Norris beats Hamilton by 0.012 seconds to take Hungarian GP pole

A twelve-thousandth margin

Lando Norris secured pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix with a lap of 1:17.207, beating Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton by 0.012 seconds. At the finish-line speed of 270 km/h that gap translates to 90 centimetres. Norris, the reigning world champion, had not started from pole since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year.

I'm very happy to be back on top. It was a tough session and the Ferraris were very fast. It's been hard all weekend but we've been quick and our upgrades have helped; it's great to be on pole, especially on this track.

Mercedes' streak ends

Hamilton, the most successful driver at the Hungaroring with eight wins and nine previous poles, was visibly frustrated. He blamed the decision to send him out first in Q3. His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc had also topped Friday practice but his final grid position was not immediately clear.

I think we did a great job all weekend and were solid in qualifying, but going out first in Q3 wasn't the right decision. We were faster but it slipped away at the end.

Mercedes lost its first pole of 2026. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri. George Russell stopped on track with a mechanical problem and will start seventh. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) took sixth after a moment off the circuit; his teammate Isack Hadjar placed eighth. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) and Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) rounded out the top ten.

Aston Martin breakthrough

Fernando Alonso put an Aston Martin into Q2 for the first time this season, a small step forward after a difficult start to the year. He will line up 16th. Alpine's Franco Colapinto and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto were also eliminated in Q2, starting 13th and 14th respectively. Aston Martin ran new aerodynamic parts in Budapest, aiming to turn around a campaign that has often left Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll at the back or out of the race.