Hungarian GP: Gasly quickest before rain hits FP2
Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly topped the second Formula 1 free practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, setting the fastest time before the rain came.
The 90-minute session started with rain widely anticipated, meaning teams were eager to get on track to capitalise on the dry conditions.
But they were interrupted by the session being red-flagged after three minutes thanks to Alex Albon crashing his Toro Rosso at the final corner.
Albon touched the grass with his left wheels and was pitched sideways into the barrier at the right-hander, subsequently admitting it was "driver error".
After a six-minute delay, the session resumed and with very light rain sporadically falling the drivers headed out on a variety of different tyre compounds while they could still use slicks.
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was the first to set a new fastest time, posting a 1m18.289s on mediums that displaced Kimi Raikkonen's effort from the initial three minutes of running.
Teammate Lewis Hamilton then eclipsed him with a lap of 1m18.110s on hards, which he subsequently lowered to a 1m17.995s.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen then hit the front on mediums, setting a time of 1m17.909s.
But Gasly then set his fastest time, a 1m18.854s to secure top spot shortly before the track was officially declared wet after 22 minutes when the rain intensified.
Nobody was able to improve their times in the rest of the session, although everyone except the eliminated Albon did run on intermediates and Carlos Sainz even ran a single lap on slicks.
Verstappen held onto second place with his lap, 0.055s slower, ahead of the two Mercedes drivers, with Hamilton ahead of Bottas.
Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo was briefly as high as second with his pace on softs before being shuffled down to fifth fastest, 0.743s off the pace.
Raikkonen ended up as the best-placed Ferrari-powered car in sixth place, ahead of the lead works car of Charles Leclerc, who used mediums for his fastest time.
Nico Hulkenberg put the second Renault eighth using softs, ahead of the similarly-shod Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi and Daniil Kvyat's Toro Rosso, also on the red-walled tyres.
Romain Grosjean, still running the Australian GP-specification Haas, was 11th fastest on mediums, 1.195s off the pace ahead of teammate Kevin Magnussen's upgraded version, running hards.
Sebastian Vettel ran on hards when the track was dry, ending up 13th and 1.400s off the pace – also having an off-track moment when he cut the Turn 6/7 chicane.
Sainz was best of the McLarens in 14th with a time 1.544s down on medium rubber, with Racing Point's Sergio Perez on hards three tenths further back.
Lance Stroll also used hards to take 16th place ahead of the soft-shod Williams of George Russell, who was only two seconds off the fastest time.
McLaren driver Lando Norris lost track time early on to a minor hydraulic leak that manifested itself when he first went out, but did use mediums to set 18th fastest time.
Robert Kubica was 19th and slowest of those to set a time, with Albon not having completed a flying lap before his crash.
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Pierre Gasly |  | Red Bull | 16 | 1'17.854 | |
| 2 |  Max Verstappen | | Red Bull | 12 | 1'17.909 | 0.055 |
| 3 |  Lewis Hamilton |  | Mercedes | 15 | 1'17.995 | 0.141 |
| 4 |  Valtteri Bottas | | Mercedes | 18 | 1'18.184 | 0.330 |
| 5 |  Daniel Ricciardo |  | Renault | 13 | 1'18.597 | 0.743 |
| 6 | Kimi Raikkonen |  | Alfa Romeo | 25 | 1'18.682 | 0.828 |
| 7 |  Charles Leclerc |  | Ferrari | 21 | 1'18.852 | 0.998 |
| 8 |  Nico Hulkenberg | | Renault | 14 | 1'18.892 | 1.038 |
| 9 |  Antonio Giovinazzi | | Alfa Romeo | 25 | 1'18.909 | 1.055 |
| 10 |  Daniil Kvyat |  | Toro Rosso | 22 | 1'18.957 | 1.103 |
| 11 | Romain Grosjean |  | Haas | 19 | 1'19.149 | 1.295 |
| 12 |  Kevin Magnussen | | Haas | 21 | 1'19.178 | 1.324 |
| 13 | Sebastian Vettel | | Ferrari | 24 | 1'19.254 | 1.400 |
| 14 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. |  | McLaren | 22 | 1'19.398 | 1.544 |
| 15 |  Sergio Perez |  | Racing Point | 13 | 1'19.721 | 1.867 |
| 16 |  Lance Stroll | | Racing Point | 14 | 1'19.774 | 1.920 |
| 17 | George Russell |  | Williams | 14 | 1'19.889 | 2.035 |
| 18 | Lando Norris | | McLaren | 6 | 1'20.401 | 2.547 |
| 19 |  Robert Kubica | | Williams | 15 | 1'20.439 | 2.585 |
| 20 |  Alex Albon | | Toro Rosso | 2 | ||
| View full results | ||||||
Previous article
Allowing extra F1 engine for one more race "wrong" - Binotto
Next article
Verstappen: Spins down to set-up experiments
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Hungarian GP |
| Author | Edd Straw |
Why Russell was right to be wrong about Bottas after Imola F1 clash
George Russell and Valtteri Bottas' collision at Imola on Sunday prompted fury in the Formula 1 paddock. But Russell's carefully-worded heartfelt statement later, acknowledging that his initial response was wrong, proved the right move
How Verstappen and Hamilton’s Imola clash sets the tone for 2021
In Max Verstappen's Formula 1 career to date, he has been cast as the 'pretender', an acknowledged top-line performer without the car to regularly challenge Lewis Hamilton. But that no longer applies in 2021, and the start to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was the most telling signal yet of what we can expect from their duel this year
How "overwhelming" McLaren move has given Ricciardo a new verve
Daniel Ricciardo has found a new lease of life at McLaren – a move that’s been years in the making, as he explains to STUART CODLING…
How 2021's midfielders have taken lessons from F1's top teams
Formula 1’s latest Imola adventure turned into an expensive trip for many teams due to several crashes throughout the weekend. While balancing the books is an added factor in 2021 with the cost cap, a few midfield teams have cashed in early on development investments.
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Driver Ratings
A frantic wet race at Imola produced plenty of excitement and drama as drivers scrabbled for grip. Amid the hatful of mistakes and incidents that ensued, who kept their noses cleanest?
How the Emilia Romagna GP result hinged on three crucial saves
Rain before the start of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix promised to spice up the action, and the race certainly delivered on that. Max Verstappen got the best launch to win from Lewis Hamilton, but both got away with mistakes that could have had serious consequences
The back-bedroom world-beater that began a new F1 era
The first in a line of world beaters was designed in a back bedroom and then constructed in a shed. STUART CODLING recalls the Tyrrell 001
Why Mercedes isn't confident it's really ahead of Red Bull at Imola
While Mercedes struck back against Red Bull by topping the times at Imola on Friday ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the overall picture remains incredibly close. Despite having a possible edge this weekend, the reigning Formula 1 world champion squad is not taking anything for granted...
