Norris leads Hungarian GP practice

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 2, 2025, p. a10

Budapest. Britain's Lando Norris completed a double yesterday by being fastest in both free practice sessions for the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, ahead of his McLaren teammate, Australian Oscar Piastri.

Norris, who had already been fastest in the first session and is 16 points behind world championship leader Piastri in the overall standings, set his best lap of one minute, 15 seconds, and 624 thousandths of a second, beating the Australian by 291 thousandths on the tight Hungaroring track near the capital, Budapest. Monaco's Charles Leclerc again finished third at the wheel of his Ferrari.

I have a lot of confidence in myself , Piastri said of his title chances. The pace of the last few weekends, especially in Belgium, has given me a lot of confidence, and I'm very proud of that. I'm more than capable of continuing like this for the rest of the year.

McLaren could reach some milestones this weekend, with a possible 200th F1 victory for the team. It could also mark Piastri and Norris's fourth consecutive one-two finish, a feat McLaren last achieved in 1988.

The two Aston Martins of Canadian Lance Stroll and 44-year-old Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso, who was on track after missing the first practice session due to back pain, completed the top five in the final hour of running of the day.

The Asturian had been replaced in the first session by Brazilian Felipe Drugovitch. The other Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton, posted the sixth fastest time.

Far behind, the reigning four-time world champion, Max Verstappen (Red Bull), could only manage 14th on the timesheets.

The Dutchman complained about the balance of his car, saying it was like driving on ice . He was also filmed throwing a towel onto the track while behind the wheel. An action that will be investigated by the stewards.

His teammate, Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, posted the ninth fastest time. Alpine's Argentinian Franco Colapinto finished 20th and last.

The third and final free practice session will take place this Saturday, before qualifying for Sunday's race.

Although sunshine and warmth are expected today, rain could make an appearance on Sunday for the final Grand Prix before the summer break.

▲ Photo courtesy of FMAA

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 2, 2025, p. a10

René Valdez del Pardo (seated center) was unanimously elected president of the Mexican Federation of Athletics Associations during the general assembly attended by representatives of World Athletics, the Mexican Olympic Committee, and the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport, to fulfill his eligibility following the resignation of Antonio Lozano Pineda, who led the organization for 20 years.