Leclerc back on top as Ferrari lead the way in Hungary

:Ferrari topped the timesheets in both practisesessions for the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix on Friday with Charles Leclerc bouncing back to end the day quickest after team mate Carlos Sainz set the early pace.

Leclerc, who crashed while leading the previous race in France from pole position, lapped in one minute 18.445 seconds on low fuel and soft tyres after Sainz led the first session in 1:18.750.

Ferrari could not manage a one-two, with Red Bull's runaway championship leader Max Verstappen second fastest in practiseone and McLaren's Lando Norris in the later session.

Verstappen was 0.130 off Sainz's pace while Norris was 0.217 slower than Leclerc.

Leclerc is Verstappen's closest championship rival but a hefty 63 points adrift going into the last race before the sport's August break.

Norris was fourth fastest in the first session, with his Australian team mate and 2014 Hungarian GP winner Daniel Ricciardo ending up fifth in practisetwo.

"Things are feeling good, the car's in a good place," said Norris. "It seems to be suiting this track a little bit more but we're always a little bit quicker in FP2 than we end up being normally.

"Everyone else and especially Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes normally step it up a lot for tomorrow ... I'm not expecting to be fighting for pole or anything."

ALONSO'S BIRTHDAY

Alpine's Fernando Alonso, the double world champion celebrating his 41st birthday at the track where he took his first win with Renault in 2003, was sixth in the later session.

Verstappen's team mate Sergio Perez, who complained over the radio of "a bit of an allergy" after suffering a very public sneezing fit at speed early on, was sixth and ninth respectively.

Struggling champions Mercedes had a difficult day, with seven