the upgraded VF-22 of Kevin Magnussen, as Valtteri Bottas returned to pilot his Alfa Romeo after missing opening practice as reserve Robert Kubica took his place.

 

Sainz was the first driver to post a representative effort and used his scrub medium tyre-fitted F1-75 racer lapping with a 1:20.487 after the fifth-minute mark but was quickly demoted by Alpine’s Fernando Alonso.

 

Verstappen was then the first to go into the 1:19’s, the Dutchman dropping the benchmark to a 1:19.854 before Leclerc responded with a 1:18 flying tour.

 

Leclerc, who is in a 63-point deficit to leader Verstappen after crashing out of the lead at the French Grand Prix last time out, jumped to the top posting a 1:18.911 to gain seven-tenths over the Red Bull.

 

This would keep Leclerc on top for the initial medium-tyre running, and despite being quickest in all three sectors, he left a little-off as the Ferrari driver missed his ideal effort by 0.12 seconds.

 

The other Red Bull RB18 entry of Sergio Perez moved up to third, half-a-second off his team-mate as he pipped Alpine’s Alonso.

 

Sainz did then improve to second, bringing his time down to a 1:19.548 to gain a tenth over Verstappen.

 

However, the Spaniard at this stage, found himself 0.6 seconds off his Ferrari team-mate, as he endured a scruffy lap by running wide and turns five and seven.

 

All but three cars returned to the pit to create a lull of activity before the switch to softer rubber and qualifying simulations began, which again Leclerc took control of.

 

Sainz then improved a little setting a 1:19.392 whilst Verstappen spent a chunk of time in the garage as Red Bull paid attention to the suspension setup of his RB18 racer.

 

With one Red Bull out, Norris shot to the top of the times in his MCL36.

 

The Briton ran his car wide out of the last corner to kick up cloud of dust as he touched the grass at the end of the rumble strip.

 

This lead to a slippery surface flag being waved for 2.5 minutes whilst other cars cleared the circuit.

 

Norris was then told to protect the floor of his McLaren.

 

Despite his excursion, Norris set the benchmark with a 1:18.662 and would only be bettered by Leclerc who would set the session time-topping effort at the halfway point of FP2.

 

Leclerc set the 1:18.445 to find 0.217 seconds more than the Briton and remained the quickest as the traditional switch to longer race data run gathering began.

 

Sainz who was fastest in the opening practice session, placed third in-front of Verstappen – who was frustrated with the oscillation of his RB18 through turns four and eleven.

 

With the MCL36 looking better in the corners compared to it’s predecessors, the tight and twisty Hungaroring allowed Daniel Ricciardo to take fifth and ahead of Alonso, who turned 41 today.

 

The retiring Vettel placed seventh for Aston Martin in-front of Mercedes’ George Russell, who lead the Silver Arrows attack despite his consistent struggle with locking the front-right into the opening corner.

 

Perez, meanwhile, was ninth in the order ahead of Bottas and Mercedes’ Sir Lewis Hamilton, with the seven-time world champion 1.102 seconds off Leclerc’s benchmark time.

 

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN’s Zhou Guanyu finished FP2 in 12th and ahead of last season’s Hungarian GP winner Esteban Ocon who was 13th for Alpine and Aston Martin’s Stroll who placed 14th on the time-sheets.

 

Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly ended the day 15th and in-front of Haas F1 Team pairing Magnussen and Mick Schumacher who took 16th and 17th respectively.

 

Williams Racing duo Nicholas Latifi and Alexander Albon were 18th and at the rear respectively as AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda placed a low-19th.

 

You can read the full Formula 1 Aramco Magyar Nagydij 2022 Free Practice 2 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2022/races/1117/hungary/practice-2.html

 

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