Mercedes struggles in Hungarian GP as Ferrari leads

Mercedes faces a significant challenge to maintain its perfect pole position record after a difficult opening day at the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix on Friday, July 24, 2026. The team, arriving with momentum from a victory in Belgium, found itself outpaced by a dominant Ferrari at the Hungaroring.

Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc set the benchmark, each leading a practice session. In contrast, Mercedes driver George Russell finished fifth in the afternoon session, nearly a second off the pace. His teammate and championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, was further back in 13th place after his qualifying simulation run was disrupted by a red flag for a crash involving Franco Colapinto and a subsequent spin of his own.

Both Russell and team officials pointed to a specific weakness in single-lap performance as the core issue. Russell described the day as strange for everyone, citing newly resurfaced and bumpy sections of the track that were breaking up, combined with gusty winds that made conditions tricky. He acknowledged that Ferrari's strong performance confirmed pre-weekend suspicions. "Our single lap didn't look great, our long run looked more competitive,"...