After Mercedes had dominated qualifying throughout the year, it was McLaren who finally broke their streak.
Lando Norris claimed his first pole position of the 2026 F1 in Hungary. McLaren driver produced a strong final lap to edge Lewis Hamilton by just 0.012 seconds in a dramatic qualifying session at the Hungaroring.
Lando Norris’ late improvement denied Hamilton what would have been his first 10th pole at the Hungaroring. Charles Leclerc completed the top three in a session full of deleted lap times, investigations, spins and late drama.
Aston Martin’s upgrades deliver in Q1
The first 18 minutes of qualifying were all about getting through to Q2 while the session produced several surprises.
Q1 delivered one of Aston Martin’s biggest positives of the season. After bringing a significant upgrade package this weekend, Aston Martin finally found some pace. Fernando Alonso progressed into Q2 for the first time this season. Too early to say, but this is suggesting the car is beginning to deliver the performance they were hoping for.
Elsewhere, Gabriel Bortoleto briefly looked set for Q2. However, track limits saw his lap deleted, dropping the Audi driver into the elimination zone.
By the end of 18 minutes, it was Ollie Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez who were out.
For Williams drivers, it was another disappointing qualifying, leaving them to work their way up the grid on Sunday.
Deleted laps create chaos in Q2
Q2 proved to be one of the most dramatic qualifying segments of the season.
Isack Hadjar spun out in Turn 12 with 10 minutes of the session to go, bringing out yellow flags. Despite stopping on the grass, the yellow flags forced several drivers to abort their flying laps. As a result, Charles Leclerc was briefly noted for a potential yellow flag infringement but was later cleared by the stewards.
The biggest drama, however, came from track limits.
Both Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc initially looked to have secured places in Q3. However, their lap times were deleted, leaving both drivers at serious risk of elimination. With one final opportunity, each managed to improve enough to scrape through to the final shootout.
Antonelli was clearly frustrated over team radio, telling Bono “I’ve got no grip, Bono. I don’t know, we’re doing something wrong with the tyres. I have zero grip.” as the championship leader narrowly escaped elimination.
Eliminated in Q2 were Lawson, Gasly, Colapinto, Bortoleto, Ocon and Alonso. Q2 also ended Aston Martin’s encouraging afternoon just short of the top ten.
Lando Norris delivers when it matters most
The battle for pole position went right down to the final seconds.
After the opening runs, Lewis Hamilton held provisional pole. The #44 driver looked on course for his 10th pole at the Hungaroring. However, neither Hamilton nor teammate Charles Leclerc managed to improve on their final attempts.
The closing minutes brought even more drama.
Max Verstappen spun at the final corner on his last flying lap, bringing out yellow flags and affecting the final flying laps of several drivers.
Meanwhile, George Russell’s session came to an abrupt end after he stopped on track following the chequered flag. Mercedes later confirmed the W17 had suffered a water leak and engine failure, explaining why he was unable to return to the pits.
Elsewhere, Kimi Antonelli was noted for a potential yellow flag infringement and is waiting to see the Stewards for a decision.
However, the championship leader is not the only one the stewards were having a look at. Lewis Hamilton was investigated for allegedly impeding Piastri and has received a 3-place grid penalty. Ferrari driver is now set to start Sunday’s race on the third row instead of the first row.
Despite the late drama, Lando Norris found the pace when it mattered most. A 1:17.207 was enough to secure his first pole position of the 2026 season. The reigning World Champion beat Hamilton by just 0.012 seconds, it was one of the closest qualifying finishes of the year.
Looking Ahead to Sunday’s race
If qualifying is anything to go by, Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix could be one of the closest races of the season.
McLaren and Ferrari look evenly matched over a single lap, while Mercedes has glimpses of pace despite the difficult weekend. Strategy is expected to play a crucial role around the Hungaroring. Especially as overtaking opportunities remain limited and track position is often decisive.
With a penalty for Lewis and a potential penalty for Antonelli still under consideration, the starting order in the top 10 could be reshuffled once more. This is adding another layer of uncertainty to an already tight grid. With championship contenders lining up lower down the order, fans are in for a fascinating battle on Sunday.
Feature image courtesy F1