Lando Norris, a British driver for the McLaren team, secured pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix following the qualifying session at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest. He managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, achieving his first pole of the season with a flawless lap recorded in the final seconds of qualifying.
Qualifying Results
The 26-year-old Briton set the fastest lap time of one minute and 17.207 seconds. This result allowed him to surpass Hamilton's attempt to set an unprecedented tenth pole on this track by only 0.012 seconds. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished third in qualifying ahead of Sunday's race in Budapest.
Top 10 Positions
World champion Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes finished fourth, trailing by 0.260 seconds. He was overtaken by Oscar Piastri of McLaren and four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
Drivers' Comments
Norris expressed his delight, stating: 'I am very happy to be back on top.' He noted the difficulty of the session and the high speed of the Ferrari drivers, adding that improvements helped the team: 'It was tough throughout the weekend, but we were fast, and our upgrades helped – it feels great to be on pole, especially at this track.'
Hamilton, aged 41, approached the potential status of the oldest pole sitter since Mario Andretti at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix. For Norris, this was his second pole in Budapest and his seventeenth in his career, the last of which was in Las Vegas in November.
Reaction to Results
Hamilton congratulated Norris, remarking: 'I think we worked well all weekend and were consistent in qualifying, but going out first wasn't the right decision. Furthermore, the grip just wasn't there for Charles and me at the end. We were the fastest, but ultimately it slipped away from us.'
Leclerc explained his position due to changes in wind: 'There were quite a few wind changes today, and I didn't expect that. Everything was a bit chaotic.'
Qualifying Session Progression
The session began under hot conditions with a track temperature of 52°C. Valtteri Bottas led the start in his Cadillac, followed by rivals from Williams and Aston Martin in updated 'B-spec' cars. Ferrari ran both cars on medium tyres, and Hamilton quickly set the pace with 1:18.730, overtaking Leclerc, whose lap was discarded for exceeding track limits.
The remaining participants used soft tyres. Norris was ahead of Verstappen and Antonelli, with Hamilton behind them. Meanwhile, Aston Martin was pleased as Alonso finished 16th and qualified for Q2 for the first time this year.
Problems and Balance Changes
Both Cadillacs, both Williams cars, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin, and Oliver Berman from Haas were eliminated from the race. Alex Albon of Williams called the situation 'terrible', questioning the frequent balance changes of the cars.
Alonso, using worn soft tyres, was the first to enter Q2 but was half a second slower than Hajar, who had previously declared his car 'undrivable' during FP3. In front of Hamilton on soft tyres, Antonelli posted 1:17.931, much to his dissatisfaction.
Unexpectedly, Alonso climbed to 10th place, and then, after a pit stop, moved to first place, but was overtaken by Norris, while Leclerc passed him in the final seconds of the lap.
Qualifying Finale
Liam Lawson from Racing Bulls, two Alpine cars, Gabriel Bortoleto from Audi, and Esteban Ocon from Haas, who finished 16th, were also eliminated from the race. The battle for the top 10 began, where Hamilton initially took provisional first place with a lap of 1:17.219, overtaking Norris by a tenth of a second, as well as Leclerc and Antonelli after their initial fast runs.
Hamilton and Leclerc went out for a second run but could not improve their positions. Verstappen then caused his Red Bull to spin at Turn 13, triggering yellow flags that affected several following cars, although Norris's McLaren remained untouched.
