Lando Norris denied Lewis Hamilton a record-breaking 10th pole position at the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, clinching the top spot in the closing seconds.
Friday and Saturday provided a conflicting picture in terms of the pecking order. Ferrari initially had the advantage on Friday, leading both sessions, before reigning champions Lando Norris and McLaren led the way in FP3, the upgrades to the MCL40 seemingly working well.
Ahead of the obvious question of whether McLaren could carry this pace into qualifying, Mercedes also faced questions as to whether it could turn around its weekend, the Silver Arrows lacking pace compared to its rivals.
Another team under the spotlight was Aston Martin. It brought 16 upgrades to the AMR26, the car unrecognisable from Spa just one week ago. Practice pace indicated improvement, but how far Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll could move up the order was yet to be revealed.
Q1
Drivers did not rush out onto the circuit at the green light for qualifying at the Hungarian GP; the two Williams were amongst a small group heading out in the opening minutes that also contained the Aston Martins and both the Cadillacs. Both Alonso and Stroll went faster than Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, but there was still a long way to go in the session.
Meanwhile, the rest of the field remained patiently in their garages, with the vast majority of the drivers not taking to the track until only ten minutes remained. Ferrari and Mercedes chose very different strategies for Q1, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc attempting to progress to Q2 on medium tyres, while Mercedes were fitted with softs.
Once the first runs were complete, Norris led from Verstappen, with Antonelli third and Hamilton fourth, and Russell down in seventh. Ferrari’s gamble looked to have paid off, the pace offset between the soft and medium tyres proving minimal. In the lower order, a close battle ensued. Oliver Bearman,
Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, both Cadillacs and Gabriel Bortoleto were in the elimination zone, the latter having his lap time deleted for track limits. When the chequered flag fell, Bortoleto comfortably progressed to Q2, while Alonso’s final effort was enough to secure P15, pushing out Oliver Bearman, the Briton joining Stroll, both Williams and Cadillacs at the back of the grid.
Eliminated: Bearman, Sainz, Albon, Stroll, Bottas, Perez
Q2
Alonso was the only driver to take to the track at the start of Q2, with the rest of the field slowly venturing out in the opening minutes. Having used the life of his soft tyres from Q1, he quickly saw his initial lap time beaten.
Isack Hadjar spun due to understeer, ruining his first lap and forcing the others to slow down, with Hamilton leading the way after the first runs. The competitive order became further warped due to some opting to use used soft tyres, while others opted for new sets.
In the drop zone, both Alpines were joined by the remaining Haas of Esteban Ocon, Alonso, Hadjar and Bortoleto, with not much separating them from progressing to Q3. Alonso pulled out a stunning lap to move into tenth, but he soon slipped back. Antonelli faced huge pressure after his only lap time was deleted; the championship leader was forced to settle for only sixth when he crossed the line.
Leclerc also faced pressure but secured second at the chequered flag. Lawson failed to improve and was eliminated, along with Alpine pair Bortoleto and Ocon and the remaining Aston Martin of Alonso.
Eliminated: Lawson, Gasly, Colapinto. Bortoleto, Ocon, Alonso
Q3
No one ventured out at the green flag for the start of Q3, the teams all once again waiting for someone else to go first. When the first car hit the pit lane, everyone else followed, as the queue formed.
McLaren and Ferrari looked to be in prime position, both having saved an extra set of soft tyres, a benefit that Mercedes had been unable to achieve. Hamilton led Norris at the end of the first runs, leading Norris by a tenth of a second. Leclerc and Antonelli lay fourth, but teammate Russell once again struggled, over half a second down in seventh.
Norris looked to have more time in his pocket after understeering wide at the final corner, while Mercedes looked to be struggling. The traditional lull descended over the circuit as the cars returned to the pits for new tyres.
The final runs began in earnest, with Hamilton going first. No one improved in the opening sectors, with Verstappen spinning, ending that group’s hopes of pole position. Behind, Norris, unaffected, surged to his first pole of the 2026, beating Hamilton, while any further improvements were extinguished by George Russell. Hamilton settled for second, with Leclerc rounding off the top three.
Top 10: Norris, Hamilton, Leclerc, Antonelli, Piastri, Verstappen, Russell, Hadjar, Lindblad, Hulkenberg
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