Second free practice for Round 13 of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Hungarian Grand Prix, concluded at the Hungaroring at midnight on 20 July China time (UTC+8). McLaren’s Lando Norris set a 1m17.788s lap, the only time in the 1m17s bracket, to lead Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.243s. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda completed only 13 laps and finished 19th.
Compared with the 60°C track surface during first practice, the temperature fell to 45°C for the evening session. Saturday’s qualifying was due to start earlier in the day and was expected to be hotter, making the data difficult for teams to interpret. Although Verstappen was slower than Norris over one lap, the RB20’s long-run pace still appeared to be the strongest in the field. Perez continued comparison tests with the Silverstone-specification engine cover. He was fourth, 0.467s off the pace and only 0.07s behind third-placed Sainz.
There was a frightening moment just 15 minutes into practice when Leclerc lost control on the exit of Turn 4 and crashed heavily into the metal barriers, prompting a red-flag interruption of about 16 minutes. Fortunately, he was unhurt and returned to the paddock in the medical car. The new front wing and floor were damaged, however, and if a gearbox or engine change proved necessary, he could even have been forced to revert to older-specification components. Five minutes after running resumed, Zhou Guanyu spun after riding the kerb at the same corner and narrowly avoided Perez ahead of him.
Tsunoda spent a long time in the garage while changes were made to the front suspension. His 13 laps were the fewest of anyone, making his 19th-place time of limited significance. Team-mate Ricciardo was eighth, just 0.077s behind fifth-placed Russell. Piastri, who had suffered a water-pressure problem in first practice, lost more time in the garage and could not put together a flying lap on soft tyres, leaving him 13th. Only about one second separated Norris at the top from Hulkenberg in 15th, leaving plenty of uncertainty for Saturday’s qualifying.
Third free practice was scheduled for 18:30 China time (UTC+8) on 20 July.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:17.788 | 24 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.243 | 20 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.397 | 23 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0.467 | 23 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.506 | 20 |
| 6 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +0.527 | 24 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.575 | 20 |
| 8 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | +0.583 | 20 |
| 9 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.726 | 22 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.731 | 23 |
| 11 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | +0.798 | 25 |
| 12 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | +0.823 | 21 |
| 13 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.830 | 21 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +0.966 | 25 |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | +1.003 | 25 |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.100 | 24 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.391 | 25 |
| 18 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +1.498 | 8 |
| 19 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | +1.818 | 13 |
| 20 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | +2.279 | 25 |
