Lando Norris eclipsed McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri during the opening practice session for Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Norris, who was quickest during the early stages on Medium tyres, retained a slender buffer to Piastri once the title contenders switched to the Soft compound.
Norris clocked a time of 1:16.052s to finish just 0.019s clear of Piastri in warm and dry conditions at the Hungaroring on Friday afternoon.
Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, 0.217s behind Norris, with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar finishing the session in an encouraging fourth place.
Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the sister Ferrari, four-tenths of a second down on Leclerc, as Oliver Bearman posted the sixth-best time for Haas.
Mercedes has reverted to its old-spec rear suspension in a bid to return the W16 to a greater competitive predicament.
Kimi Antonelli was seventh, ahead of George Russell, as less than a tenth of a second split the two Mercedes drivers.
Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen was ninth for Red Bull as Lance Stroll rounded out the top 10 for Aston Martin.
Felipe Drugovich replaced two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin for the opening one hour of track running.
Alonso has been suffering from a muscular back injury and opted to miss the session in order to better aid his recovery.
The Spaniard, who was at the circuit as usual, is expected to return to the cockpit for the remainder of the weekend.
Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron participated in his second practice session of the season with Sauber, in place of veteran Nico Hulkenberg.
Aron’s outing in the C45 fulfilled Sauber’s obligation for the year to run a rookie in four practice sessions, as Gabriel Bortoleto ticked the box across the opening two events.
The Estonian’s session nonetheless only lasted nine laps as he had to stop the car at the penultimate corner due to a “systems critical alarm,” halting his run as a precaution.
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