Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris claimed his first pole position of the 2026 season in spectacular fashion, denying Lewis Hamilton a historic 105th career pole by just 0.012 seconds in a thrilling qualifying session at the Hungaroring.
The McLaren driver was the only competitor to improve on his final Q3 run, snatching top spot from Hamilton's Ferrari after the seven-time world champion had held provisional pole following the first flying laps. Hamilton was chasing his first full Grand Prix pole since Hungary 2023 and looked set to end that drought until Norris delivered a stunning last-gasp lap.
"It's been a while," Norris said. "I felt confident all weekend. These guys [Ferrari] were very quick. It's been tight the whole weekend but we seemed quick from the first laps we did and we brought a few upgrades. It's hard to know how much it helps in terms of lap time but it certainly helped today. Very happy to be back on top, especially at a track where you certainly want to be on pole."
Charles Leclerc took third for Ferrari, 0.238s off the pace, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli ended up fourth for Mercedes, bringing an end to the Silver Arrows' streak of 10 consecutive poles to start the season.
Max Verstappen could only manage sixth after a spectacular spin at the final corner on his hot lap, while his Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar took eighth. George Russell languished in seventh before his Mercedes ground to a halt on track after the chequered flag.
Oscar Piastri was fifth in the sister McLaren and was visibly frustrated with Hamilton, gesturing angrily after taking evasive action when the Ferrari driver impeded him. Both Ferrari drivers face potential grid penalties as post-session investigations continue — Hamilton for impeding Piastri, and Antonelli for potentially failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags for Verstappen's spin.
Norris' 17th career pole in a full qualifying session moves him level with British legend Jackie Stewart, and is his first since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last November. The result provides a major confidence boost for McLaren, who introduced a significant upgrade package this weekend at a circuit where track position is critical.
Sunday's race gets underway at 15:00 local time at the 4.381km Hungaroring circuit outside Budapest.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/hungary-f1-qualifying-7ec63db72c011d33852454b226673069
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101806/1/lando-norris-denies-lewis-hamilton-historic-f1-pole-hungary
- https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13566873/hungarian-gp-qualifying-lando-norris-snatches-pole-from-lewis-hamilton-in-dramatic-finale-as-max-verstappen-spins
