British Formula 1 driver Lando Norris dominated the Friday free practice sessions at the Hungaroring circuit, behind the wheel of a McLaren car that immediately felt strong and responsive, allowing him to push the limits from the very start. While some doubts remain about the car’s long-run pace due to traffic encountered during race simulations, overall the level of confidence and calm within the team is extremely high.
The opening day of on-track activity at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix was clearly led by McLaren, and in particular by its lead driver, Lando Norris.
The British driver appeared fully at ease in every aspect, managing to top the timing sheets in both Free Practice 1 in the morning and Free Practice 2 in the late afternoon. In the second session, Norris managed to gap his teammate Oscar Piastri by almost three-tenths of a second, and he was nearly four-tenths faster than every other driver on the grid.
Notably, the 1’15”624 lap time Norris set in FP2 was just four-tenths of a second slower than last year’s pole position time, underlining the impressive pace. The only real blemish on Norris’ near-perfect day was a tendency to make minor mistakes while exploring the limits, such as a slide before the final corner and a misunderstanding with Oscar Piastri. That incident occurred when Norris exited the pit lane and locked up into the first chicane, resulting in a dangerous slide that brought him close to colliding with his teammate’s papaya-liveried car.
Aside from these small errors, it was immediately clear that Lando Norris and his McLaren MCL39 were capable of being quick right out of the box, as the driver himself explained in an interview with F1 TV after stepping out of his #4 car.
“The car felt quite good from the very first lap, so I’d say things went well,” said Lando Norris – “All of my laps were decent. I think the second session was a bit more chaotic, switching between low-fuel runs and heavier-fuel stints. I made a few mistakes, but that’s part of the game and part of free practice—you have to find the limits in different areas. I think we had some good insights. I know what I want from the car, even if it might be a little harder to actually get it.”
“Certainly, the car is better compared to last year, which means I’ll have more opportunities to do well. But let’s not forget, the competition is extremely strong.”
When it comes to race pace, Lando Norris appeared a bit more cautious, acknowledging that everyone is running different programs and hiding their full potential, but overall he seemed content with how things played out.
“I need to take a closer look at the data. Honestly, I don’t know how we were doing because I spent more time in traffic, trying to overtake other cars, than I did focusing on my own performance for the race.”
“What happened today isn’t hugely important, but I’m confident everything will go well.”
On the other side of the McLaren garage, Australian driver Oscar Piastri also expressed satisfaction with how Friday unfolded, even though he ended both sessions behind his teammate Lando Norris.
“I think overall it was a good day. We had to change a few things and try to improve the car a little bit, but the performance was strong. All in all, I’m fairly satisfied,” said Oscar Piastri.
“There are still a few things to sort out. In Free Practice 2, it wasn’t completely perfect, but I think the baseline pace is good, so I’m feeling optimistic for the rest of the weekend.”
“The grip level today felt very high, even more than we had expected, and the car was fast all day. This morning, it behaved a bit unexpectedly, so we made some changes and it improved a lot in the afternoon. Now it’s about refining the usual details.”
“As for the large gap to the rest of the field, I think this is a circuit that should suit us quite well—and it has done in the past. Ferrari looked quick this morning, but I didn’t get a chance to watch the long runs in the afternoon. Still, I think we’re in a strong position.”
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