Marc Priestley saw Lando Norris do something ‘unbelievable’ to beat Max Verstappen to Hungarian Grand Prix pole

Follow us on Google Discover

Marc Priestley saw McLaren racer Lando Norris do something ‘unbelievable’ to beat Red Bull driver Max Verstappen to pole position for the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old took his second pole of the season so far at the Hungaroring this Saturday with a McLaren one-two. Oscar Piastri put his MCL38 in second place before red flags hit Q3 after a heavy crash for Yuki Tsunoda. But no driver would deny Norris pole come the restart.

Verstappen did not return to the circuit for the final two minutes of Q3 as Red Bull doubted he would improve. Norris, meanwhile, did return to the track but aborted his final run after failing to improve. Yet the Briton did not need the run having already done enough for pole.

Lando Norris stunned Marc Priestley in qualifying for the Hungarian GP

Piastri likewise aborted his final run to finish Q3 in the pit lane with Norris, who took pole by just 0.022 seconds to his McLaren teammate. Verstappen’s earlier lap time ensured Red Bull will have a car in the front fight after Sergio Perez crashed in Q1 and bowed out in only P16.

Verstappen set his fastest time of Q3 to get to within 0.046s of Norris right before Tsunoda’s crash. The Visa Cash App RB ace destroyed his chassis after drifting wide out of Turn 6 and smashed into the barriers. His crash also meant Norris could not improve on his initial effort.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Hungarian Grand Prix including Alonso and Hamilton’s spat

Tsunoda crashed as Norris started his second timed run of Q3. But the McLaren driver’s first run astounded Priestley, who found the margin Norris opened to Verstappen ‘unbelievable’. It also proved to be enough for the Briton to score his third career pole and second of 2024.

“Wow, that was a lap,” Priestley told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. “Three-tenths [of a second] over Verstappen? Unbelievable stuff.”

Lando Norris will hope to avoid a repeat of his Spanish GP pole failure

Norris will now hope he can achieve more from pole position for the Hungarian GP than he could from P1 on the grid at the Spanish GP. The Briton also beat Verstappen to pole at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya by just 0.020s. But he would not make use of pole in Spain.

A sluggish start saw Norris fall to third place in the Spanish GP as George Russell relished a double slipstream to steal the lead. Norris reacted well to the lights going out but suffered wheelspin in the second phase that let Verstappen edge level and secure the inside for T1.