Lewis Hamilton tops Hungarian Grand Prix practice as Ferrari shines and Adrian Newey hails Aston Martin progress

Lewis Hamilton set the pace on Friday at the Hungarian Grand Prix as Ferrari enjoyed an impressive day by locking out the top two positions in practice.

The seven-time world champion edged teammate Charles Leclerc by 0.148 seconds in the second session, while McLaren's Lando Norris finished third, almost half a second adrift. 

Red Bull's Max Verstappen completed the top four.

Ferrari lays down early marker at Hungaroring

Ferrari looked comfortable throughout the day at the Hungaroring, a circuit expected to suit the SF-26's strengths through slower and medium-speed corners.

George Russell was the quickest Mercedes driver in fifth, almost a second off Hamilton's benchmark, while teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli ended the session down in 13th.

Antonelli's position did not reflect his pace, however. His first qualifying simulation was interrupted by Franco Colapinto's crash in the final corner, while a mistake at the chicane spoiled his second attempt. 

The Italian also reported rear brake locking throughout the session.

Isack Hadjar finished sixth for Red Bull ahead of Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson and McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Audi's Nico Hulkenberg and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top 10.

Aston Martin encouraged despite mixed day

Fernando Alonso ended the day 19th after Aston Martin introduced the first phase of its major upgrade package, although the Spaniard had a quicker lap deleted for exceeding track limits at the final corner.

Despite the modest finishing position, Aston Martin technical chief Adrian Newey was pleased with the early signs from the heavily revised car, which features a new chassis and aerodynamic package, with only the engine, gearbox and front suspension carried over from the previous specification.

"Provisional results are promising," Newey said.

"It's only part of the package, so we'll have some more steps in Zandvoort and then further in Monza and Baku.

"It's the first part of our planned upgrade. We're very short on parts, so we're being careful with it and trying to learn all about it."

The team is also set to receive an upgraded Honda power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix following Formula 1's summer break.

It was a far more frustrating day for Lance Stroll, whose opening practice session ended early after a suspension failure caused him to spin.

The Canadian was unable to return for the afternoon session because Aston Martin did not have sufficient spare parts to complete repairs.

Team representative Pedro de la Rosa confirmed the cause of the issue.

"It is a suspension failure," he said.

"We were confident it would not happen in Fernando's car. That's why we sent him out.

"Because of the lack of spares we couldn't repair his car on time. Some parts need to be repaired and some needed to come here."