Hungarian Grand Prix final practice and qualifying

BBC News

2 days ago

Update:
Date: 11:31 BST
Title: Post
Content: Sam BirdFormula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
McLaren look the favourites to dominant the front row.
Update:
Date: 11:30 BST
Title: Go! Go! Go!
Content: Last chance to iron out any kinks before qualifying. Third practice is green and the track temperature is 47C.
Hit the thumbs if you're about the same age as Fernando and your back is hurting too. If anyone has any advice on how to specifically ease lower back pain, please send it over!
Update:
Date: 11:28 BST
Title: Tough day for Red Bull
Content: Max Verstappen had to dump an unwanted guest from his cockpit yesterday while he was out on track in second practice. The offending item? A towel. The stewards investigated the incident but decided to take no further action.
"It was still in the car when I went out so instead of it maybe potentially getting in between my feet, which is the dangerous part," said Verstappen. "I drove off line and got rid of it in the safest way possible. I think the stewards understand that."
As for Red Bull's performance yesterday, the four-time world champion said "nothing really worked". Verstappen finished 14th on the timehseets while his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda ended his second hour in ninth. But both drivers highlighted the same issues throughout the hour.
"Today was very tough. Just really a low-grip feeling and not really a balance in the car," added Verstappen.
Update:
Date: 11:26 BST
Title: Listen to live commentary
Content: BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2
Good morning to Steve Crossman, Jennie Gow, Harry Benjamin, Formula E driver Sam Bird and F1 correspondent Andrew Benson. Click the 'listen live' tab at the top of the page to tune in to commentary.
Update:
Date: 11:25 BST
Title: 'No pain' in FP2 for injured Alonso
Content: Fernando Alonso has been on the treatment table after the Belgian Grand Prix.
The 44-year-old Spaniard missed yesterday's opening hour of track running because of a back injury, with reserve driver Felipe Drugovich stepping in to replace him at Aston Martin.
Alonso was back in the car for second practice, ending the session in fifth place, one spot behind his team-mate Lance Stroll in fourth.
When asked about the pain, Alonso said: 'It's the same as yesterday. It's going to be like this the whole weekend.
'I have a small injury on my muscle on the back in the lumbar area and I needed some rest, but the summer break is coming, so it's another two days of managing the comfort in the seat.
'Yesterday, we found different solutions with pads and other things that are working fine, so today, I had no pain in FP2, so that is positive.'
Update:
Date: 11:21 BST
Title: 'Things to tidy up' for Piastri
Content: Andrew BensonBBC F1 correspondent at the Hungaroring
Norris' advantage in the first session was 0.019 seconds and although the gap between himself and Oscar Piastri was bigger in the later hour - 0.291secs - neither driver had an ideal run. Norris had to abort his first flying lap after a mistake at Turn Two, while Piastri had heavy traffic on his fastest.
Norris then had a narrow escape at the final corner when he got his outside front wheel on the grass turning in, and ran wide into the run-off area.
Piastri said: "The performance has been very good. Some things to tidy up. It wasn't the smoothest of P2s but excited for the rest of the weekend."
Update:
Date: 11:18 BST
Title: Norris tops Friday practice
Content: Lando Norris was quickest in both practice sessions at the Hungaroring yesterday, leading the timesheets from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Norris,who is 16 points behind Piastri in the drivers' championship after the Australian took victory in Belgium last weekend, thought the car felt "pretty good" from the first laps.
"The second session was a bit more messy, just a few more mistakes, but that's all part of practice and trying to find the limit in different areas," he said.
"I know what I want from the car but it might be a bit harder trying to get it."
Update:
Date: 11:15 BST
Title: Hungary: Qualifying day
Content: Lorraine McKennaBBC Sport Journalist
Hello, folks. Who is up to the challenge of putting their car on pole position this afternoon? If Friday's practice sessions were a glimpse into the future, the fight for the front row will be an all-McLaren showdown, with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari completing the post-qualifying interview trio.
Third practice gets under way at 11:30 BST.
The temperatures are warm in Budapest today and the window for qualifying, which starts at 3pm UK time (4pm local) is dry with some cloud.