Lando Norris beat Hamilton for pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix by just 0.012 seconds to become the first non-Mercedes driver to start out front in a GP this year. The Hungaroring, known for small margins, saw Lando Norris pip nine-time Hungarian Grand Prix pole sitter Lewis Hamilton by 0.012 seconds with a time of 1:17.219 on Saturday morning. This McLaren pole comes following the team bringing upgrades to the Hungarian Grand Prix including a new rear wing and better traction.
This marks the first time that the defending World Champion has started a Grand Prix from pole in 2026 and, more importantly to the scope of this season, the first Grand Prix pole not claimed by either the Mercedes of George Russell or Kimi Antonelli. They were seen truly struggling through all three qualifying sessions for the first time this year. Norris will share the front row with Hamilton, who held provisional pole with his first Q1 lap but couldn’t improve on it on the final qualifying run.
View Price on AmazonHamilton and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who will start third, were both down on the final run, giving Norris the chance to break through. “We went out first,” Hamilton told F1TV. “Which I don't think was the right call. But then on top of that, just the grip for some reason wasn't there on that last lap, for both Charles and I. It's obviously a track that I love. I think we're obviously competitive, but I think tomorrow's going to be a hard day.”
Hamilton knows how important pole position is at the Hungaroring, converting six of his nine poles into wins. Hamilton holds both the win and pole record at the track with eight and nine, respectively. Norris was among only two of the contenders to improve their time in their second Q3 attempt. The other contender to improve their time in Q3 was Antonelli, but his position stayed stagnant as he’ll start fourth ahead of Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri.
In the final moments of Q2, Verstappen spun, bringing out the yellow flag as Antonelli finished his final lap. The young driver learned from his mistake and his teammates' keen knowledge of the rule book to pull up just the right amount during a single yellow in the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying (also for a Verstappen spin) Verstappen will start behind Piastri, with his first Q1 run pushing Russell back to seventh. The once championship favorite parked his car in the middle of turn 1 and left exasperated with his result and pace.
Norris will be chased down by the Ferraris, who will start the Grand Prix on an alternative strategy to the field as they elected to run mediums in Q1, saving more softs for a pole push through qualifying but also losing the chance to have fresh mediums on race day. “I'm in the best position for it, of course, but these guys, they get good starts,” Norris said of Sunday morning. “They've been fast all season, so I'm expecting still a tough race. Obviously they did Q1 on the medium, so it'd be interesting to know what tire they're going to start on tomorrow. So they may be in potentially a slightly better position with some things, but otherwise we did the job that we had to do today. So I'm pleased for that. And tonight we'll make sure we prepare in the best way possible for tomorrow.”
While the Ferraris have been in the spotlight behind Mercedes all year, this pole shows Norris and McLaren clawing back into the picture ahead of the F1 summer break, but the reigning World Drivers Champion knows that this is just one part of what needs to be a huge weekend for the Papaya team. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindbald and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg complete the starting top ten.
The Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, Audi’s Gabriell Bortoleto, Haas ' Esteban Ocon and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso were all eliminated in Q2 and will start 11th through 16th. Haas’ Oliver Bearman, Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, and two Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas and Sergi
Source: roadandtrack.com
