Lando Norris of McLaren achieved his first Grand Prix pole position of the season in Hungary. This came after Lewis Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty, preventing an all-British front row.
Hamilton’s penalty was issued for impeding Norris’ team-mate, Oscar Piastri, causing Hamilton to drop to fifth on the grid. Norris secured pole by a margin of 0.012 seconds over Hamilton on the final lap of the qualifying session.
Qualifying session highlights
Hamilton had initially been fastest on the first runs, ahead of Norris by just over 0.1 seconds. However, neither Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc could improve their times on their final attempts. Leclerc was promoted to second on the grid following Hamilton’s penalty.
Norris’ pole position, which followed a sprint pole in Miami, occurred at the end of a chaotic session. This chaos was partly due to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen spinning at the final corner. Verstappen’s error impacted Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who were forced to slow down, finishing fourth and seventh respectively.
Verstappen managed to get his car moving again before Norris completed his final lap to claim pole in the upgraded McLaren. Norris expressed his satisfaction, stating he was “very happy to be back on top” at a track where pole position is particularly desired.
Hamilton, whose second run was slower than his first by a second, indicated his dissatisfaction with being sent out first for that run. He described his last lap as the “worst lap of all,” despite feeling the car had the potential for pole position.
Regarding the impeding incident, Hamilton stated he was not warned about Piastri’s approach until Piastri was already at the apex behind him. He believed everyone else had finished their laps as he was the first out.
Antonelli is also under investigation by the stewards for a potential yellow-flag infringement. Verstappen, who had complained about his Red Bull’s unpredictable handling, secured sixth place, ahead of Russell and Isack Hadjar of Red Bull, Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, and Nico Hulkenberg of Audi.
Aston Martin’s progress
Fernando Alonso achieved a significant step for Aston Martin, progressing out of the first session for the first time this season. This occurred on the weekend the team introduced a new car.
Alonso will start 16th, 2.8 seconds off pole, which represented a two-second improvement in relative pace compared to recent performances. The Spanish driver expressed relief, indicating that the team had understood the car’s weaknesses and was moving in the right direction.
Alonso noted that previous updates earlier in the season had not been effective, and the team had experienced two years of disappointment with upgrades. He conveyed a renewed sense of optimism within the factory and personally.
The drivers faced challenges with the Hungaroring track surface, which was breaking up, particularly in the final two corners. Norris mentioned the difficulty in judging grip levels in these sections. Russell experienced a water leak on his final run, which sprayed water onto his rear tyres, leading him to park his car at Turn One to prevent engine damage.
Antonelli commented that the team was slightly outside the tyre window initially but made progress in Q3, making the car feel more responsive. He acknowledged that the yellow flags were unfortunate but part of racing, and believed a P3 finish was achievable.
The top 10 qualifiers were: 1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:17.207; 2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.012 (will start fifth due to grid penalty); 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.238; 4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.272; 5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.477; 6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.518; 7. George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.533; 8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +0.649; 9. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +1.074; 10. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – +1.479.
The Hungarian Grand Prix race is scheduled for Sunday at 2pm, with build-up starting at 12:30pm.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Leo Ashworth is a Sports News Writer at Latest News UK. He cut his teeth on regional sport before specialising in fast breaking-news writing. He focuses on rugby union, golf and boxing and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. He holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Central Lancashire and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Newcastle, he follows the European Tour and boxes at an amateur gym. “Get it right first, then tell readers why it matters.”