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Lando Norris will start on pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix - Sona Maleterova/Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton has been issued a three-place grid penalty after being denied pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix in the closing seconds by Lando Norris. Hamilton has taken pole position at this track nine times and looked to be on course to take a 10th before squandering a golden opportunity.
Heading into the final runs, Hamilton was 0.101sec faster than defending champion Norris in the McLaren, but struggled on his last flying lap and did not improve.
Yet Norris, who was fastest in Q1 and Q2 and was the last man across the line in Q3, improved enough to snatch pole by just 0.012sec. It is his first pole of the season and the first not taken by either Mercedes driver.
Hamilton was sent out first by his Ferrari team in final qualifying and immediately criticised that decision after the session. Yet worse was to come for the seven-time champion, after being investigated for impeding Oscar Piastri in Q3.
Replays showed a frustrated Piastri gesturing to Hamilton for blocking him at turn one, ruining his lap, and he has subsequently been found guilty.
That meant Hamilton dropped to fifth, but was subsequently promoted to fourth after championship leader Kimi Antonelli was also given a three-place penalty.
Antonelli was punished for not slowing under yellow flags after Max Verstappen spun at the final corner in the session’s climax. Antonelli will start sixth, with Verstappen fifth. Piastri will start third behind Charles Leclerc.
George Russell, coming off a retirement in Belgium last weekend and desperately needs to make up ground, was well off the pace in seventh, half a second behind Norris’s fastest time but just behind Verstappen.
Verstappen rages at ‘undriveable’ car
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Max Verstappen’s frustrating season reached another low as he spun out of qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, slumping to a distant sixth place on the grid.
The Red Bull has been comfortably the fourth-fastest car throughout the year and opportunities for the four-time champion to even challenge for the front row and podium have been scarce.
Unforced errors have been an uncharacteristic part of his recent struggles, crashing out of the British Grand Prix at high speed earlier this month after a suspected issue with his rear wing.
On Saturday, Verstappen again lambasted his “impossible” and “undriveable” car after qualifying more than half a second off Lando Norris’s pole time.
“The car is just completely broken aerodynamically, it’s just getting worse and worse! What a joke! What a joke, honestly, what a s--- weekend,” he said on the team radio.
“I’m sorry, but for me it’s just completely undriveable. It’s really, really, bad.”
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Max Verstappen is becoming increasingly exasperated with his car - Peter Fox/Getty Images
Over the past two seasons the Red Bull cars have had their issues, but Verstappen has generally been able to drive around them. Enough at least to win the 2024 title and push Norris to a final-round decider in 2025 with a strong finish to the season.
In 2026, there has been almost nothing to celebrate and frustration after frustration. There is little hope on offer heading into the summer break at the half-way point of a thoroughly trying season.
“For me, the whole qualifying session just went awful. We’ve been losing downforce on the car ever since FP3, and that just kept happening through qualifying, too. It’s just completely rubbish,” Verstappen added.
“There’s always something else that stops working or breaks down... I don’t know... I’m just fed up with it for now.
“They can see something went wrong again with the aero, that we lost downforce again, the car is just totally undriveable. If you take off wing, you get understeer; if you add wing, it just snaps. It’s simply impossible.”
Verstappen was not the only one to end the session with reason to be in a foul mood. His spin brought out yellow flags that compromised the final laps of the championship-contending Mercedes cars of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
For the first time this year there is not a Mercedes on pole position for a grand prix. Both Antonelli, who was again the quicker man, and Russell admit they were not in contention throughout the session, but that more would have been possible without the yellow flag.
Russell’s session ended with another mechanical issue as he was told to pull up on the pit straight at the end of Q3 because of a water leak. He was, though, a little more upbeat about making progress in the race.
“We were probably even further [away] yesterday, but we had the strongest race pace, which tends to say it’s not a car problem but a tyre problem,” he said. “Time will tell tomorrow if we struck the right balance between the qualifying setup and race set-up.
“We probably know we could make the car faster in qualifying trim at the expense of race performance. Time will tell tomorrow if we make that right balance. It’s going to be difficult to overtake. It would have been nice to be higher up.”
04:34pm
I can’t see Hamilton escaping a penalty
He was fairly downbeat after the session, and understandably so. Still a lot can happen tomorrow, but it does look like he has thrown away a good chance at pole and potentially victory here.
We will be back tomorrow for the Hungarian Grand Prix from around 1pm BST. It could be an interesting one...
04:15pm
Leclerc on third
There is a high chance that he starts alongside Norris on the front row tomorrow.
04:15pm
Hamilton on his second place
04:14pm
Hamilton will be investigated for impeding Piastri
Replays show that he really did get in the way of him at turn one so that will almost certainly be a grid penalty. As obvious a case of impeding as I can remember seeing recently.
04:11pm
Lando Norris reacts to pole
04:05pm
A first pole of the season for No 1 Lando Norris
A first non-Mercedes pole of the season, in fact. Russell was told to park the car up by his race engineer. We do not yet know why. Because of an issue, clearly, but what remains a mystery.
04:03pm
Q3 - Classification
- NOR 1:17.207
- HAM +0.012
- LEC +0.238
- ANT +0.272
- PIA +0.477
- VER +0.518
- RUS +0.553
- HAD +0.649
- LIN +1.074
- HUL +1.479
04:01pm
LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE FOR THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX!
By 0.012sec! That is nothing, but it is enough.
Hamilton denied a 10th pole here.
Now Russell has stopped on track at the first turn. What has happened there?
04:00pm
Q3 - Hamilton will not improve here
He is losing bags of time to himself. More sliding and he crosses the line 1.6sec down on what he did before...
Leclerc does not improve...
Verstappen spins at the final corner and yellow flags come out. Will that cost Antonelli? He improves but is only fourth. It costs Russell, though, who slows right down.
Norris is flying, though! He is well up...
03:59pm
Q3 - Over to Hamilton to lay down a marker
Norris, I think, will beat Hamilton’s current time, so another two tenths is needed, at least, for him.
He is almost two tenths down in the final sector...
Leclerc is three tenths down! Verstappen 0.3sec behind too. Has the track gone away from the drivers?
03:58pm
Q3 - Mercedes have taken every grand prix pole in 2026
That is under threat now. Out come the drivers for the final runs.
Hamilton, then Leclerc, Verstappen, Antonelli, Russell, Lindblad, Hulkenberg and then the McLarens will be the final cars to cross the line. Does that help them?
03:55pm
Q3 - Order after the first runs
- HAM 1:17.219
- NOR +0.101
- LEC +0.226
- ANT +0.360
- PIA +0.465
- VER +0.506
- RUS +0.541
- HAD +0.637
- LIN +1.062
- HUL +1.488
Norris left some time out there, but then I think Hamilton did as well.
03:53pm
Q3 - Hamilton to the top!
Hamilton has to correct in the penultimate turn but hooks it up enough to take provisional pole by a tenth of a second! Leclerc in third and cannot beat Norris or Hamilton.
Antonelli only fourth, Russell seventh...
03:52pm
Q3 - Norris with the fastest first sector
A tenth or so up on his rivals.
Verstappen will be the first big fun to cross the line... he posts a 1:17.725.
Piastri beats that by 0.041sec... Norris beats that by 0.364sec despite a massive slide in the final corner!
Hamilton flying here... but loses time in the middle sector. The final sector has been good for him.
03:50pm
Q3 - 10 mins remain
Out come the cars for their first runs. It looks too big an ask for Verstappen to take pole.
03:48pm
Q3 begins
Who will take pole? Norris, Hamilton, Antonelli I think. Hamilton has three sets of softs. Time to find for Mercedes.
03:46pm
Russell not looking too competitive
Just doesn’t seem to be able to find the lap time for whatever reason. Lagging behind by a couple of tenths at least. Doesn’t mean he can’t find something in Q3 but I do not think he is in the battle for pole. Is Antonelli? Just about.
03:43pm
I don’t think we saw Ferrari’s true potential in that session
Nor Antonelli’s for that matter. With the track deletion he needed to make totally sure he kept it between the white lines, which explains the near-second gap to Norris.
03:41pm
Q2 - Classification
- NOR 1:17.456
- LEC +0.170
- HAM +0.347
- HAD +0.416
- PIA +0.472
- VER +0.793
- LIN +0.904
- ANT +0.937
- RUS +0.989
- HUL +1.183
OUT: LAW, GAS, COL, BOR, OCO, ALO
03:40pm
Q2 - Antonelli into seventh
Leclerc now into the drop zone. Gasly, Colapinto do not make it through. Leclerc into second. Relief.
What does Hamilton have as he crosses the line? Only third 0.347sec off Norris’s fastest time.
03:39pm
Q2 - Antonelli goes again...
Russell into fourth, Piastri into second... Bortoleto moves into the top 10 and now Hulkenberg.
No mistakes from Antonelli... and no yellow or red flags.
Norris moves fastest by 0.4sec.
03:38pm
Q2 - Hadjar under pressure
15th and currently no lap time, but he does the fastest middle sector so as long as he keeps it together he should get into the top 10. He does... and goes fastest in the process.
Verstappen is two sectors in and is 0.4sec slower than Hadjar. I think a tyre offset explains this.
Ooh, Antonelli has his lap deleted for track limits! He is now in the drop zone. And under pressure.
03:36pm
Q2 - Alonso into 10th
I think he is enjoying this. Well, he must be. He bolted on a set of new softs and put in his best lap of the weekend. Not sure he will make it through as he is out of sync with his rivals but that he is even there now is testament to these Aston Martin upgrades.
03:35pm
Leclerc noted for yellow-flag infringement
But that is remedied quickly: no further investigation. Hamilton thinks that there is more time to find after a “tricky lap”.
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Andrej Isakovic/Getty Images
03:33pm
Q2 - Order after the first runs
- HAM 1:17.931
- ANT +0.247
- VER +0.318
- NOR +0.635
- RUS +0.714
- LIN +0.894
- LEC +1.005
- PIA +1.010
- LAW +1.482
- HUL +2.294
DROP ZONE: GAS, COL, OCO, ALO, HAD, BOR
03:32pm
Q2 - Antonelli finds time
Antonelli crosses the line and goes fastest, nudging ahead of Verstappen by 0.071sec. Fourth for Russell, nearly half a second slower than Antonelli.
Hamilton also finds time, significant time. The first man into the 1:17s and he usurps Antonelli by around a quarer of a second.
Antonelli complains of no grip.
03:31pm
Q2 - It’s a 1:20.696 for Alonso
Verstappen is the fastest man so far, but it’s only him and Alonso to set a lap time... Hadjar, his team-mate carries too much speed towards the end of the lap and spins, ruining his lap.
Norris cannot beat Verstappen and neither can Leclerc, but I am not sure that was representative.
Lindblad into third with a very tidy lap.
03:28pm
Q2 - 12 mins remain
Alonso is out there for Aston Martin. This is a bit of a free hit and anything about 16th will be a bonus. The upgrades to the chassis and the aerodynamics appear to have helped the team make a step forward.
03:25pm
Q2 begins
We should get a better read on the pace at the front in this session as Ferrari switch to the soft tyre.
03:22pm
Soft tyres saved for Ferrari
Good news for them. Not sure too much should be read into the times at the top at the moment. Norris looking strong, though.
03:20pm
Q1 - Classification
Drivers out: BEA, SAI, ALB, STR, BOT, PER
- NOR 1:18.277
- VER +0.379
- ANT +0.449
- HAM +0.453
- HAD +0.477
- HUL +0.519
- RUS +0.579
- PIA +0.614
- LEC +0.707
- BOR +0.792
- LAW +0.884
- LIN +0.956
- GAS +1.464
- COL +1.494
- OCO +1.733
- ALO +1.849
03:19pm
Q1 - Both Alpines are through!
At the death! Alonso makes it through though. He is into Q2!
“Good job. Maybe a bit more to come. Let’s go!” he says on the radio.
03:18pm
Q1 - Antonelli back into second
Russell improves as well. Albon cannot get out of qualifying. Sainz is in danger, too but has out-qualified Albon at least. Again.
Bearman gets into 14th. Is that enough? Stroll has dropped into 20th. Alonso still going through as it stands but he looks to be on a good lap.
Bottas out-qualifies Perez again. Alonso improves to 14th... and he could be through. He is ahead of Bearman. Two Alpines to go that could knock Alonso out.
03:14pm
Q1 - Both Aston Martins going through to Q2
Well, as it stands anyway. Alonso in 12th and Stroll in 16th, though he is much more in danger of dropping down.
The second runs are under way...
03:14pm
Q1 - Top 10 as it stands
- NOR
- VER +0.379
- ANT +0.449
- HAM +0.453
- HAD +0.477
- PIA +0.614
- RUS +0.645
- LAW +0.897
- LEC +1.067
- LIN +1.116
03:11pm
Q1 - State of play
Drivers in the drop zone: BEA, ALB, SAI, BOT, PER, BOR
Bortoleto has yet to set a lap time. Norris leads Verstappen, Antonelli, Hamilton, Hadjar, Piastri and Russell. Leclerc got a time on the board but it looked like a tentative one: a whole second off the pace and in ninth.
03:10pm
Q1 - Antonelli into second
0.070sec off Verstappen’s fastest time. Russell only goes fifth and is 0.266sec down from Verstappen.
Ferrari’s advantage in the final sector still looks strong. Piastri slides around the last corner and displaces Russell to go fifth.
Norris is looking faster than that... he then moves top by 0.379sec. Interesting. Norris appears to be in the conversation.
03:08pm
Q1 - Scrap that... Leclerc has lap time deleted
He is back down to a non-classified runner. Let’s see what Antonelli and the two Red Bulls have. They are both on the softs and are looking to go fastest.
Verstappen moves fastest but not by much and Hadjar goes into third, but not by much.
Antonelli, also on softs, on course to beat them all...
03:06pm
Q1 - Out come the Ferraris
They are both on the medium tyres and Hamilton is the faster of the two, by 0.148sec. Nearly two seconds ahead of Alonso, though, is Hamilton. Still a way off what Norris did in FP3 earlier today.
03:04pm
Q1 - Not a good start from Sainz
He runs wide at turn three and four and will not set a representative lap time. Albon keeps it together a bit more in the first couple of sectors before crossing the line with a 1:21.596, which Stroll beats immediately by 0.749sec. Only for Alonso to beat that by 0.182sec. I am not sure any of these will be in contention for Q2 but Aston Martin getting close is not out of the question.
03:02pm
Q1 - Who is out early?
The two Cadillacs, the two Williams cars and the two Aston Martins. The six slowest cars, in other words.
03:00pm
Q1 begins!
18 minutes, six drivers will be eliminated and 16 will go through to Q2.
02:58pm
We are nearly ready to go...
Who will be fastest? The wind has picked up and the track and air temperature have risen. This will make things even trickier. Ferrari have shown exceptional pace, especially in the final sector. I think Ferrari have the best chance but it will come down to execution.
02:54pm
Where will Antonelli finish?
He just seems to be able to find the lap time when he needs it most. Can he do it again today? It wouldn’t surprise me. A reminder that Mercedes, though, have taken every single grand prix pole position in 2026.
02:48pm
Pointless drivers in 2026
Four drivers have yet to register a point in 2026: Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll. What is the chance of any of them breaking their duck this weekend? Well, Hulkenberg is the best bet – he has finished six races and all of those finishes are between 11th and 13th.
02:42pm
Driver standings
Given Mercedes’ reliability woes, I would say that Hamilton and Ferrari are more than theoretically in the title fight. After this race we will be half-way through the season. If, say, It’s a Ferrari 1-2 with Antonelli in third – not a ridiculous suggestion – then Hamilton would reduce the gap to 35 points.
That is not a large margin at this point. You would rather have it than not and Antonelli would still be the heavy favourite even if that happens, but I do not think you can rule Hamilton out at this point.
02:36pm
Weather and conditions
It is often exceptionally hot at this race but that has not been the case so far this year. Yesterday was a pleasant 24C but today is a few degrees warmer and a little stiller, too. Temperatures are expected to hit 30C for the race tomorrow, though.
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Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
02:28pm
How are the drivers doing in qualifying?
First of all we have the head-to-head scores, which only tell part of the story. It is surprisingly close across most of the field, though I would attribute that partly to the new regulations meaning the teams are more separated than they were previously. Gaining a tenth or two might only mean you climb a place or two.
I don’t think we can say that Albon’s record in qualifying is misleading, but the gap in terms of average time is a lot closer than the 11-1 he is trailing by here.
02:22pm
Complaints about track surface from Russell
He, like many others, did not enjoy driving this track yesterday. The FIA is monitoring the situation, though there was no drama in final practice. Here is what he said after FP2:
02:13pm
Forty years of the Hungarian GP at this track in 2026
To celebrate this milestone the organisers have named each of the 14 corners at this track… this historic track? Anyway, here they are…
1: Piquet (fine)
2: Hamilton (good)
3: Spring (the track is in the “valley of the three springs”)
4: Mansell (yes)
5: Mogyorod (unimaginative)
6/7: Driving Center (absolutely not)
8: Buda (yes)
9: Pest (yes x 2)
10: Danube (OK, but try a bit harder?)
11: Alesi (because he crashed there in 1995…)
12: Schumacher (yes)
13: Senna (naturally)
14: Szisz (the Hungarian winner of the first Grand Prix in history)
The most memorable moment of my life? Well, my F1-watching life, as I was five months old for the first race here. Probably Jenson Button winning his first race here 20 years ago.
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Paul Gilham/Getty Images
02:05pm
Hamilton targets 10th pole position
Only Silverstone is a more successful track than the Hungaroring for Lewis Hamilton. He has won at that track nine times and in Hungary eight times. It is here, though, that where he has taken his most pole positions: nine. He is the undisputed King of the Ring. Nobody has taken 10 poles at a single track before in F1. Another record on the way for Hamilton?
Here are the previous times he took pole at this track.
2008, 2012: McLaren
2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023: Mercedes
01:56pm
Times from final practice
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A three our four-way shoot out for pole? Sounds good to me...
01:46pm
FP3 report: A close battle ahead in qualifying?
Whilst Ferrari dominated Friday practice for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, it looks to be a closer fight for pole position as Mercedes and McLaren came back to the fore in final practice.
Ferrari were first and second, and comfortably so, in FP2 yesterday but it was the McLaren of Lando Norris who was fastest in FP3 at the Hungaroring. Lewis Hamilton, who was top on Friday, was second, 0.117sec off Norris’s pace whilst Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, was third, 0.012sec behind Hamilton.
The drivers in general seemed slightly more comfortable with a tricky, bumpy track surface in FP3, though there were still plenty of mistakes. On Hamilton’s final run on the soft tyres he went straight on at the chicane and was thus unable to improve from his lap time of 1min 18.056sec.
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David Davies/PA
Charles Leclerc, Hamilton’s team-mate, was a further two tenths behind. Oscar Piastri was fifth for McLaren and George Russell had another challenging session, finishing sixth – more than 0.6sec off Norris’s fastest time.
Sergio Perez retired from the session after about 20 minutes with what appeared to be a rear brake issue, bringing out the red flag and underlining Cadillac’s ongoing reliability issues.
There was a hairy moment for the two Aston Martins, as Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso narrowly avoided a collision, though a part did appear to fly off the rear of the Spaniard’s car. The heavily upgraded car put in an improved showing with Alonso and Stroll 17th and 18th, 2.4sec and 2.9sec off the pace but ahead of both Cadillacs and both Williams cars.
Qualifying starts at 3pm BST and we will be here for all the build-up and live updates from the Hungaroring.
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