Max opens Hungarian GP weekend in P9

Published on 01 August 2025 by Misha van der Kroon

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.

Before the start of the session, Aston Martin announced that Fernando Alonso would be sitting out FP1 due to a back injury. A decision on whether the Spaniard will take part in the second practice session and the remainder of the weekend will be made later. For the second time this season, Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin’s reserve driver since 2022, will fill in for Alonso in FP1.

Paul Aron also makes an appearance, stepping into Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber. The Alpine reserve driver takes over the seat for the second time, fulfilling the team's obligation to run a rookie during FP1 at several race weekends.

The first practice starts under sunny skies and 27°C, with track temperatures hovering around 40°C. Lewis Hamilton is the first out on track, followed by Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, and Oscar Piastri.

Hamilton is also the first to set a time, and within five minutes, both McLarens top the timing sheets, with Max in P3. Like Norris and Piastri, Verstappen is running on medium tyres.

Halfway through the session, Aron has to pull over in Turn 13, triggering a yellow flag that becomes a Virtual Safety Car until marshals have moved his Sauber behind the barriers. Soon after, the track is cleared again.

Max has dropped back to P8 and rejoins the track on a set of soft tyres. His first flying lap on the soft compound puts him in P4, four tenths behind Leclerc, who is leading at the time. Norris then takes P1 with a margin of over seven tenths on Leclerc. Piastri follows, slotting into P2, a tenth off his teammate. Meanwhile, Max falls down the order and, with less than 20 minutes to go, is in P15.

A second run on softs briefly puts Max in P6, but he is still almost nine tenths off Norris. With Verstappen nine tenths back and Tsunoda 1.3 seconds off the pace, there’s work to be done at Red Bull Racing. After a practice start, Max switches to a longer stint of at least seven laps on the medium compound, making further time improvements unlikely. Most of the field also moves on to long runs, effectively ending the session without further improvements. With that, FP1 in Hungary comes to a quiet close.

Contest Hungarian GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!

Results first free practice Hungary: