Aston Martin's 16-part upgrade fails on Hungary debut
Ferrari set the early pace at the Hungarian Grand Prix while Aston Martin’s long-awaited, heavily invested upgrade package suffered an immediate suspected suspension failure.
Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in first practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix, clocking a 1:19.075 to finish half a second clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton. The session ended prematurely for Leclerc after he stopped at the top of the pit lane and reported over the radio that "something broke" on his SF-26.
The more significant storyline for the constructors' championship involved Aston Martin. The team brought 16 separate aerodynamic updates to the AMR26, representing a major development push after spending the season running at the back of the grid. That investment yielded immediate trouble when Lance Stroll suffered a suspected rear suspension failure exiting Turn Two, spinning off the track after just 11 laps.
While teammate Fernando Alonso completed 20 laps and finished 13th, the team's deficit to the front was 2.4 seconds. Although that gap is narrower than the three to four seconds Aston Martin has typically faced in recent qualifying sessions, the early mechanical failure will force hurried repairs and investigations before second practice.
Elsewhere, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar finished fourth ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto. Mercedes used the session to fulfil mandatory young driver requirements, slotting in third driver Fred Vesti, who finished seventh and 0.4 seconds off Russell's pace, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli sat out. Rookies occupying other cars included Leonardo Fornaroli for McLaren in 16th, Ryo Hirakawa for Haas in 17th, Paul Aron for Alpine in 19th, and Colton Herta for Cadillac in 20th.
Verstappen and Williams driver Carlos Sainz were both called to the stewards following separate incidents of erratic driving. Sainz initially impeded the Red Bull driver into Turn 12 before Verstappen appeared to slow in front of the Williams. Sainz faces a second stewards' investigation regarding a later incident with Alpine rookie Aron at Turn Nine.
