Leclerc fastest in FP2 as Norris suprises

Charle Leclerc topped the timetables in FP2 for Ferarri but it was the McLaren of Lando Norris that got everyone talking as he finished in P2 with his temamte Ricciardo not far behind in P5.

With the track temperatures beginning to rise in Budapest it was time for FP2 and there was a whole host of varying results for each of the teams.

How it unfolded

After his costly spin last weekend in France, this weekend is another crucial race for the championship contender. And in his Ferrari, he went straight to the top of the timetables and stayed there. His eventual time of 1:18.445 was enough to see him top the order with his teammate Carlos Sainz, who was fastest in FP2, finishing in P3.

But whilst it was no shock that Ferrari were quick at another circuit the big surprise came from McLaren. Having had possibly the most up and down season of any team, Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris both finished strongly in FP2. Norris was the closest man on track to Leclerc in P2, just a couple of tenths off him. Ricciardo, who has struggled the most of the two drivers all season managed to put his car into P5, ahead of both Mercedes. With this early pace of the soft could this maybe be the weekend we see them perform where we know they should be?

Trouble for the Mercs?

It's usually a mistake to read too far into these practice sessions before you make your assumptions of pure pace for the weekend. But with Russell finishing in P8 and Hamilton respectively in P11 this is not the start the Mercedes would have wanted for their weekend. Both drivers spent most of the session complaining about balance and in particular, Russell struggled into turn 1 with heavy understeer.

"What the hell is going on", Russell said, during the session.

A Ferrari weekend

Whilst normally we see both Red Bull and Ferarri battling it out for outright pace in these sessions it's clear that Ferrari has the upper hand. With both cars going quicker than Verstappen and Perez in the quali sims they were also well ahead seemingly during the long run outings. This weekend as we head into the summer break is crucial for not only Leclerc but the team as a whole if they are to stay in the fight for both championships.