F1 Hungarian GP: Hamilton outpaces Verstappen in final practice
Lewis Hamilton headed the final practice session ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, as Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen was 0.25s adrift of his former title rival. With the introduction of the alternative tire allocation for this round, limiting teams from 13 sets of tires per weekend to 11, the teams attempted to use FP3 as preparation for each phase of qualifying. This yielded all-out times across the full range of compounds, rather than simply bolting on softs as in hot-lap preparation. Track temperatures of 45C and above also made it more difficult for the drivers to initially beat their FP2 times, when the track surface had been cooled by earlier rain, although an overnight downpour had stripped the Hungaroring surface of rubber laid down on Friday. Daniel Ricciardo set the first timed lap of the session, but his sighter was quickly beaten by Kevin Magnussen's 1m20.454s, who in turn was usurped by Sergio Perez's first lap on a set of used mediums. Verstappen th...