Lando Norris topped the timesheets in the first practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly outpacing McLaren teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri by just 0.019s in a strong start for the Woking-based team.
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.
Rising Stars and Setbacks Elsewhere
Leclerc’s final time held for third, 0.217s off the pace. A standout performance came from Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, who secured fourth and split the Ferraris – ahead of a solid run from Lewis Hamilton, who placed fifth for Mercedes.
Oliver Bearman continued to impress in sixth, edging Kimi Antonelli by a razor-thin 0.002s. the Italian teenager, in turn, beat teammate George Russell by half a tenth.
Max Verstappen, who couldn’t match the front-runners on his soft-tyre attempts, finished ninth, with Lance Stroll rounding out the top 10.
Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich filled in for Fernando Alonso, who missed the session due to a back injury. Drugovich finished 16th, just ahead of Yuki Tsunoda—who struggled with grip and reported consistent sliding—and Williams driver Franco Colapinto.
Sauber’s Paul Aron, substituting for Nico Hülkenberg, saw his session end early after his steering wheel triggered a "systems critical alarm" and forced him to stop at Turn 13.
A virtual safety car was deployed to recover his car safely. His teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, also had limited running, with both Saubers ending the session at the bottom of the order.
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.
Piastri may lead the standings, but Norris has made clear he’s here to challenge.
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