Ferrari break F1 curfew despite Hungarian GP practice domination

The FIA confirmed that personnel from the Scuderia Ferrari HP team associated with the operation of its cars were working at the Hungaroring during the restricted overnight period between 22:00 on Friday and 09:30 on Saturday, ahead of final practice.

Under Formula 1's sporting regulations, teams are allocated four individual curfew exemptions across the season. Ferrari's extra work in Hungary marks the first of those permitted exceptions, meaning no further action has been taken by the FIA.

It comes despite a dominant Friday showing with Charles Leclerc topping FP1, while Lewis Hamilton, who was third in the first session, led a Ferrari 1-2 in FP2 - nearly half a second ahead of their nearest competition.

Ferrari was not the only team to break curfew as the FIA also confirmed that Racing Bulls personnel were present within the circuit during the restricted period. It was the team's second permitted curfew exemption, so like Ferrari, they are not to receive any punishment.

Ferrari's decision to break curfew comes after Hamilton called for improvements to be made to his car despite topping FP2.

Hamilton's comments might be unrelated to why Ferrari broke curfew, but the seven-time world champion was vocal that there was still room to improve, despite concern from rivals including Mercedes and Red Bull over their pace this weekend.

After FP2 he said: "It was a solid day overall. The conditions were quite challenging, with the wind making things a bit tricky and the track feeling quite bumpy in some places.