Lando Norris took pole position for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix by the narrowest of margins, edging out Lewis Hamilton by just 0.012 seconds to deny the Ferrari driver what would have been a record-extending tenth pole at the Hungaroring. It’s the last qualifying session before the summer break, and it did not disappoint a last-lap pole steal up front, a proper elimination scrap in the midfield, and Fernando Alonso finally having something to smile about after a miserable start to 2026.
Here’s everything that happened across Q1, Q2 and Q3.
Quick Facts
Q1: Aston Martin Survives, Williams Implodes
Alonso’s afternoon started well. He scraped through Q1 in 16th the narrowest of margins, but enough to book his first Q2 appearance of the season, and already an improvement on the 17th-place starts that were his previous best in Australia and Miami this year. Aston Martin brought a 16-part upgrade package to Budapest specifically chasing this kind of step forward, and on lap one of the weekend’s business end, it looked like it was working.
It was a grimmer story at Williams, where both cars went out in Q1. Alex Albon was audibly frustrated on the radio, and the team later admitted the underperformance came down to a mistake on the management and mechanical side rather than anything fundamentally wrong with the car.
Eliminated in Q1: Oliver Bearman (17th), Carlos Sainz (18th), Alex Albon (19th), Lance Stroll (20th), Valtteri Bottas (21st), Sergio Perez (22nd).
Q2: Audi’s Wild Session, and a Deleted Lap for Antonelli
The middle segment turned into a proper see-saw. Gabriel Bortoleto briefly climbed as high as ninth for Audi, which at that point would have ended Alonso’s session then and there only for Nico Hulkenberg and Liam Lawson to leapfrog him and shove his own Audi into the drop zone instead. Bortoleto never recovered the place and went out in 14th, while Alonso’s session ended in 16th after his position swung between 10th and 11th in the closing minutes.
Nico Hulkenberg has built something of a reputation over the years for finishing agonisingly outside the position that matters — P11, more often than not. Not today. He held on through Q2’s chaos and starts Sunday’s race from tenth, safely inside the top ten for the first time all weekend.
Eliminated in Q2: Liam Lawson (11th), Pierre Gasly (12th), Franco Colapinto (13th), Gabriel Bortoleto (14th), Esteban Ocon (15th), Fernando Alonso (16th).
Q3: Norris Steals It On The Final Lap
Hamilton looked to have done enough to end Ferrari’s wait for a home-soil pole in style, going quickest with a 1:17.219 on his final run and looking set for a tenth Hungarian pole to add to his record at the circuit. Norris had the last word, crossing the line just 0.012 seconds up to snatch top spot right at the death.
Behind them, Max Verstappen’s final lap ended in a spin at Turn 13 without an improvement, and George Russell’s Mercedes came to a stop on track as the chequered flag fell, leaving both drivers unable to find any late gains. Charles Leclerc, Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad and Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.
Full Starting Grid
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:17.207 | Pole |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:17.219 | +0.012 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:17.445 | +0.238 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:17.479 | +0.272 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:17.684 | +0.477 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:17.725 | +0.518 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:17.760 | +0.553 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:17.856 | +0.649 |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:18.281 | +1.074 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:18.686 | +1.479 |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:18.765 | — |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:18.844 | — |
| 13 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:19.027 | — |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:19.105 | — |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:19.734 | — |
| 16 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:19.808 | — |
| 17 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:20.233 | — |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:20.621 | — |
| 19 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:20.658 | — |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:20.659 | — |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:20.886 | — |
| 22 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:21.322 | — |
Red divider marks the Q3 cut, grey divider marks the Q2 cut.
The Bottom Line
Norris denying Hamilton a tenth Hungarian pole by the width of a coat of paint will be the headline, and rightly so. But the more interesting story for the season might be further back: Aston Martin’s upgrade actually did something, Audi has genuine pace in both cars even if only one of them converted it, and Williams has a problem that goes beyond the car. Race day will tell us which of those actually mattered.
The Hungarian Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday, 26 July, the final race before Formula 1’s summer shutdown.
