Aston Martin eyes upgrade after mixed practice at Hungarian Grand Prix
Red flag caused by Colapinto's crash halted Friday's second practice at the Hungaroring, while Aston Martin's Lance Stroll missed FP2 due to a suspension problem and the team reported promising early data on its upgraded AMR26.
A crash by Oliver Colapinto at the final corner of the Hungaroring triggered a red-flag during Friday's second practice session, stopping the running of all cars. The incident occurred as Colapinto lost rear grip, spun and backed into the barriers.
After the restart, Lando Norris set the fastest lap of the session with a 1:19.228 on soft tyres, a third of a second quicker than Lewis Hamilton's medium-tyre effort. Max Verstappen was second fastest, 0.193 seconds slower than Norris, while Charles Leclerc posted the second-quickest time overall, 0.072 seconds off Hamilton's opening lap.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll was unable to take part in the session after a suspension issue was identified in FP1. Team technical director Adrian Newey said the problem was not caused by a new component and that the team was working to understand the failure before deciding on a replacement for the upcoming FP2.
Newey also commented on the team's new AMR26 package, describing the provisional practice results as "promising" and noting that further development steps are planned for the upcoming races in Zandvoort, Monza and Baku. He added that parts supply constraints require a cautious approach to the upgrade rollout.
Other notable performances included Nico Hülkenberg moving up to fifth before being overtaken by Théo Hadjar, and Oscar Piastri encountering an off-track excursion on his first timed lap.