Lando Norris claimed pole position for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix by just 0.012 seconds over Lewis Hamilton, denying Ferrari at the end of an exceptionally close qualifying session. Charles Leclerc secured third place, while Kimi Antonelli finished fourth after late yellow flags disrupted the final attempts at the Hungaroring.
With the leading teams closely matched throughout the three practice sessions and Ferrari and Mercedes appearing set for a tight Budapest contest, qualifying promised to be one of the most competitive of the opening part of the season. That expectation was confirmed as Lewis Hamilton temporarily held the fastest time in Q3 before Lando Norris snatched pole by only 12 milliseconds.
Q1: Lando Norris sets the pace as Ferrari choose the medium tyres
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were the first drivers to head onto the circuit, with the rest of the field gradually following them out of the pit lane. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were the first of the leading contenders to begin their flying laps.
Lewis Hamilton opened with a 1m18.730s, while Charles Leclerc had his first time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 3. The two Ferrari drivers were the only competitors using medium tyres during this phase of qualifying.
With seven minutes remaining, Lando Norris led the field with a 1m18.277s, followed by Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton occupied fourth place, while Charles Leclerc was ninth. Further down the order, Liam Lawson made a strong start in eighth, with Fernando Alonso impressing in a provisional 12th position.
Following a brief spell in the pits, the drivers returned to the track for the decisive final runs. When the chequered flag fell, Lando Norris remained fastest, while Kimi Antonelli climbed to second ahead of Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton completed an encouraging opening session in fourth. Charles Leclerc finished ninth after returning to the circuit on the same set of medium tyres.
Eliminated in Q1: Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. Fernando Alonso progressed to Q2 for the first time this season.
Q2: Lando Norris responds as Kimi Antonelli survives a difficult session
Fernando Alonso was again the first driver onto the Hungaroring when Q2 began. With seven minutes left on the clock, Lewis Hamilton moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1m17.931s, followed by Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc was seventh after encountering a yellow flag caused by Isack Hadjar in the third sector. Isack Hadjar ran into the gravel at Turn 12, triggering a brief spin. Charles Leclerc was consequently forced to abandon his lap and return to the pits.
The drivers prepared for their final attempts with three minutes remaining as the battle for the ten available Q3 places intensified. At the chequered flag, Lando Norris became the fastest driver, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Kimi Antonelli qualified eighth after one of his earlier laps was deleted for exceeding track limits. Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto and Fernando Alonso were eliminated, while Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hülkenberg produced strong performances to reach Q3.
Q3: Lando Norris takes Hungarian GP pole as yellow flags intervene
All ten remaining drivers quickly headed onto the track at the beginning of Q3, with Max Verstappen leading the group. Max Verstappen was therefore the first to begin a flying lap and opened with a 1m17.725s.
Once the rest of the field had completed their first attempts, Lewis Hamilton was fastest with a 1m17.219s. Lando Norris was one tenth behind, with Charles Leclerc third and Kimi Antonelli fourth. Max Verstappen occupied sixth place, immediately ahead of George Russell, before the drivers returned to their garages.
With three minutes remaining, the field left the pits for the final runs that would determine the Hungarian Grand Prix starting order. Lando Norris ultimately secured pole position by only 0.012 seconds over Lewis Hamilton, who was unable to improve his earlier time. Charles Leclerc also failed to lower his time and remained third.
Max Verstappen spun during his final attempt and caused a yellow flag, forcing both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to slow. George Russell then came to a surprising stop further around the circuit at Turn 1, with the cause not immediately clear.
The result left Ferrari narrowly short of pole despite locking out the second and third positions. Lewis Hamilton will nevertheless start from the front row at a circuit where his remarkable Hungarian Grand Prix record had already raised expectations, while Charles Leclerc will line up directly behind his team-mate.
Ferrari’s competitive qualifying performance also followed the introduction of the upgraded “Macarena” rear wing on the SF-26 at the Hungaroring. However, the qualifying classification remained provisional because of possible impeding incidents involving Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton, details of which had yet to be disclosed.
Leave a Reply