Max quickest in Hungary FP1

Published on 30 July 2021 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen clocked the quickest time in the opening Friday practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, both Mercedes, completed the top three.

Red Bull Racing used FP1 to check if Max’ power unit used at Silverstone is undamaged after his collision with Lewis Hamilton during the opening lap of the British Grand Prix.

Meanwhile at Alfa Romeo, Robert Kubica took over FP1 driving duties from Kimi Raikkonen.

At the start of the session it is busy out on track but Max is one of the last ones to leave the garage. When he decides to, he does so on a set of hard Pirelli tyres. On his first flying lap, the Dutchman immediately notes three purple sectors to claim top spot.

Max continues to improve his lap times, keeping his closest rival, Lewis Hamilton in second, at bay in the first half of the session.

Yellow flags are waved for Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) after both have spun in unrelated incidents. Both drivers are able to continue without damage.

At the halfway mark, more and more drivers are bolting on the soft Pirelli tyres with Valtteri Bottas setting the pace. Meanwhile, Max continues to complete laps on the hard Pirellis, meaning the Red Bull racer drops down the order as other drivers opt for the quicker, softer compound.

With little under twenty minutes to go, the session is red flagged; Yuki Tsunoda has crashed at turn four. Thankfully the Japanese rookie is unharmed but the same cannot be said of his car.

FP1 is restarted with fourteen minutes to go. Max is keen to make the most of the remaining track time and clocks two green and a final purple sector to cement his position at the top of the leaderboards. Valtteri Bottas trails the Dutchman by a mere half a tenth at the end of the session.

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Results first free practice Hungary: