F1 Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and FP2 results after Sergio Perez crash

The Formula 1 paddock returns to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the popular Hungaroring circuit.

Max Verstappen is looking for a seventh grand prix victory in a row at a track where he won last year from 10th on the grid. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season, currently holding a 99-point to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second.

• EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top

Yet the biggest talking point this weekend is Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid with AlphaTauri. The Australian, dropped by McLaren last year, replaces Nyck de Vries for the remainder of this season and starts at a track where he claimed his second F1 victory in 2014.

Lando Norris will be hoping to back up his strong performance for McLaren at Silverstone two weeks ago, a race where Lewis Hamilton finished third for Mercedes. Hamilton is an eight-time winner in Hungary.

Follow live updates from the Hungarian GP with The Independent

F1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - PRACTICE

• PREVIEW: Sergio Perez crashes in practice as Daniel Ricciardo returns in Hungary

• Charles Leclerc quickest in second practice; Norris 2nd; Gasly 3rd

• George Russell was fastest in FP1; Piastri 2nd; Stroll 3rd

• RED FLAG! Sergio Perez crashes just five minutes into FP1

• RED FLAG! Carlos Sainz hits the barrier too in FP1

• EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top

FP2 CLASSIFICATION

17:18 , Kieran Jackson

Charles Leclerc fastest in second practice in Hungary

17:03 , Kieran Jackson

The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc remains on top with his 1:17:686, 0.015 secs quicker than McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly is third, 0.232 secs off the pace, with Yuki Tsunoda fourth for AlphaTauri and Esteban Ocon fifth.

6-10: Hulkenberg, Bottas, Alonso, Zhou, Sainz

Max Verstappen only 11th. Lewis Hamilton complaining of a lack of grip in 16th, with George Russell 20th!

What on earth can we take from that?

Charles Leclerc just quicker than Lando Norris in FP2

16:55 , Kieran Jackson

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc goes top of the standings with a 1:17:686, 0.015 secs ahead of Lando Norris in second.

3-10: Gasly, Tsunoda, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Alonso, Zhou, Sainz

Max Verstappen only 11th early on, with his team-mate Sergio Perez in 18th.

Mercedes? Lewis Hamilton 16th. George Russell dead-last in 20th.

10 minutes to go...

Lando Norris fastest halfway through FP2

16:38 , Kieran Jackson

Some quick qualifying simulation times now being registered - and Lando Norris looks to be continuing his good form from Silverstone.

He’s fastest with a 1:17:701, two-tenths quicker than Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in second.

AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda is third, with Esteban Ocon in fourth.

5-10: Hulkenberg, Bottas, Alonso, Zhou, Verstappen, Stroll

Logan Sargeant top of standings early on in FP2

16:17 , Kieran Jackson

Williams, much like Silverstone a fortnight ago, looking rapid in practice to start!

Logan Sargeant is top of the timesheet early on with a 1:18:836 on softs, with team-mate Alex Albon a tenth back in third.

Lando Norris is second for McLaren, 0.076 seconds off Sargeant, with the Alfa Romeo pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in fourth and fifth respectively.

6-10: Piastri, Ocon, Tsunoda, Stroll, Russell

Interestingly, Red Bull and Ferrari are in no rush - neither of their drivers are out on track at the start of the session.

FP2 at the Hungarian Grand Prix!

16:01 , Kieran Jackson

We’re underway with second practice at the Hungaroring!

And the track has dried since the rain in Budapest earlier, so should be set for an hour of clean running this afternoon!

Sergio Perez’s car has been very quickly fixed by the Red Bull mechanics and he will take to the track too - and he cant really afford another mistake!

Driver Standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:

15:51 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen - 255 points

2) Sergio Perez - 156 points

3) Fernando Alonso - 137 points

4) Lewis Hamilton - 121 points

5) Carlos Sainz - 83 points

6) George Russell - 82 points

7) Charles Leclerc - 74 points

8) Lance Stroll - 44 points

9) Lando Norris - 42 points

10) Esteban Ocon - 31 points

11) Oscar Piastri - 17 points

12) Pierre Gasly - 16 points

13) Alex Albon - 11 points

14) Nico Hulkenberg - 9 points

15) Valtteri Bottas - 5 points

16) Zhou Guanyu - 4 points

17) Yuki Tsunoda - 2 points

18) Kevin Magnussen - 2 points

19) Logan Sargeant - 0 points

20) Nyck de Vries - 0 points

Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top

15:45 , Kieran Jackson

Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson

Daniel Ricciardo is pondering. This year, a presence in the paddock – but not on the racetrack – has been a curiously flummoxing existence for someone so synonymous with a seat at the 20-man table. In his own words, he has been doing “everything the drivers are doing… other than the driving.” So aside from the obvious of the lights-to-flag racing, what has the Australian found the most difficult about his eight months away from Formula 1?

“I’d say the starting grid on Sunday,” he says, a glint in his eye, a longing for something previous. “I love that feeling before you’re about to race. It’s intense, it’s nerve-racking but it’s awesome. I miss that buzz.”

Well, miss it no longer. The Honey Badger is back. Officially on loan from Red Bull to sister team AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season, Ricciardo last week replaced the axed Nyck de Vries and will be in the cockpit in Hungary this weekend. It represents a lifeline – his lifeline – back into the sport, a carving of an opportunity so desperately craved. In the end, he only missed 10 races.

Full interview below:

Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top

Heavy crash in Formula 3 practice earlier this morning

15:31 , Kieran Jackson

The moment Lando Norris came of age in British Grand Prix – and it wasn’t his super start

15:17 , Kieran Jackson

Comment by Kieran Jackson

At the beginning of the season, a mere 10 races ago, Lando Norris endured an opener of excruciating torment in Bahrain. With his stricken McLaren impacted by a “pneumatic pressure leak”, the Brit valiantly took the chequered flag in dead last after pitting an astonishing six times throughout the race. It was, simply, a shambles.

But that now seems nothing but a distant memory, four months on in the safe haven of the British Isles.

Most observers did not raise an eyebrow when McLaren announced a number of upgrades to their car ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix last week. It is the phase of the season where every team is changing parts in search of that extra tenth or two of speed. Usually, by way of natural progression, the improvement is gradual. Yet out of an abyss of doom to start 2023, the papaya have come storming back into contention.

Full piece below:

The moment Norris came of age in British Grand Prix – and it wasn’t his super start

Christian Horner responds to Red Bull-cost cap punishment accusations:

14:59 , Kieran Jackson

Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat

14:41 , Kieran Jackson

Analysis by Kieran Jackson

Within the Red Bull ecosystem, encompassing two teams on the Formula 1 grid and the junior team below, there is no doubting who the senior statesman is. When Dr Helmut Marko speaks, people listen. And for Nyck de Vries, the writing has been on the wall for a while now.

Asked after the British Grand Prix whether Red Bull’s ‘third driver’ Daniel Ricciardo could replace De Vries at Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, Marko grinned. A grin which told us everything we need to know. “We’ll have the tyre test next week and then we’ll see,” he stated.

That test, with Ricciardo in the cockpit of Red Bull’s RB19 rocketship for the first time this season, took place on Tuesday morning at Silverstone. Hours later, the Australian’s return to F1 was confirmed.

Full piece below:

Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat

Constructors standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:

14:23 , Kieran Jackson

1) Red Bull - 411 points

2) Mercedes - 203 points

3) Aston Martin - 181 points

4) Ferrari - 157 points

5) McLaren - 59 points

6) Alpine - 47 points

7) Williams - 11 points

8) Haas - 11 points

9) Alfa Romeo - 9 points

10) AlphaTauri - 2 points

Sebastian Vettel hints at return to F1: ‘I have some ideas’

14:04 , Kieran Jackson

Sebastian Vettel revealed he “has some ideas” about a return to Formula 1 in some capacity in the future.

The 36-year-old retired from the sport after the 2022 season, leaving a lasting legacy with his four championship triumphs with Red Bull from 2010-2013.

The German, who also raced for Ferrari and Aston Martin, is a climate change activist and campaigner and regularly spoke out about environmental issues towards the end of his career. Now, Vettel admits that he would be open to a return to F1 down the line, hinting that the sport’s sustainability could be a potential avenue.

Full quotes below:

Sebastian Vettel hints at return to F1: ‘I have some ideas’

FP1 CLASSIFICATION:

13:51 , Kieran Jackson

George Russell quickest right at the end of FP1

13:34 , Kieran Jackson

Only 13 drivers completed flying laps in that session and though we can’t therefore read much into any of it, the Mercedes of George Russell was the fastest with a 1:38:795.

Oscar Piastri was second, four-tenths back, with the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll in third.

4-10: Norris, Alonso, Bottas, Leclerc, Zhou, Sargeant, Hulkenberg

Among the drivers who opted not to take to the track late on in the session were Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo.

Should make for an entertaining FP2 later today!

Session back underway

13:23 , Kieran Jackson

Around 10 minutes for the drivers to get something - anything - out of this session on a very wet track.

Roughly two-thirds of the cars back out on the circuit.

Carlos Sainz is stranded out on track - RED FLAG!

13:16 , Kieran Jackson

Now the Ferrari has lost it coming out of turn four - and with Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari sitting helplessly on the edge of the circuit, we have another red flag!

“Yeah I’m stuck,” he says on team radio.

A light spin, lightly touching the barrier,

He gets going again though after a push from the marshals...

Valtteri Bottas one of a few cars out on track

13:14 , Kieran Jackson

A few cars - including Bottas, Albon and Sargeant - having a go on wet tyres in damp conditions at the Hungaroring.

Just 15 minutes left in this session. A session impacted by Perez’s crash and the weather...

Heavy rain now in Budapest!

13:03 , Kieran Jackson

Heavens have completely opened in Hungary!

Both McLaren cars are out on intermediates but they’ll need to come back in for full wets you’d think!

Hard to get a gauge on the running so far given the weather but the top-three after half-an-hour is: Russell, Albon, Ricciardo

Christian Horner on Sergio Perez’s crash:

12:58 , Kieran Jackson

“Frustrating to have the damage. Hopefully repairable ahead of the next session.

“Unfortunate, he put the wheel on the grass. Haven’t had the chance to speak to him. Not obviously the ideal way to start the weekend.”

What is being said here I wonder?!

12:52 , Kieran Jackson

Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko after that early shunt from the Mexican...

Light rain at the Hungaroring!

12:47 , Kieran Jackson

Nearly every car heading back into the pit lane as some light rain falls at the Hungaroring!

The showers should be brief, but there may be a bit of running on inters in a moment...

FP1 resumes at the Hungarian Grand Prix:

12:41 , Kieran Jackson

A bit of a nightmare for Sergio Perez to start the Budapest weekend then!

The Red Bull mechanics will have some work to do to get that car back ready for FP2 later this afternoon.

First practice back underway with around 48 minutes remaining...

RED FLAG - Sergio Perez crashes into the wall at turn 5!

12:36 , Kieran Jackson

Wow! Just five minutes into the session, Sergio Perez has put his Red Bull into the wall!

“I cannot believe this,” Perez says.

“I clipped the grass on braking, I just lost it!”

He lost it at turn 5! As if he wasn’t under pressure enough after Ricciardo’s return!

FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix!

12:30 , Kieran Jackson

We’re underway with first practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix!

Daniel Ricciardo among the first drivers out on track in a car he is yet to drive this season! He drove the Red Bull in the Silverstone test last week as opposed to the AlphaTauri.

It’s overcast but dry in Budapest, with the weather set to stay fair throughout the whole race weekend!

What are the Red Bull upgrades this weekend in Budapest?

12:28 , Kieran Jackson

A reprofiling of the sidepod and the brake cooling plates have changed for the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, as the quickest car on the grid looks to go even faster!

It should be more aero-efficient and less draggy... a tough thought for the rest of the grid!

F1 practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE

12:25 , Kieran Jackson

The Formula 1 paddock returns to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the popular Hungaroring circuit.

Max Verstappen is looking for a seventh grand prix victory in a row at a track where he won last year from 10th on the grid. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season, currently holding a 99-point to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second.

Yet the biggest talking point this weekend is Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid with AlphaTauri. The Australian, dropped by McLaren last year, replaces Nyck de Vries for the remainder of this season and starts at a track where he claimed his second F1 victory in 2014.

First practice is just five minutes away!

Lewis Hamilton expresses his concern around the cost cap

12:17 , Kieran Jackson

Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top

12:05 , Kieran Jackson

Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson

Daniel Ricciardo is pondering. This year, a presence in the paddock – but not on the racetrack – has been a curiously flummoxing existence for someone so synonymous with a seat at the 20-man table. In his own words, he has been doing “everything the drivers are doing… other than the driving.” So aside from the obvious of the lights-to-flag racing, what has the Australian found the most difficult about his eight months away from Formula 1?

“I’d say the starting grid on Sunday,” he says, a glint in his eye, a longing for something previous. “I love that feeling before you’re about to race. It’s intense, it’s nerve-racking but it’s awesome. I miss that buzz.”

Well, miss it no longer. The Honey Badger is back. Officially on loan from Red Bull to sister team AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season, Ricciardo last week replaced the axed Nyck de Vries and will be in the cockpit in Hungary this weekend. It represents a lifeline – his lifeline – back into the sport, a carving of an opportunity so desperately craved. In the end, he only missed 10 races.

Full interview below:

Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top

George Russell’s thoughts on potential cost cap breaches:

11:51 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing: ‘That’s how Red Bull work’

11:32 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton has criticised Red Bull’s decision to axe Nyck De Vries after just 10 races.

Daniel Ricciardo has been handed a second chance in Formula One, replacing De Vries at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri for the concluding dozen rounds of the year, starting at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

De Vries, 28, crashed on multiple occasions and failed to score a single point, with a best finish of 12th in Monaco, before he was handed his marching orders by Red Bull’s ruthless motorsport adviser Helmut Marko 48 hours after he finished 17th and last at the British Grand Prix.

“I am not surprised to see Daniel back but I was surprised to see the decision they took for poor Nyck,” said Hamilton at the Hungaroring.

‘That’s how Red Bull work’: Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing

Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat

11:13 , Kieran Jackson

Analysis by Kieran Jackson

Within the Red Bull ecosystem, encompassing two teams on the Formula 1 grid and the junior team below, there is no doubting who the senior statesman is. When Dr Helmut Marko speaks, people listen. And for Nyck de Vries, the writing has been on the wall for a while now.

Asked after the British Grand Prix whether Red Bull’s ‘third driver’ Daniel Ricciardo could replace De Vries at Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, Marko grinned. A grin which told us everything we need to know. “We’ll have the tyre test next week and then we’ll see,” he stated.

That test, with Ricciardo in the cockpit of Red Bull’s RB19 rocketship for the first time this season, took place on Tuesday morning at Silverstone. Hours later, the Australian’s return to F1 was confirmed.

Full piece below:

Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat

The kids have some fun in the press conference!

10:55 , Kieran Jackson

The moment Lando Norris came of age in British Grand Prix – and it wasn’t his super start

10:35 , Kieran Jackson

Comment by Kieran Jackson

At the beginning of the season, a mere 10 races ago, Lando Norris endured an opener of excruciating torment in Bahrain. With his stricken McLaren impacted by a “pneumatic pressure leak”, the Brit valiantly took the chequered flag in dead last after pitting an astonishing six times throughout the race. It was, simply, a shambles.

But that now seems nothing but a distant memory, four months on in the safe haven of the British Isles.

Most observers did not raise an eyebrow when McLaren announced a number of upgrades to their car ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix last week. It is the phase of the season where every team is changing parts in search of that extra tenth or two of speed. Usually, by way of natural progression, the improvement is gradual. Yet out of an abyss of doom to start 2023, the papaya have come storming back into contention.

Full piece below:

The moment Norris came of age in British Grand Prix – and it wasn’t his super start

Constructors standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:

10:17 , Kieran Jackson

1) Red Bull - 411 points

2) Mercedes - 203 points

3) Aston Martin - 181 points

4) Ferrari - 157 points

5) McLaren - 59 points

6) Alpine - 47 points

7) Williams - 11 points

8) Haas - 11 points

9) Alfa Romeo - 9 points

10) AlphaTauri - 2 points

Sebastian Vettel hints at return to F1: ‘I have some ideas’

09:57 , Kieran Jackson

Sebastian Vettel revealed he “has some ideas” about a return to Formula 1 in some capacity in the future.

The 36-year-old retired from the sport after the 2022 season, leaving a lasting legacy with his four championship triumphs with Red Bull from 2010-2013.

The German, who also raced for Ferrari and Aston Martin, is a climate change activist and campaigner and regularly spoke out about environmental issues towards the end of his career. Now, Vettel admits that he would be open to a return to F1 down the line, hinting that the sport’s sustainability could be a potential avenue.

Full quotes below:

Sebastian Vettel hints at return to F1: ‘I have some ideas’

Driver Standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:

09:48 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen - 255 points

2) Sergio Perez - 156 points

3) Fernando Alonso - 137 points

4) Lewis Hamilton - 121 points

5) Carlos Sainz - 83 points

6) George Russell - 82 points

7) Charles Leclerc - 74 points

8) Lance Stroll - 44 points

9) Lando Norris - 42 points

10) Esteban Ocon - 31 points

11) Oscar Piastri - 17 points

12) Pierre Gasly - 16 points

13) Alex Albon - 11 points

14) Nico Hulkenberg - 9 points

15) Valtteri Bottas - 5 points

16) Zhou Guanyu - 4 points

17) Yuki Tsunoda - 2 points

18) Kevin Magnussen - 2 points

19) Logan Sargeant - 0 points

20) Nyck de Vries - 0 points

Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing: ‘That’s how Red Bull work’

09:45 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton has criticised Red Bull’s decision to axe Nyck De Vries after just 10 races.

Daniel Ricciardo has been handed a second chance in Formula One, replacing De Vries at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri for the concluding dozen rounds of the year, starting at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

De Vries, 28, crashed on multiple occasions and failed to score a single point, with a best finish of 12th in Monaco, before he was handed his marching orders by Red Bull’s ruthless motorsport adviser Helmut Marko 48 hours after he finished 17th and last at the British Grand Prix.

“I am not surprised to see Daniel back but I was surprised to see the decision they took for poor Nyck,” said Hamilton at the Hungaroring.

‘That’s how Red Bull work’: Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing

Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top

09:43 , Kieran Jackson

Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson

Daniel Ricciardo is pondering. This year, a presence in the paddock – but not on the racetrack – has been a curiously flummoxing existence for someone so synonymous with a seat at the 20-man table. In his own words, he has been doing “everything the drivers are doing… other than the driving.” So aside from the obvious of the lights-to-flag racing, what has the Australian found the most difficult about his eight months away from Formula 1?

“I’d say the starting grid on Sunday,” he says, a glint in his eye, a longing for something previous. “I love that feeling before you’re about to race. It’s intense, it’s nerve-racking but it’s awesome. I miss that buzz.”

Well, miss it no longer. The Honey Badger is back. Officially on loan from Red Bull to sister team AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season, Ricciardo last week replaced the axed Nyck de Vries and will be in the cockpit in Hungary this weekend. It represents a lifeline – his lifeline – back into the sport, a carving of an opportunity so desperately craved. In the end, he only missed 10 races.

Full interview below:

Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top

F1 practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE

09:41 , Kieran Jackson

The Formula 1 paddock returns to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the popular Hungaroring circuit.

Max Verstappen is looking for a seventh grand prix victory in a row at a track where he won last year from 10th on the grid. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season, currently holding a 99-point to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second.

Yet the biggest talking point this weekend is Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid with AlphaTauri. The Australian, dropped by McLaren last year, replaces Nyck de Vries for the remainder of this season and starts at a track where he claimed his second F1 victory in 2014.

Lando Norris will be hoping to back up his strong performance for McLaren at Silverstone two weeks ago, a race where Lewis Hamilton finished third for Mercedes. Hamilton is an eight-time winner in Hungary.

FP1 starts at 12:30pm; second practice is at 4pm (BST).