Hungarian GP FP1 Report: Verstappen Lays Down the Marker to Hamilton as Tsunoda Crashes Out

Max Verstappen, yet again started his race weekend quite positively, as the Dutchman slotted his Red Bull into P1 during FP1 at the Hungarian GP. What’s interesting though is that Mercedes F1 team doesn’t seem too far off, unlike in the past.

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton showed signs of dominance against Red Bull, especially around the final sector, as the duo secured P2 and P3, with just over 0.15s splitting the top 3.

Behind the two big teams, Ferrari have showcased significant superiority to their rivals, McLaren, who are swarming around, searching for grip, despite the upgrades.

How the FP1 session unfolded at Hungarian GP

Most of the drivers rushed onto the track on a set of hard tires. And of course, that wasn’t necessarily surprising, considering the warm conditions that were existing in Budapest, early on Friday.

Red Bull’s Verstappen clocked the fastest lap with a 1:19:025, followed by Bottas, who was over 0.6s adrift of the Dutchman. Behind the duo was Sainz on medium tires, followed by Ocon and the other Red Bull driver, Perez, who was 0.8s away from his teammate.

Formula One F1 – Hungarian Grand Prix – Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary – July 30, 2021 Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in action during practice REUTERS/Florion Goga

With 35 minutes left on the clock, Bottas returned to the track on a set of soft tires for the qualifying simulation run. The Finn managed to post a lap time of 1:17:616, provisionally making him the leader of the pack. Then followed a lap from Hamilton, who ended up being 0.3s slower than Bottas.

Eventually, Verstappen beat both the Mercedes drivers to go fastest with a 1:17:555.

Spins during the session

15 minutes into the session, Alonso brought out the yellow flags by spinning his Alpine at the end of turn 4. The Spaniard lost his rear due to the tailwind, destroying his hard tires, almost completely. There were bits and pieces flying off the car after running over the kerbs, but didn’t seem very concerning.

Shortly after Alonso’s spin, it was time for Tsunoda to suffer a dramatic spin. The Japanese spun sideways around turn 9, almost shunting his AlphaTauri into the barriers, but managed to keep the car safe in the end.

However, his luck didn’t last long, as Tsunoda had another spin around turn 4. Only this time, he couldn’t bring his car under control, as he watched it slide into the wall. What’s more, it looks like his gearbox may have taken some hit during the impact.

Overall, another positive start to a weekend for Red Bull and their lead F1 driver, Verstappen. However, unlike the past, Mercedes aren’t far off either, with less than 0.2s splitting the duo. Hence, can Mercedes unlock the much-needed performance to beat their rivals at the Hungarian Grand Prix?

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