Norris took pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix after a very tight qualifying session that ended with Verstappen's spin in the final seconds of Q3. McLaren returned to the top after several races, while Mercedes was left out of the top three for the first time in the 2026 season.
Qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix marked a change in the 2026 season trend. After several weekends dominated by Mercedes and Ferrari's sustained growth, McLaren returned to pole position thanks to a great lap from Lando Norris, who set a time of 1:17.207 to lead a session that had excitement until the last seconds.
The British driver took advantage of a chaotic ending in Q3 to start from first place again on a circuit where he already knows what it's like to win. Behind him finished the two Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton, just 12 thousandths behind, and Charles Leclerc, confirming the great moment the Italian team is going through.
The day began with an important development in the paddock. Aston Martin presented a package of 16 updates to try to reverse their difficult start to the season. The upgrades showed some encouraging results, especially with Fernando Alonso, who managed to get out of Q1 for the first time in a Grand Prix during 2026, after having only achieved it in the Sprint qualifying in Montreal.
Those who were eliminated in Q1 were Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez. Cadillac once again suffered a very complicated Saturday, saying goodbye with both its drivers in the first session.
Q2 was probably the closest of the entire qualifying session. In the first minutes, Isack Hadjar spun at turn 12, causing a yellow flag and forcing several drivers to lift off when they were improving their times. Fortunately for the Frenchman, the incident had no major consequences and he was able to return to the track to get a time that allowed him to advance to Q3.
Those who failed to make the cut were Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso. The Spanish driver came very close to getting back into the top ten, a positive sign for Aston Martin after several difficult races.
Another standout name was again Arvid Lindblad. The young driver continues to go through a great moment and, once again, managed to outperform his teammate Liam Lawson in qualifying, consolidating the growth he has been showing since his arrival to the category.
The fight for pole had an unusual development. None of the ten drivers went out on track immediately, and it was only after more than three minutes had passed that the first attempts began, with teams clearly betting on finding the ideal asphalt and tire temperature.
Norris even had to correct the car twice during the third sector on one of his attempts, although he managed to keep control and prepare a decisive final lap.
When everything seemed to be heading towards a tight finish, Max Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull on his final attempt and spun, causing yellow flags to appear. The incident hurt several drivers who were improving their times and were no longer able to complete their laps under normal conditions. The only ones who managed to finish their attempts before the neutralization were the two McLarens, who took advantage of the situation to stay at the front of the qualifying order.
Beyond Norris's pole, the big news on Saturday was Mercedes' setback. For the first time in the entire 2026 season, the German team failed to place any of its drivers among the top three in a qualifying session, nor did it achieve a place on the front row of the grid. A sign that Ferrari and McLaren continue to close the gap in the championship fight.
As if that were not enough, once the session was over, George Russell's Mercedes remained stopped on the track, forcing the stewards to remove it when activity had already finished.
The Hungarian Grand Prix thus promises a very open race. McLaren will try to defend a pole that it had not achieved for several races and will seek to repeat the success achieved on this circuit during the last two seasons, with Oscar Piastri's wins in 2024 and Lando Norris's in 2025. Ferrari will try to take advantage of the great pace shown throughout the weekend, while Mercedes will face for the first time this year the challenge of coming from behind to try to stay at the top of the championship.
