12:32
19 drivers are on the track already, including both Aston Martin drivers.
Aston Martin's upgraded AMR26
F1 Hungary LIVE: Reaction after Ferrari dominate on Friday
Live coverage of Friday at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Aston Martin bring 16 updates to Hungary
- Stroll stops after suspension failure
- Leclerc fastest in FP1
The tenth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
A modern classic, the Hungaroring is often described as Monaco without the walls, due to its tight and twisty nature.
As the championship reaches the summer shutdown, all eyes are on Aston Martin, with the team bringing a significant 16-part upgrade, which is hoped to at least allow the team to race with fellow backmarker teams.
McLaren brings its 'Macarena' wing to trial for the first time after electing not to run the device in Austria, while Ferrari has brought an updated version of its own device.
Mercedes will hope to find answers regarding its power unit, after multiple drivers, including George Russell and Oscar Piastri, were less than complimentary about the energy deployment and self-learning systems across the Belgium weekend.
2026 Hungarian Grand Prix Friday schedule
FP1 12:30pm BST - 1:30pm BST
FP2: 4:00pm BST - 5:00pm BST
24 Jul 2026
12:30
FP1 begins!
Here we go! Green lights, and the track is immediately busy. On a tight and twisty layout, traffic will be a constant issue.
12:30
Vesti leaves the garage with big aero rakes on his car. Red Bull has similar on Hadjar's car, and Fornaroli is the only McLaren testing the 'Macarena' wing. Lots of changes on the cars.
12:28
With three minutes to go, there is already a decent queue forming at the end of the pit lane, with both Cadillacs and one Red Bull already making the trip.
12:26
The music has played, and we're into the final moments before FP1 begins.
12:25
Also missing FP1 is Kimi Antonelli, with Fred Vesti given another outing with Mercedes.
12:22
Paul Aron has featured twice in FP1 for Audi this year, but he makes his first appearance for Alpine today at the track he previously viewed as his home venue when racing in F2.
12:20
10 minutes before the lights go green in the pit lane, and the anticipation continues to build.
12:12
Full list of F1 drivers replaced for Hungarian GP FP1 as rookies step in
Full list of F1 drivers replaced for Hungarian GP FP1 as rookies step in
Four teams will field rookie drivers in first practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix, IndyCar and Super Formula talent set to step in.
McLaren, Haas, Alpine and Cadillac will all field rookie drivers in the opening session of the coming weekend, before the championship heads into its mandated summer shutdown.
Fornaroli in Barcelona
© XPB Images
12:11
There will be several rookie drivers taking part in FP1 in around 20 minutes, including F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, who will replace Oscar Piastri at McLaren.
12:09
As was the case in Belgium, we're working to a regular weekend schedule in Hungary, with two practice sessions on Friday, one on Saturday ahead of qualifying, and then the grand prix on Sunday.
12:04
Tick your bingo cards. We've already had mention of 'the first race behind the Iron Curtain'.
12:02
Mercedes came under heavy fire from various drivers last weekend, including Russell and Piastri, after deployment issues caused a loss of pace in both the race and in qualifying, denying drivers the chance to push.
After much digging, the manufacturer believes it has found a fix, but it probably won't be so clear if this is the case this weekend, with the Hungaroring an energy-rich track, as opposed to recent energy-starved layouts.
11:59
Mercedes has fix for George Russell’s F1 power unit software glitch
Mercedes has fix for George Russell’s F1 power unit software glitch
Mercedes will deploy a software fix at the Hungarian Grand Prix it hopes will cure the deployment issues that hampered George Russell’s Formula 1 car in Belgium.
Russell was blighted by a straight-line speed discrepancy to Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli all weekend long at Spa, leading to him qualifying more than half a second behind the Italian teenager.
Mercedes hopes it has fixed the issue that hampered Russell at Spa
11:53
Budapest is often one of those races where the weather can play a significant role in proceedings. With overtaking tricky at best, a shaken-up order due to some rain will usually result in a bizarre finishing result.
Sadly, no such rain is forecast this weekend, with the lingering chance of a late-race shower on Sunday now reduced to less than 10%. For the established front-running teams, this is good news. For everyone else, less.
11:49
There are smiles for now in the Aston Martin garage. But when the car takes to the track, will we see that Adrian Newey has yet again cooked, or that the team is set to continue with its season-long pain?
11:43
The entire Aston Martin upgrade package, which includes the Honda power unit not due until Zandvoort, was tentatively said to be worth around 2s per lap - a peculiar measure given the difference in lap times and lengths across the year.
However, even this level of improvement would not be enough to lift Aston Martin from the foot of the time sheets at recent events in Silverstone and Spa.
11:36
Aston Martin’s full 16-part upgraded F1 car revealed at Hungarian GP
Aston Martin’s full 16-part upgraded F1 car revealed at Hungarian GP
Aston Martin’s much-anticipated B-spec Formula 1 car has been revealed ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
F1’s governing body the FIA released its car presentation submissions for this weekend’s race at the Hungaroring on Friday morning, revealing the full extent of Aston Martin’s significant new upgrade package.
AMR26B in the Hungary pit lane
11:34
Good morning!
Good morning and welcome to Hungary for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Let's not mess about here. There is only one story we're interested in, and that is Aston Martin.