Ferrari had been expected to be strong at this track, which is one of the least power-dependent on the calendar, as it has the best car in the corners but it is lacking engine performance.
But Leclerc was cautious about reading too much into it. Hamilton did not speak to the media – only one driver from each team does a pooled interview on Fridays.
“It was a relatively strong day,” Leclerc said. “I felt good with the car and the performance seemed to be there straight away so that’s a good thing but the weekend is long.
“From the Friday to Saturday we see teams making a jump in performance. Normally we are on the back foot on Friday so it’s a good thing we have a good Friday but we still need to stay on it and work hard to get better tomorrow.
“It is going to be tight tomorrow. I don’t expect us to have the gap we have today, we will have to do everything perfect. But if the feeling is there I am sure we will do a good job in Q3.”
George Russell was 0.933secs off the pace and behind Norris, with a significant upgrade on the McLaren, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Briton said: “It’s a bit of a shame because Budapest is one of the most enjoyable circuits to drive. They have resurfaced a third of the track and they’ve done a really bad job. It’s really bumpy.
“The track is braking up in the last corner so people are driving around the middle of the last corner and not hitting the apex.
“The underlying car pace doesn’t seem as competitive as we saw in Silverstone and Spa. There is a lot of room to improve. The wind is shifting a lot and that has a real impact into car balance. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.”
Antonelli, leading Hamilton by 45 points and Russell by 50, did not complete a qualifying simulation lap in the second session.
His first had to be abandoned when Franco Colapinto crashed his Alpine at the last corner, and his second came to grief when he made an error going into the chicane.
Antonelli was complaining all session about rear brake locking, but he was on a par with Norris’ time in the first sector on both laps before they were curtailed.
Deputy team principal Bradley Lord said: “Lack of grip and balance, both drivers had to wind some front wing out, but on the long runs looked pretty consistent and competitive compared to the Ferrari, Red Bull and McLarens.”
Behind Russell, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was sixth fastest, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
