2026 Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying: Norris Takes Pole, with Hamilton and Leclerc Behind Him

Lando Norris will start from pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix after a qualifying session that was decided in the final seconds of Q3 with a time of 1:17.207. Lewis Hamilton was just twelve thousandths behind, and Charles Leclerc took third place in the second Ferrari. Norris's pole, his first since the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, confirms the strong form of a McLaren that introduced an upgrade package in Hungary focused on the floor, which had already worked well in free practice.

Photo By Mclaren

Ferrari arrived at qualifying with the momentum from Friday, when Leclerc and Hamilton had occupied the top two positions in FP2 and left Max Verstappen as the only one able to match their pace. That day left the team convinced that the Hungaroring suited the strengths of the SF-26: balance through corners, mechanical grip, and traction that is decisive in the twisty sections of Budapest. Leclerc had said on Thursday that execution would be the most important factor, and Hamilton, who arrived at FP3 with the fastest time of the morning, seemed set to confirm it until Norris put in his final lap.

Photo By Ferrari

The session began with 26 degrees ambient temperature and nearly 50 on the asphalt, conditions that demanded careful tyre management and shaped Q1. Ferrari opted to send both drivers out on medium tyres for their first run, a gamble that left Hamilton with the provisional fastest time and Leclerc with a lap deleted for exceeding track limits. Verstappen and Norris traded places at the front before the McLaren driver closed the first round at the top. The eliminations left out Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Pérez. Williams was the big loser in Q1: James Vowles, the team principal, apologised to both drivers over the radio before the session ended.

Isack Hadjar provisionally moved to first place in Q2 with a time of 1:17.872 before a spin at Turn 12 from which he recovered without damage. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had been fourth in FP3, complained about a lack of grip and asked the team to review the tyre behaviour, a request that contrasted with the confidence Mercedes had shown on Friday. Hamilton momentarily reclaimed the lead before Norris responded again to finish Q2 as the fastest. Gabriel Bortoleto advanced with his final attempt, Nico Hülkenberg secured a Q3 spot, and Fernando Alonso, who had just made the cut in the updated Aston Martin, was eliminated along with Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, and Esteban Ocon.

Photo By Mclaren

Hamilton, Norris, and Verstappen traded places at the front in Q3. Verstappen set the first benchmark before Oscar Piastri and Norris improved on it. Hamilton responded with a lap that put him ahead after the first runs, but Norris improved at the very last moment. With time about to expire, the Briton put in a clean lap and beat Hamilton by the smallest margin of the day. George Russell could not complete his final attempt after stopping at Turn 1 when the clock had already reached zero, and both Verstappen and Hadjar suffered spins that left them sixth and eighth, respectively.

Behind Norris and the two Ferraris, Antonelli confirmed Mercedes's strong form with fourth place, followed by Piastri, Verstappen, Russell, Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, and Nico Hülkenberg, who closed out the top 10. On Sunday, with temperatures similar to Saturday's, grid position will be decisive on a circuit where overtaking is as difficult as finding a clean lap in qualifying.

Post‑qualifying update

Lewis Hamilton received a three‑place grid penalty after the stewards determined that he impeded Oscar Piastri during Q3. The incident occurred when Hamilton, who had just completed a fast lap, slowed on the racing line at Turn 1 while Piastri was on a flying lap. The Australian had to go off track and abandon his attempt. Hamilton said he did not receive the radio warning in time and that he did not see Piastri in his mirrors. The penalty drops him to fifth place on the grid, behind Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Piastri himself.

Update: Antonelli also penalised

Kimi Antonelli was also handed a three‑place grid penalty after the stewards concluded that he did not slow down sufficiently under yellow flags during Q3. The penalty adds to the one already given to Hamilton for impeding Piastri in the same session, and modifies the starting grid for Sunday at the Hungaroring. Antonelli had qualified fourth and had gained a position with Hamilton's penalty, but the sanction drops him back to seventh place on the grid. With this move, Piastri moves up to fourth, Verstappen to fifth, Russell to sixth, and Hadjar to eighth. The championship leader, who arrived in Budapest with 204 points and a 45‑point lead over Hamilton, will have to fight from behind on a circuit where overtaking is difficult.

Hungarian Grand Prix Qualification

Pos.	No.	driver	team	Q1	Q2	Q3
1	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:18.277	1:17.456	1:17.207
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:18.730	1:17.803	1:17.219
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:18.878	1:17.626	1:17.445
4	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:18.554	1:18.178	1:17.479
5	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:18.891	1:17.928	1:17.684
6	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:18.656	1:18.249	1:17.725
7	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:18.856	1:18.445	1:17.760
8	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	1:18.754	1:17.872	1:17.856
9	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:19.233	1:18.360	1:18.281
10	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:18.796	1:18.639	1:18.686
11	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:19.161	1:18.765
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:19.741	1:18.844
13	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:19.771	1:19.027
14	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:19.069	1:19.105
15	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:20.010	1:19.734
16	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:20.126	1:19.808
17	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:20.233
18	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:20.621
19	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:20.658
20	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:20.659
21	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	1:20.886
22	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	1:21.322