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Sainz tops FP1 in Hungary, with Verstappen not far behind

Sainz tops FP1 in Hungary, with Verstappen not far behind

29-07-2022 14:00 Last update: 14:03
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Matt Gretton

Editor-in-Chief

Carlos Sainz has topped the first free practice session for the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. On a circuit that will favour the Ferrari car, Red Bull Racing will be pleased to see a small deficit of just under two tenths. Max Verstappen was quicker than his rival Charles Leclerc to claim second on the timesheet. Sergio Perez struggled to match his teammate at the top and finished sixth. 

The Aston Martin drivers rolled out of the pit garage with a brand new rear wing, almost mimicking the higher downforce 2021 rear wings. In the week Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement, he was first out of the garage for the first free practice to try and get as many measurements as possible from this wing. Though the team insisted that it's a circuit-specific design. 

In the early part of the session, Aston Martin sat P18 and P19 as they ran slow aero tests. With around 10 minutes to go, Aston Martin upped the speed and moved towards the top ten. Stroll hit the kerb badly but managed to keep running. 

At the top 

With the threat of rain and thunderstorms for running on Saturday, most drivers and teams got their cars on the track as soon as possible. It was a busy circuit throughout the season with a range of different tyres used. If there is a third practice session tomorrow, it's highly likely the intermediates and full wets will be used so it was important for teams to see performance on all dry tyres. 

As a result, all teams will be very pleased to see the track remain green throughout in what was an uneventful session. As expected, Ferrari and Leclerc set the benchmark from start to finish. Verstappen couldn't match the best times but was only two-tenths down for much of the session on a circuit that isn't favoured towards the Red Bull car. Russell was vocal on the Mercedes radio, highlighting some small issues with the car such as a strange whistling noise from the turbo and a big rear lock. But Mercedes again need to make some changes when it comes to single lap pace. As is now normal in practice, they sat around seven and eight tenths behind. 

McLaren had a really positive session. After applying upgrades last weekend, McLaren will be very happy to see themselves deep inside the top ten. Norris even spent much of the closing stages in the top five. They were ahead of Alpine who are their rivals in the Constructors Championship.