Lando Norris denies Lewis Hamilton a record 10th Hungarian Grand Prix pole by 0.012s

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Lando Norris has scored pole position for the 2026 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, after the McLaren man edged Ferrari rival Lewis Hamilton by 0.012 seconds in Q3 on Saturday.

Red Bull racer Max Verstappen kicked off the pole position shootout at the Hungarian GP, as the four-time F1 champion produced an opening effort of 1:17:725 in Q3. But McLaren stars Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris immediately pushed Verstappen down the provisional order.

Norris was faster than Piastri and Verstappen across all three sectors of the Hungaroring, as he set a 1:17.320. But the Ferrari pilots were yet to come, and new fastest overall sectors in zones one and three moved Lewis Hamilton 0.101s clear of his British compatriot to take P1.

The McLaren MCL40 has often had an edge over Ferrari’s SF-26 in the middle sector at the Hungarian GP in Norris’ hands. But the reigning F1 champion crucially lost time to Hamilton at the end of his lap, where the Ferrari star crucially also held a margin over Charles Leclerc.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, plus the weather forecast

Leading the provisional Q3 order did not stop Hamilton from exiting the pit lane first for his final run during qualifying for the Hungarian GP, though. But the seven-time champion went 0.188s slower in sector one, where Leclerc and Verstappen also failed to improve their laps.

Hamilton continued to lap under his provisional pole time, and crossed the finish line 1.687s down on his own time. McLaren, in contrast, watched Norris improve his times in all three sectors after exiting the pit lane last, and a new overall best middle sector proved enough for the 26-year-old to deny Hamilton pole for the 2026 Hungarian GP by a mere 0.012 seconds.

Norris’ effort edging Hamilton by less than a tenth of a second also denied his compatriot a record 10th Hungarian GP pole position. Hamilton came within a whisker of making history this Saturday, as he would have also been the first driver in history with 10 poles at a track.

Drama unfolded in between Hamilton and Norris’ laps at the end of Q3, as well, as Red Bull ace Verstappen spun at the final corner while desperately trying to improve. George Russell also endured a bleak end to qualifying in his Mercedes, as the Briton parked up at Turn 1.

Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly headline the Q2 exits at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso got Q2 at the Hungarian Grand Prix underway with a 1:20.696 after getting into the second stage of qualifying for the first time this year. But while Alonso made full use of Aston Martin’s 16 upgrades, he used two sets of his three new C5 soft Pirelli tyres in Q1.

Alonso using older tyres at the start of Q2 was always set to see his benchmark plummet down the order, aided by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen setting the first front-running time with a 1:18.249. Yet Isack Hadjar in the other RB22 was not having as much fun at the start of Q2, as the Frenchman used too much of the Turn 12 exit kerb and spun after clipping the gravel.

The Hungarian GP celebrates its 40th anniversary by renaming the corners – Which corner would you want renamed after you?

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Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari soon made use of his new set of soft tyres and a clear track to move atop the Q2 order with a 1:17.931. Mercedes gem Andrea Kimi Antonelli also slotted into P2 with a 1:18.178, but the Italian was quickly on the radio to claim he had “zero grip”.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had bigger problems, as the Monegasque returned to the pit lane ranked just seventh in the order after posting a lap 1.005s slower than Hamilton’s effort. A warning was also Leclerc’s name for a yellow flag infringement, but drew no further action.

Once again, Alonso got the action in Q2 back underway following the mid-session lull, and a fresh set of soft tyres on his Aston Martin carried the Spaniard up the order with a 1:19.808.

But Alonso’s time was not enough for a shock Q3 outing, and was soon 1.936s off the fastest time as Hadjar moved to the top of the order with his only timed lap in Q2 with a 1:17.872. The track continuing to grip up ultimately meant Alonso also ended Q2 with the slowest lap.

Pressure also ramped up on Antonelli entering the final laps of Q2, as the stewards deleted his earlier 1:18.178 for exceeding track limits at Turn 7. The Italian thus had to deliver with his final run, and he registered a 1:18.393. Yet it was only enough to end Q2 in P8 ahead of his teammate George Russell, who was 0.989s off the best pace set by McLaren’s Lando Norris.

The Q2 timesheets were ever-changing in the final seconds in the middle stage of qualifying for the Hungarian GP. But Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto would not progress, and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson rued a car that was “so hard to drive” as he departed in P11. Lawson frequently struggled with understeer and failed to string a fast final sector together.

Fernando Alonso eliminated Oliver Bearman from qualifying for the Hungarian GP in Q1

Williams ace Carlos Sainz kicked off qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but it fell on his teammate Alex Albon to set the first lap time during Q1. Sainz blew his first lap of qualifying by running wide on the exit of Turn 4, so he moved aside as Albon registered a 1:21.596 lap.

The Williams FW48 has very much not been the car to have at the Hungarian GP, and Albon was quickly shuffled down the order as Aston Martin aces Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll dipped into the 1:20s. Aston Martin have introduced 16 upgrades in Hungary this weekend, and design icon Adrian Newey’s work has finally offered Alonso and Stroll a competitive car.

Even Haas and Alpine are seeing Aston Martin as a rival at the Hungarian GP, despite Honda not yet providing the Silverstone outfit with their updated engine that is expected next time out at Zandvoort. Cadillac, meanwhile, have dropped to the very back of the pack this week.

Ultimately, Stroll still joined Cadillac at the bottom of the order in Q1, but Alonso gave Aston Martin their first Q2 appearance of the 2026 season at the Hungarian GP. The Spaniard took his AMR26 to P16 in the Q1 timesheets, just 0.107s faster than Haas’ Oliver Bearman in P17.

At the top of the order in Q1, Ferrari initially sent Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc out on the medium C4 Pirelli tyres. But while Hamilton set a very competitive 1:18.730, Leclerc had to go again at the end of Q1 after only managing a provisional 1:19.344 with his second lap.

Leclerc initially set a 1:18.878, but he lost the effort for exceeding track limits at Turn 3. The time that Hamilton set, on the other hand, was so fast that Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli were only 0.074s and 0.004s quicker with the soft C5 tyres. McLaren’s Lando Norris, however, shot to the top on the soft tyres by 0.453s over Hamilton.

Full 2026 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying results