Entering Free Practice3, compared to the tumultuous breeze that plagued the paddock during Friday’s FP2, drivers were greeted by a vastly different set of challenges. With track temperatures soaring to 49°C and a dusty, deteriorating surface coating the asphalt, finding grip around the twisty Hungaroring during Free Practice 3 proved to be a delicate balancing act.
Desperate to claw back crucial track time after handing his Alpine over in FP1 and suffering a heavy impact with the barriers in FP2, Franco Colapinto was the first to venture out on soft tyres, having the circuit to himself for the opening seven minutes. Joining the Argentine on an empty track was Lance Stroll, eager to evaluate Aston Martin’s extensive 16-component upgrade package after a dramatic suspension failure had sidelined him for most of Friday.
However, any early momentum across the grid was swiftly brought to a halt by trouble at Cadillac. Having spent the opening portion of the session in the garage while mechanics made late setup tweaks, Sergio Pérez finally joined Free Practice 3—only for his run to end in disaster almost immediately. Plumes of dense white smoke began pouring from the rear of his car as the Mexican frantically reported over the radio:
“Lost the engine… And had a massive brake, looks like the brakes are on fire at the back.”
Sergio Perez
Pérez pulled off the track at Turn 2, prompting race control to throw a red flag to safely recover the stranded car.
Meanwhile, behind the pit wall, the Racing Bulls mechanics executed an incredible turnaround on Arvid Lindblad’s machine to get him out before Free Practice 3 drew to a close. After a precautionary Red Bull Powertrains engine unit change threatened to keep the rookie sidelined for the entire hour, mechanics cleared the car with just minutes remaining. Undeterred by his lack of track time, Lindblad hit the circuit for a high-pressure late stint, punching in a 14th-fastest lap time.
When running resumed for the frontrunners, championship leader Kimi Antonelli found himself fighting the limits of both the circuit and his Mercedes. On his first flying lap of Free Practice 3, the young Italian ran aggressive over the kerbs at Turn 4, exceeding track limits—a habit that has drawn scrutiny over recent race weekends. Returning to the pit lane, Antonelli declined a front-wing angle adjustment offered by his engineering team, choosing instead to trust his setup. The gamble paid off: on his next attempt, he hooked up a sparkling lap to jump into second, splitting the dominant Ferraris and putting his FP2 struggles behind him.
As the final qualifying simulations commenced in the closing stages of Free Practice 3, it was Lando Norris who truly laid down the gauntlet. Flaunting raw, unbridled pace under the Hungarian sun, the Briton strung together a series of purple sectors to displace Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton from the top spot. The McLaren MCL40 looked virtually untouchable through the sweeping medium-speed corners of the middle sector, effectively countering Ferrari’s blisteringly fast performance in Sector 3.
When the chequered flag fell on Free Practice 3, Norris sat atop the standings with a benchmark time of 1:17.939, holding a tight 0.117-second margin over Hamilton’s Ferrari, with Antonelli completing a close-knit top three just 0.012s further back. With qualifying just hours away and three different constructors locking out the top three positions, the battle for pole position is shaping up to be a razor-thin duel between McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes.
