FP2 final classification had the top 3 drivers separated by only 5 hundredths of a second after a scorching end to the Friday practice sessions.
A very happy Valtteri Bottas claimed the top spot followed by his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen struggled with his aero set-up mentioning a loose rear end but managed to clasp some extra speed to finish 3rd.
The session was without any spins or crashes but nature was playing its part to help bother the drivers in other ways.
Track temperatures were reaching 50 degrees helped by a sweltering 33 degrees air temperature around Budapest.
Haas driver Nikita Mazepin complained of extreme heat reaching his left foot mentioning a possible early return to the pits because of it.
Aside from the heat the two Alpine drivers were on form, especially Esteban Ocon who finished FP2 an impressive 4th. His more experienced teammate Fernando Alonso also consolidated a top 10 finish in 7th.
Both Aston Martins made the top 10 as well, with Sebastian Vettel in 8th and Lance stroll completing his practice laps 10th fastest.
Now that the Mercedes are back on top and Verstappen has his car repaired and tuned ready to fight, FP3 will be the final session for teams to test their race and qualifying trim.
the final classification for FP2 was:
| POS | NO | DRIVER | CAR | TIME | GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | MERCEDES | 1:17.012 | 29 | |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | 1:17.039 | +0.027s | 27 |
| 3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 1:17.310 | +0.298s | 24 |
| 4 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:17.759 | +0.747s | 29 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Perez | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 1:17.824 | +0.812s | 23 |
| 6 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 1:18.113 | +1.101s | 31 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:18.169 | +1.157s | 27 |
| 8 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | 1:18.228 | +1.216s | 31 |
| 9 | 4 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:18.313 | +1.301s | 25 |
| 10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | 1:18.320 | +1.308s | 30 |
| 11 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | 1:18.370 | +1.358s | 30 |
| 12 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | FERRARI | 1:18.441 | +1.429s | 32 |
| 13 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:18.737 | +1.725s | 26 |
| 14 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 1:19.277 | +2.265s | 21 |
| 15 | 63 | George Russell | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:19.292 | +2.280s | 29 |
| 16 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:19.479 | +2.467s | 30 |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 1:19.671 | +2.659s | 3 |
| 18 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | HAAS FERRARI | 1:19.817 | +2.805s | 29 |
| 19 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 1:20.186 | +3.174s | 28 |
| 20 | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | HAAS FERRARI | 1:21.881 | +4.869s | 28 |
Feature image: twitter/mercedsAMGF1