Oscar Piastri edged out teammate Lando Norris to top the final practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, intensifying the battle between the McLaren duo ahead of qualifying. Piastri's performance reversed the trend from Friday, where Norris led both sessions.
Why it matters
McLaren continues to demonstrate formidable performance, with Piastri leading Norris by 16 points in what is becoming a two-horse race for the drivers' title. Their consistent pace positions them as strong contenders for the Hungarian GP.
The details
- Piastri's best lap of 1:14.916 was three hundredths of a second faster than Norris, and over three tenths quicker than last year's pole time at Budapest, highlighting McLaren's significant progress.
- Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was "best of the rest," finishing four tenths behind Piastri in third.
- Lewis Hamilton secured fourth, but was three tenths slower than his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli, who finished an impressive fifth. George Russell was eighth, surprisingly behind Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
- Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg completed the top 10, indicating good form for a team seeking to extend their points-scoring streak.
Verstappen's woes
Max Verstappen's pursuit of a fifth successive world championship faces another hurdle. Red Bull's tough weekend continued as Verstappen finished only 12th, with teammate Yuki Tsunoda a disappointing 19th. Verstappen, who recently confirmed his Red Bull stay for 2026, currently trails Piastri by 81 points in the standings.
What's next
All eyes now turn to qualifying, where teams will aim to translate their practice pace into strong grid positions for Sunday's race, the final one before the summer break.
