The wind is up at the Hungaroring, and if you're Mercedes, that's about as welcome as a surprise visit from the FIA. In FP2, the gusts were particularly unkind to the Silver Arrows, but hey, at least they're not alone in their suffering - everyone's dealing in fractions. David Croft informs us that the last four poles here were settled by a combined total of less than one tenth of a second. So basically, it's anyone's guess.
Meanwhile, F1 bosses have been busy playing geopolitical Tetris with the calendar. If Donald Trump somehow manages to get Qatar and Abu Dhabi cancelled (because why not add a layer of absurdity?), the season finale will move to Imola - Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari home turf. And in a twist that would make a spy novel blush, Malaysia is set to host a race called the Bahrain Grand Prix, bankrolled by Bahrain. Because nothing says 'Middle Eastern conflict solution' like racing in Southeast Asia under a borrowed name. The Sepang circuit, last used in 2017, will fill a void between Azerbaijan and Singapore, pending confirmation as early as Sunday.
As for the on-track action, Lando Norris topped FP3, proving that McLaren's resurgence is not a fluke. Lewis Hamilton was 0.117 seconds behind, which in F1 terms is an eternity, but he ran wide at the chicane, so there's hope. Kimi Antonelli, after a distant 13th on Friday, clawed back to third, just 0.129 seconds off the pace. George Russell, meanwhile, is still fighting his own demons - and his car. He says Mercedes fixed the battery glitch that ruined his Belgian GP, but he was six-tenths slower than Norris in FP3. That's not a glitch; that's a chasm.
Mercedes have taken pole for every main race this season (Antonelli 6, Russell 4), but FP3 suggests they have a battle on their hands. The constructors' standings show Mercedes leading with 358 points, followed by Ferrari (285), McLaren (195), and Red Bull (151). In the drivers' championship, Antonelli leads with 204, Hamilton has 159, and Russell lags with 154.
Lando Norris, never one to mince words, had a go at F1's business-first approach: "The thing that's a shame is that Formula One's gone too heavily led by the fact it's a business nowadays and not how can you make the sport the best possible." He's not wrong - the 50-50 split between electrical power and the internal combustion engine has turned racing into a battery management simulator. Drivers now spend more time worrying about energy deployment than overtaking. F1 responded with the usual corporate boilerplate: "Drivers are listened to more than ever." Sure they are.
Aston Martin brought 16 upgrades to the car, which is either a sign of desperation or hope. Fernando Alonso managed a promising 13th in FP1, but Lance Stroll had a suspension failure and missed FP2. So, same old Aston Martin.
Russell's battery woes at Spa were blamed for his crash with Hamilton: "I exited the first corner 35% down … I got to the top of Eau Rouge with 0% battery and quite frankly it was dangerous." Toto Wolff backed him, saying the problem was "100% on us." That's team solidarity for you.
So, as we head into qualifying, the big questions are: Will Hungary see a swing back to Russell? Will the two Mercedes finally have comparable results? And will the wind behave itself? Stay tuned.