Leclerc tops Hungarian GP FP1 as Aston Martin suffers suspension failure

Published Jul 24, 12:30 PM UTC

During the first practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap time of 1:19.075, outpacing Red Bull's Max Verstappen and teammate Lewis Hamilton by half a second. However, Leclerc's session ended early when he reported a mechanical issue on his SF-26 car. Aston Martin's heavily upgraded AMR26 car suffered a suspected rear suspension failure, causing Lance Stroll to spin off at Turn Three and triggering a red flag. Stroll completed only 11 laps, while teammate Fernando Alonso finished 13th fastest. Additionally, Max Verstappen and Williams' Carlos Sainz were summoned to stewards for erratic driving after an incident where Sainz blocked Verstappen. The session was eventful with multiple technical issues and driving controversies.