Lando Norris secured pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix by just 12 thousandths of a second ahead of Lewis Hamilton, frustrating the Ferrari driver at the very last moment.
Read more Lando Norris strikes hard in FP3 before qualifying, Ferrari joined by McLaren and Mercedes
The Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying lived up to all its promises. After a Friday dominated by Ferrari and FP3 won by Lando Norris, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes engaged in an extremely tight battle for pole position.
At the end of a session full of twists and turns, it was ultimately Norris who had the last word. The McLaren driver set a lap of 1’17″308, beating Lewis Hamilton by just 12 thousandths of a second.
The Briton thought he had secured his first pole position since joining Ferrari. But Norris found the last hundredths needed on his final attempt to secure the top spot on the grid.
Ferrari reassures, Aston Martin takes a step forward
Q1 confirmed the good form seen since the start of the weekend. Ferrari initially chose to send Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc out on medium tires before seeing the other favorites switch to soft tires.
Norris quickly set the pace ahead of Max Verstappen, while Leclerc had to contend with a deleted lap for exceeding track limits before securing his qualification.
This first part of the session was also marked by a historic performance for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso managed to qualify for Q2, a first for the British team this season, while Lance Stroll was eliminated in the first phase.
The eliminated drivers from Q1 are Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Pérez.
Hamilton and Norris gain momentum
The second part of qualifying once again illustrated the density of the field. Max Verstappen initially took the lead before Lewis Hamilton set an excellent lap of 1’17″931.
Charles Leclerc, hindered by a yellow flag caused by Isack Hadjar’s spin, could not fully exploit his first attempt. The Racing Bulls Frenchman, moreover, set the provisional best time once his lap was validated.
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Lando Norris finally brought everyone into agreement with an impressive 1’17″456, ahead of the two Ferraris. The Mercedes, meanwhile, had some scares, with Kimi Antonelli seeing an initial time disallowed before saving his qualification in the final moments.
Fernando Alonso ultimately failed to reach Q3, accompanied by Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Esteban Ocon.
Norris breaks Hamilton in the final moments
Q3 offered a spectacular finale. After an initial attempt dominated by Norris, Lewis Hamilton managed to take the lead with a remarkable lap, relegating the McLaren driver to just over a tenth.
Charles Leclerc then held third place ahead of Kimi Antonelli, while George Russell and Max Verstappen remained further back.
Everything came down to the final minutes. Verstappen spun on his ultimate attempt, causing a yellow flag that notably compromised Antonelli’s final lap.
Despite this interruption, Norris managed to improve his time and reclaim first place by just 12 thousandths of a second. Hamilton must therefore postpone the hope of securing his first pole position with Ferrari.
A promising grid for the Grand Prix
Behind Norris and Hamilton, Charles Leclerc completes the top 3 ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen will have to settle for sixth place ahead of George Russell.
Isack Hadjar once again confirms Racing Bulls’ progress with eighth position, ahead of Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hülkenberg.
With three teams capable of fighting for victory and tiny margins between the main contenders, all the ingredients seem to be in place to deliver a particularly hotly contested Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
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2026 F1 Hungarian GP Qualifying Classification:
