Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying Predictions & Betting tips - Formula 1

Prediction published on 24/07/2026, 10:54  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 24/07/2026 at 10:57

Formula 1 has arrived at the Hungaroring for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. Ferrari are expected to be a big danger in Budapest this weekend, and our Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying prediction is that Charles Leclerc will start Sunday on the front row. 

Despite Fred Vasseur trying to dismiss claims that Ferrari have an advantage coming into the Hungarian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc delivered an excellent performance in FP1 to underline why the SF-26 is a big player this weekend

The Hungaroring has been considered one of Ferrari’s strongest tracks on the race calendar due to its tight and twisty nature, which should play into the strengths of the SF-26 chassis. 

Additionally, Ferrari was competitive at recent power-sensitive tracks at Silverstone and Spa, where Leclerc notched up a victory and finished second, respectively, coming into this week.

On Friday afternoon, the Monegasque outpaced Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in FP1 with a best lap of 1:19.075, despite needing to pull out of the session seven minutes early after reporting an issue with his car.

Another positive for the Italian team was the performance of Lewis Hamilton in FP1, with the seven-time world champion going third fastest, ahead of Isack Hadjar and George Russell.

Aston Martin rolled out their first upgrade of the season, but Lance Stroll spun out early, while teammate Fernando Alonso only managed to go 13th fastest in FP1.