BUDAPEST, Hungary — McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton continued a string of dominating performances by leading Friday’s practice sessions for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Formula One championship leader, who is coming off victories at the British and German GPs, led the 20-car field with a best lap time of 1 minute, 20.554 seconds across two 90-minute sessions on the 4.381-kilometer (2.722-mile) Hungaroring track.
The 23-year-old Hamilton, who won from pole position here last year, could become the first Briton since Damon Hill 12 years ago to win three straight GPs.
“I’ve never seen myself as favorite. Tomorrow is another day and we’ll definitely be competitive,” Hamilton said. “We definitely have the pace to attack and go for the win. Hopefully the weather is this good.”
Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. followed up his first podium at Hockenheim with the second fastest lap of 1:20.748 before skidding off the track to end his day.
Hamilton’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen, who announced Friday that he will remain at the British team next season, was about two-tenths of a second behind Hamilton in third, ahead of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Renault.
“We had a good day, me and Heikki both, had a very productive day and we didn’t have any problems with the car, we made some good improvement and I think even from the last race we made a step up,” Hamilton said.
Ferrari continued its recent struggles, with Felipe Massa and defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen nearly half a second slower than Hamilton in the afternoon. Massa clocked the day’s fifth quickest lap of 1:20.981, while Raikkonen failed to get below the 1:21.00 mark to sit sixth.
“It’s hard to say exactly where we are compared to the opposition, but clearly they are very quick,” Massa said. “We know in which direction we have to work … it will be tough, but I am confident all the same.”
Hamilton leads Massa by four points and Raikkonen by seven in the drivers’ standings. BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica, who managed a best time of 1:21.363, is 10 points behind Hamilton.
Hamilton brushed off claims that Ferrari was slipping, even after being informed that Massa was worried over McLaren’s pace.
“It’s Friday, Friday’s nothing. It’s just a day where we all warm up,” Hamilton said. “Saturday is the day when we show our pace and Sunday is when we really do our job, so you have to wait.”
Ferrari will be looking for answers ahead of Saturday’s qualifying as it looks to rebound from a series of disappointing results and halt McLaren’s recent momentum, which has seen it narrow the Italians’ lead in the constructors’ standings to 19 points. Ferrari has generally performed well on hotter tracks this season, with the Hungarian GP notable for its humid weather which should continue through to Sunday’s 23rd edition of the race.
“The situation is not too bad, the car handles better, but our main rivals seem to be still a little bit quicker than us, even if there is the usual question mark over difference in the fuel loads,” Raikkonen said.
Piquet Jr., who finished runner-up at the German GP with the help of a fortunate pit stop strategy, said he expects Renault to be the main challenger behind McLaren and Ferrari.
“Obviously the last race I was lucky because of the safety car but you still need to be quick to … keep the pace quicker than the Ferrari,” the 23-year-old Brazilian said. “Every good day is always good (for confidence). But you have to remember that everyone’s going to be quicker tomorrow, everyone’s going to be running lighter.
“If we are really quick, fighting BMW would be really good.”
Timo Glock returned from a high-speed crash to steer his Toyota to a best lap time of 1:21.662. Governing body FIA deemed the German driver fit for Friday’s practice following an accident at the preceding German GP that left Glock in a hospital overnight.
Sebastian Vettel’s day was cut to just nine laps for the day due to hydraulic problems with his Toro Rosso.
Practice wraps up on Saturday morning before a qualifying session to determine the starting order for Sunday’s race.
Friday for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix at the 4.381-kilometer (2.722-mile) Hungaroring circuit (with driver, country, car, leader’s fastest lap time, laps completed and leader’s average speed):
First Session
1. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 1 minute, 20.981 seconds, 19 laps, 194.756 kph (121.016 mph).
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, 1:21.345, 21.
3. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren, 1:21.410, 17.
4. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:21.535, 18.
5. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 1:21.802, 18.
6. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, 1:21.931, 22.
7. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW Sauber, 1:22.267, 18.
8. Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil, Renault, 1:22.326, 19.
9. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW Sauber, 1:22.370, 22.
10. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 1:22.457, 25.
11. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, 1:22.654, 23.
12. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull, 1:22.700, 16.
13. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso, 1:22.900, 26.
14. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda, 1:22.917, 27.
15. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda, 1:23.093, 26.
16. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, 1:23.147, 21.
17. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams, 1:23.274, 22.
18. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India, 1:23.353, 25.
19. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India, 1:23.459, 28.
20. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso, 1:23.923, 4.
Second Session
1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes, 1 minute, 20.554 seconds, 35 laps, 195.789 kph (121.658 mph).
2. Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil, Renault, 1:20.748, 38.
3. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren, 1:20.760, 33.
4. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 1:20.928, 35.
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, 1:21.009, 36.
6. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 1:21.010, 36.
7. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW Sauber, 1:21.138, 46.
8. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW Sauber, 1:21.363, 36.
9. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 1:21.505, 42.
10. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, 1:21.581, 34.
11. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, 1:21.662, 39.
12. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, 1:21.733, 43.
13. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull, 1:21.837, 34.
14. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams, 1:21.902, 33.
15. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso, 1:21.955, 41.
16. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda, 1:22.150, 41.
17. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India, 1:22.197, 36.
18. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India, 1:22.358, 37.
19. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda, 1:22.448, 33.
20. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso, 1:22.945, 5.
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