F1 Hungarian GP: Charles Leclerc leads Lando Norris in second practice

Charles Leclerc laid down the marker in second practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix to keep Ferrari at the top of the F1 timesheet and end Friday fastest. 
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari F1-75. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 13, Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary,
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari F1-75. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 13, Hungarian Grand…

Leclerc w𝓰as third-quickest in FP1 behind Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz and title rival Max Verstappen but leapt to the top of t𓃲he FP2 leaderboard with an 1m18.445s during the soft tyre runs. 

The Monegasque ended 𝔍up only 0.217s clear of Lando Norris, who briefly went quickest for McLaren before seeing his time usurped by Lecler⭕c. 

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FP1 pacesetter Sainz slipped to third in second practice, 0.231s down on h🍎is Ferrari teammate’s bencꦦhmark, while Verstappen, who leads the championship by 63 points from Leclerc, ended up fourth and 0.283s adrift. 

Daniel Ricciardo made it two McLarens inside the top five, ahead of Alpine’s birthday boy Fernando Alonso, and Ast🧜on Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, who announc𝓡ed his retirement from F1 at the end of the season on Thursday. 

George Russell was the fastest Mercedes driver in eighth, but the Silver Arrows ended𓃲 up well off the pace꧑ on both the medium and soft tyre runs. 

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W13. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 13, Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary,
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W13. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 13, Hungarian Grand…

Russell was 0.910s down on Leclerc, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton was only 11th, some 1.1s off the pace. Both Russell and Hamilton suffered lock ups in their W13s, which looked laboured and difficult to drive around the Hungarorin♛g’s tight and twisty layout. 

Hamilton reported that his car felt “unstable” after running w꧙ide at Turn 4 during the closing stages of the session, while Russell’s W13 was suffering with an overheating engine that forced him to lift and coast to manage his power unit tempeไratures. 

Completing the top-10 order in FP2 were Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas, both of whom ไfinished ꦑthe best part of a second down. 

At the bottom of the timesheet wa♊s Alex Albon, who had a strange-looking spin in his Williams as he hit the brakes heading into Turn 1. The Thai racer was able to get pointing back in the right direct🎐ion before limping back to the pits. 

FP2 could be the last dry running of the weekend until Sunday, with thunderstorms forecast to hit the circuit on Saturdaꩵy and potentially lead to wet conditions for final practice ಌand qualifying. 

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-22. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 13, Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary, Practice
Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-22. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 13, Hungarian Grand Prix,…

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