LEWIS Hamilton continued his long love affair with the Hungaroring by posting the fastest times in both Friday practice sessions ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton has become a master of the tight, twisty track, the slowest permanent facility on the Formula One ­calendar, claiming four poles and four victories in seven attempts.

A win on Sunday would make the 29-year-old the most successful driver at the circuit of all time, ahead of Michael Schumacher who also has four wins.

Hamilton could not have asked for much more of a springboard towards a win after ­finishing the day ahead of title rival and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Quickest in FP1 when the medium-compound tyre was used throughout, Hamilton posted a time of 1min 25.814 secs, 0.183secs clear of Rosberg.

Come FP2, when the drivers ran on soft rubber, the quicker of the two choices this weekend, Hamilton improved to 1:24.482, with Rosberg down by 0.238.

The fact they again finished one-two was no surprise as Mercedes have no equal this season, with just two drivers within a second of the pair.

Both were world champions, with outgoing champion Sebastian Vettel 0.629 off the pace in his Red Bull, followed by double title-holder Fernando Alonso for Ferrari, 0.955 adrift.

The second session was not without difficulty for Mercedes, as Hamilton at one stage complained brake problems and Rosberg had engine concerns, although long runs were eventually undertaken.