Lando Norris pips Lewis Hamilton to top Hungarian Grand Prix FP3 as McLaren tactic emerges

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Lando Norris is the first non-Mercedes driver to top an FP3 session in 2026, after he edged Lewis Hamilton in the final practice timesheets at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Lance Stroll returned to the track in the early stages of FP3, having had to sit out the second practice session on Friday as a result of his suspension failure during FP1. Aston Martin were still able to let Stroll continue with the same specification upgrades as Fernando Alonso has.

Aston Martin were forced into unplanned changes after Stroll’s rear suspension broke during FP1 in Hungary, and also took the opportunity to put a different engine in his AMR26. Alpine also spent Friday evening under one of their cars, as Franco Colapinto crashed during FP2.

McLaren are in the mix 👀 Are you surprised by Lando Norris’ pace in FP3 in Hungary?

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Colapinto was immediately out of the pit lane to start FP3 on Saturday, and he even had the circuit to himself to shake down Alpine’s repairs. The Argentine’s initial laps also put rubber back down on the track after overnight repairs were needed due to the surface opening up.

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

Arvid Lindblad was not as fortunate, however, as he sat out most of FP3 at the Hungarian GP due to an engine change, after Racing Bulls found an issue after firing his engine up. Racing Bulls had also changed Liam Lawson’s power unit overnight back to the unit he used at Spa.

Likewise, Cadillac started Saturday at the Hungarian GP having to complete some extensive work on Sergio Perez’s car. But their efforts were ultimately in vain, as Perez parked up soon after he took to the circuit and triggered a red flag period as his rear brakes caught fire. The Mexican had a very abrupt failure at Turn 2 as he braked, which Cadillac had not worked on.

Fortunes were very different at the other end of the pit lane to Cadillac, as McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri began to show the MCL40’s pace in the final hour of practice. Norris led the order at the midway mark of FP3 with a 1:19.052, ahead of Piastri by 0.174s.

Ferrari were the team to beat on Friday, though, and Lewis Hamilton ensured they were on top once more with a 1:19.053 as soft C5 Pirelli tyre runs became the priority. Isack Hadjar put the Red Bull RB22 in the mix, too, with a 1:19.085, despite him reporting “disgusting” and “horrific” downshifts in Turns 1, 2 and 12 over the radio – a regular issue for Red Bull.

Track limits were a problem for Mercedes talent and drivers’ championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli during FP3 at the Hungarian GP. The 19-year-old often found himself drifting out of bounds, before slotting into P2 with a 1:18.812 after Charles Leclerc set a 1:18.668.

Antonelli, who sat out FP1 on Friday, soon started to find his groove, though. The Italian set a new overall best in the first sector and moved atop the order with a 1:18.254, despite his tyres giving up as the lap advanced. Piastri was next up, but could only edge within 0.210s.

Norris was also on a charge, and the reigning champion quickly dethroned Antonelli with a 1:18.206 lap despite a very scruffy run leaving the final corner. George Russell, in contrast, could only produce a 1:18.869, 0.663s slower than his British compatriot’s quickest effort.

Ferrari were the last of the front runners to show their hand in FP3 at the Hungarian GP, as Leclerc took to the track with a brand new set of the soft C5 Pirelli tyres but set a 1:18.291 after a slow middle sector. Hamilton, in contrast, posted new session-best times in the first and final sectors to move atop the order with a 1:18.056 – although it would be short-lived.

Norris kept pushing on his soft tyres to post the first 1:17 lap time of the week at 1:17.939, after producing a new overall best in the middle sector at 27.839s. Norris gained 0.475s on Hamilton in sector two, to negate losing 0.030s in sector one and 0.315s in sector three.

Full 2026 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix FP3 results