Verstappen lurks

LIVE from 13:30: First practice for the Hungarian GP

Carlos Sainz put in a strong performance in the first practice session.(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz impressed in the first free practice session at the start of the race weekend in Hungary. He set the fastest lap time, ahead of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and his team-mate Charles Leclerc. 

The Ferrari driver put in a strong performance in the first free practice session. As did his teammate Leclerc. Balm on the soul of the recently badly shaken racing team. However, the first free practice session is not yet a key indicator. Which is why Ferrari must first prove whether they can pull themselves out of the slump of recent weeks.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, showed that he is once again a force to be reckoned with in Hungary. After two Mercedes victories in a row, the Dutchman wants to strike back at the Hungaroring. Mercedes driver George Russell set the fourth-fastest time, while his team-mate Lewis Hamilton struggled (10th). Guanyu Zhou in the Sauber provided a small surprise with the fifth-fastest lap. 

Here is the standings in the drivers' world championship:

The Hungaroring has a different character to the tracks we recently drove on in Spielberg and Silverstone. One lap is rather slow, there are many narrow and twisty sections. Monaco without the walls - that's the description we've heard from time to time. Nevertheless, triple champion Max Verstappen has won in Hungary in the past two years and is now aiming for his own hat-trick. Three races would be the longest run without a win for Red Bull since 2021, when Verstappen was still battling fiercely with Lewis Hamilton for the title.

"We had a brilliant race in Hungary last year!"
"We had a brilliant race in Hungary last year and have good memories here because we won twelve races in a row," said the Dutchman, who has an 84-point lead over McLaren driver Lando Norris after twelve of 24 races. "Hopefully we can have another great race this year and achieve another good team result."