Lewis Hamilton strengthened his bid for a record eighth world championship by setting the fastest time in practice for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton heads into the concluding round before Formula One’s three-week summer shutdown trailing Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 45 points.
The Hungaroring is a track where Hamilton has so often ruled – winning eight times here – a feat no other driver can match.
And on the evidence of practice, the seven-time world champion is firmly in the mix to deliver a record-extending ninth triumph with Ferrari holding a clear advantage over their rivals.
Charles Leclerc set the pace in the opening running on Friday before team-mate Hamilton returned later in the day to finish 0.148 seconds clear.
World champion Lando Norris was a distant third in his McLaren – half-a-second adrift of Hamilton – and a place clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who was seven tenths back.
Mercedes’ George Russell was the only other driver to finish within a second of Hamilton, 0.933 sec behind in fifth, while Kimi Antonelli could manage just 13th following a scruffy session for the world championship leader .
The second turn of the Hungaroring has been renamed after Hamilton as to mark the venue’s 40th anniversary.
Hamilton’s form here marks a stark contrast to 12 months ago where he described himself as “absolutely useless” and called on Ferrari to replace him with another driver.
But Hamilton is a driver rejuvenated, and after landing his first win in Ferrari colours last month in Spain, a second win on Sunday – at a track which is clearly playing to Ferrari’s strengths – would provide him with the perfect springboard into the summer break.
Antonelli, who has romped to six wins of the 10 rounds staged, sat out first practice as Mercedes turned to reserve driver Fred Vesti.
The 19-year-old then struggled to get up to speed in the second running, making mistakes on both of his quick laps, to leave him almost two seconds back.
Indeed, Mercedes’ record of starting from pole position at all of the races will be under threat if they are unable to improve on their practice showing.
Aston Martin have brought a total of 16 upgraded components here in the hope of salvaging what has been a dismal season – one team principal Adrian Newey described on Friday as a “complete nightmare”.
Lance Stroll’s rear suspension failed in first practice, meaning he was unable to take part in the second running. Alonso finished 19th, 2.9 sec off the pace.
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