Since then, Max Verstappen has finally confirmed his immediate future lies with Red Bull, while team principal Fred Vasseur has signed a contract extension with Ferrari.

Lando Norris drew first blood at the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, headlining Formula 1's opening free practice session by a scant 0.019s over championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Alonso opted to miss FP1 in order to manage a back muscle injury picked up at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, and duly returned without any major problems for second practice in Hungary. After FP2 Alonso explained the injury and why it will not impact the rest of his race weekend.