World champion sets pace in Budapest as former champions show renewed form - although there's a familiar story too as Ricciardo suffers engine failure; No Force Indias after Perez's P1 shunt
Saturday 25 July 2015 11:52, UK
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in second practice for the Hungarian GP on Friday as Red Bull showed renewed form in Budapest.
With the world champion out front thanks to a 1:23.949s lap around the 4.381km Hungaroring on Friday, the team Mercedes replaced at the top of the pile figured more prominently than they have all season, with Daniil Kvyat second fastest ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.
Yet their story was also an all-too-familiar one, with the Renault engine on Ricciardo's car blowing up with about 20 minutes of the session to go. The Australian, who won the race last year, pulled off the track at Turn 11 in a cloud of smoke but won't have to take a grid penalty - which might help explain his grin as he returned to the pits.
Earlier, Ricciardo had been about half a second slower than Hamilton, who again looked very comfortable on a track where he has won four times before.
Assuming top spot almost as soon as he took to the track, the championship leader was fastest early on with a 1:25.613 on the medium tyre, 0.410s faster than Ricciardo.
In turn, Rosberg was third fastest in the opening minutes - when he was also held up by Pastor Maldonado's Lotus - and with Kvyat fourth, Red Bull's pace was clearly evident.
"The drivers are working very hard," said Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle, standing trackside at Turns 2 and 3. "The best car through here is not the Mercedes-Benz - that's not riding the bumps particularly well, I'd say.
"The Red Bull seems like it's got the most downforce and is really sticking to the track."
Switching to soft tyres, Hamilton's first qualifying practice run was hindered by traffic but his second attempt saw him go 0.719s faster than Rosberg, with the Red Bulls slotting in between them.
With temperatures climbing above 30 degrees C, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 afterwards that the heat was his main concern.
"It was really good fun, it was just incredibly hot. It feels hotter than the sauna out there," he said. "I think everyone is having difficulty with it; it isn't easy, but I like that it is difficult. I am enjoying it being challenging.
"I can't express to you how hot it is. I think I lost in just that session a kilo."
Kimi Raikkonen was fifth for Ferrari with his team-mate Sebastian Vettel seventh fastest behind Carlos Sainz's Toro Rosso.
McLaren-Honda have been cautiously optimistic they might perform a little better on a track that somewhat hides their power deficiency and Fernando Alonso ended the session eighth fastest.
Jenson Button, meanwhile, was 12th behind Williams pair Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa as well as Max Verstappen's Toro Rosso.
However, there was no appearance from either of the Force India drivers after Sergio Perez's crash in P1.
The size of the repair job had precluded the Mexican's participation. However, with Force India still investigating the cause of Perez's shunt - attentions are focused on the car's right-rear suspension - they also kept Hulkenberg's car in the garage as a precaution.
Times:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:23.949
2. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, 1:24.300
3. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:24.451
4. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:24.668
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:25.134
6. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:25.599
7. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:25.660
8. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:25.752
9. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:25.881
10. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:25.920
11. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1:25.935
12. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:25.994
13. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1:26.090
14. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:26.379
15. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:26.442
16. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:26.831
17. Roberto Merhi, Manor, 1:29.113
18. Will Stevens, Manor, 1:29.115
19. Sergio Perez, Force India, No time
20. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, No time
Missed your F1 action? The 2015 season resumes with the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend and every track session is live on Sky Sports F1. Race-day coverage begins on Sunday at 11.30am with lights out at 1pm. Watch the Hungarian GP for £6.99 with NOW TV
