FT3 Hungary: Will qualifying be more exciting than expected after all?

– Will qualifying for the Formula 1 race in Budapest (follow live in the ticker here from 4 p.m.) be more exciting than expected? At least the competition was able to challenge Ferrari in the final practice – unlike on the entire Friday.

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There, Ferrari had clearly led the time sheets, but in the third free practice, someone else was ahead: Lando Norris (McLaren) took the best time in 1:17.939 minutes ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who wanted to drive another fast lap shortly before the end, but had to skip the chicane at the entrance to the second sector after a slide and shook his head.

The seven-time world champion’s deficit was only 0.117 seconds, championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was only another twelve thousandths behind in third place. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) finished fourth with a deficit of three and a half tenths.

Meanwhile, George Russell (Mercedes) still cannot keep up with his teammate. The Brit was once again half a second behind Antonelli, which meant sixth place behind Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull).

Isack Hajdar (Red Bull) finished in eighth place ahead of Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), who had been in the top 10 in all practices so far and should be hoping for a spot in Q3.

There were problems for Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), who could only intervene a few minutes before the end of the session and only completed six laps. Cadillac caused a red flag because Sergio Perez had rolled out in Turn 2.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished in positions 17 and 18 in the revamped Aston Martin, 2.4 and 2.9 seconds behind. This time, Williams brought up the rear, finishing 20th and 21st and never performing well in Hungary in recent years. Their deficit to the top was 3.5 seconds.

The most important things in brief:

Result: 3rd Free Practice in Budapest
Photos: Hungarian Grand Prix 2026
F1 Ticker: Paddock live with Ruben Zimmermann
Livestream (9 p.m.) on the Formel1.de YouTube channel

Why was there a red flag?

After 20 minutes, the session, which had not been particularly eventful until then, had to be interrupted because Sergio Perez had rolled out in Turn 2. The Mexican had just driven his Cadillac out of the pit lane when he had to stop again a few meters later. “I lost the engine, something braked enormously,” Perez radioed to his team.

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Smoke was also coming quite strongly from the rear brakes of the Cadillac: “It looks like the rear brakes are on fire,” Perez reported.

Team boss Graeme Lowdon attempts a first analysis on Sky: “It seems to be something with the brake-by-wire,” he says. “I haven’t had time to look at all the information yet, but he just drove out of the pit and had to stop.” However, this should not have anything to do with the team’s new brake ventilation: “No,” confirms the Englishman.

After a break of about seven minutes, the remaining drivers could continue.

What’s next at the Hungarian Grand Prix 2026

At 4 p.m., qualifying for Sunday’s race will follow. Kevin Scheuren and Kevin Hermann will report from 9 p.m. in the livestream on the Formel1.de YouTube channel and discuss all important topics regarding qualifying.

On Sunday (July 26), the race start at the Hungaroring is scheduled for 3 p.m. At 9 p.m., Kevin Scheuren and Kevin Hermann will start their Grand Prix analysis. As always, channel members can ask their questions live.

Please refer to our current overview for all information on streams and TV broadcasts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Details on the weather forecast can be found in our preview.

First, the summer break is now approaching, before the race in Zandvoort continues in four weeks at the end of August. (See the 2026 race calendar here!)

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