Charles Leclerc, British GP 2026© FerrariCharles Leclerc set the pace in opening practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix as Lance Stroll’s suspension failure caused a nine-minute red-flag interruption at the Hungaroring. Lewis Hamilton completed the top three, while the benchmark survived the closing minutes after Leclerc appeared to encounter a power-unit or gearbox problem and coasted back to the pits. Early running featured Leclerc and Hamilton trading the leading position before Russell became the first frontrunner to fit soft tyres. McLaren brought a more substantial floor revision, tested on Oscar Piastri’s car by Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli. Its first outing suffered a setback after 36 minutes when Stroll’s rear suspension appeared to buckle exiting Turn 2.