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Hungarian F1 Grand Prix 2019 Qualifying: Results, Times from Friday's Practice
August 2, 2019
Red Bull topped the timing sheets in a rain-disrupted second practice session at the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix on Friday, with Pierre Gasly posting the quickest time.
The Frenchman's lap of one minute, 17.854 seconds put him ahead of his team-mate Max Verstappen. However, it's a session that little will be accrued from because of the weather, as a number of drivers spent large portions of FP2 in the garage.
Mercedes star and championship leader Lewis Hamilton was third in the second session, but showed good pace in the morning to top the standings with a mark of 1:17.233.
The drivers will be back on Saturday for final practice and qualifying ahead of the race on Sunday.
FP2 Recap
The Formula 1 Twitter account provided the standings for FP2:
After an intriguing practice in the morning, the second session of the day got off to the worst possible start.
Within a couple of minutes of the drivers making their way out on to track, rain was reported at various points of the circuit. The driving was then red flagged, as Alex Albon slammed his Toro Rosso into a wall:
When the action did get back underway temporarily, it was Mercedes and Red Bull who resumed their roles as the pace-setters.
Before the conditions worsened, it was Gasly who was able to pump in the quickest time, with Verstappen able to get within 0.055 seconds of his team-mate. With more difficult conditions forecast for Saturday, the adaptability of the duo bodes well for Red Bull.
The McLaren team Twitter account summed up how difficult the conditions were for the drivers:
When the rain got heavier, understandably the majority of drivers dipped back into the pits. The Haas team expressed their frustration at a dull session:
In the latter stages, some drivers did dart back on track as conditions temporarily improved. But when the rain started to pour down again, it brought an end to the action and left Gasly top of the pile.
FP1 Recap
Here are the standings from the first practice session:
A rollercoaster run of recent results has breathed new life into the Formula One title race. Hamilton (ninth) and Valtteri Bottas (retired) will want to quickly move past their German Grand Prix results, though Verstappen—third in the standings—still sits more than 60 points off the lead despite winning two of the last three races.
Hamilton looks well placed to bounce back this weekend, judging by a best lap that was almost two-tenths of a second faster than any of the competition.
Vettel was the only driver who prevented the Briton from dominating in every sector approaching the end of first practice:
It's also a concern for Hamilton's rivals that he completed most of FP1 on medium tyres while much of the field experimented on intermediates.
The slippery track was clearly an issue for Verstappen despite his second-place finish, spinning out on two occasions to make for a mixed opening session.
Autosport Live illustrated the Dutchman's good and bad fortunes as he seeks to win back-to-back Formula One races for the first time in his career:
Red Bull team-mate Pierre Gasly encouraged the manufacturer further after he finished fourth in FP1, almost three-tenths of a second faster than Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in fifth.
F1 reporter Luke Smith confirmed the early exit for Bottas, though he added the power unit change wouldn't come at a cost:
Haas' other hopeful, Romain Grosjean, has experienced frequent car issues during practice in recent weeks. He complained of more problems with his VF-19 towards the end of Practice 1, per BBC Sport: "OK, there is an issue. I've got everything, understeer, oversteer, there's something wrong."
Ferrari will hope Charles Leclerc can improve upon his sixth-place finish in FP2 and help Vettel apply pressure on Hamilton and Verstappen ahead of Sunday's showdown.