F1 Hungarian GP Shock: Iconic F1 Driver Outpaces Verstappen in FP1 Stunner… Read more
F1 Hungarian GP Shock: Rookie Isack Hadjar Outpaces Verstappen in FP1 Stunner
The opening practice session of the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix delivered a major surprise as rookie Isack Hadjar dramatically outpaced reigning world champion Max Verstappen, leaving the Red Bull camp red-faced after a lackluster FP1.
Hadjar, driving for Racing Bulls, stunned the paddock by finishing fourth overall, slotting his car between the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. His best lap time of 1:16.681 put him just over six-tenths off the pace of session leader Lando Norris, and more than two-tenths ahead of Verstappen, who could only manage ninth place.
This impressive showing from the young French-Algerian driver marks one of his most significant moments in F1 so far, outshining not only Verstappen but also Red Bull’s other full-time driver Yuki Tsunoda, who ended the session in a disappointing 17th place, nearly 1.4 seconds adrift of Norris.
Meanwhile, Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls’ other driver, placed 14th, adding further salt to Red Bull’s wound as both junior team drivers showed stronger pace than Tsunoda.
McLaren Dominate Front of the Pack
The session was topped by Lando Norris, who continued his fine form from Spa by setting the benchmark time of 1:16.052, narrowly ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri by just 0.019 seconds, underlining McLaren’s pace advantage in the early stages of the weekend.
Charles Leclerc was third fastest for Ferrari, about two-tenths behind the McLarens. His new teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who continues to adapt to life at Ferrari, slotted in behind Hadjar in fifth, just over six-tenths off the fastest time. The veteran champion appeared more composed after a difficult Belgian Grand Prix.
Oliver Bearman, now racing full-time for Haas, delivered a solid performance to finish sixth, ahead of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who placed seventh and eighth respectively for Mercedes. Verstappen, as mentioned, was ninth, followed closely by Lance Stroll of Aston Martin in 10th.
Driver Substitutions Shake Up the Grid
FP1 also saw a handful of driver changes due to injury and rookie session requirements. Felipe Drugovich filled in for Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin as the Spaniard was sidelined with a minor injury. Drugovich, while not threatening the top ten, managed to go 16th quickest, keeping the car out of trouble.
At Sauber, Paul Aron, currently part of Alpine’s development programme, took over Nico Hülkenberg’s car under F1’s rookie rule. Unfortunately, Aron’s session came to a premature end due to a technical issue, which brought out a Virtual Safety Car. He was unable to set a representative lap time and was classified last.
Sauber’s other rookie, Gabriel Bortoleto, did manage some laps but couldn’t climb higher than 19th.
Full FP1 Results – Hungarian GP 2025
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:16.052
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.019
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.217
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – +0.629
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.682
- Oliver Bearman (Haas) – +0.826
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.828
- George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.873
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.888
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – +0.906
- Alex Albon (Williams) – +0.932
- Esteban Ocon (Haas) – +0.952
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +1.071
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +1.132
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +1.143
- Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin) – +1.217
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – +1.341
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – +1.412
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – +1.600
- Paul Aron (Sauber) – No time
What’s Next?
F1 action continues later today with FP2 scheduled for 4:00 PM (BST), where teams will hope to build more representative long-run pace. Saturday will host FP3 at 11:30 AM (BST) before the all-important qualifying session. The shock result from FP1 sets up a fascinating weekend ahead, as Max Verstappen looks to recover from what was an uncharacteristically off-pace start to his Hungarian GP weekend.
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