Lando Norris handed McLaren a fresh surge of optimism for securing their first pole position of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, showcasing the potential of the team’s newly upgraded car. In the final practice session on Friday, Norris not only outpaced the day’s early leader, Lewis Hamilton, but also eclipsed title‑contender Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, sending a clear signal that the midfield battle could be reshaped.
Throughout the opening day of practice, Ferrari appeared to dominate the narrative, posting the quickest times and positioning themselves as the favourites for Saturday’s qualifying showdown. However, as the session progressed, the Red Bull‑powered McLaren began to close the gap. By the final hour, the upgraded McLaren, driven by Norris, had seized the top spot on the timing sheets, effectively displacing the reigning world champion’s Mercedes and the leading Ferrari. During the closing minutes, both Norris and Hamilton completed their first flying laps on the soft tyre compound, with Hamilton initially edging ahead.
Undeterred, Norris embarked on a second, more aggressive lap, extracting a remarkable 1:17.939. This effort placed him 0.117 seconds ahead of his Ferrari counterpart, securing the fastest time of the session. Antonelli, who had struggled earlier in the day, managed to climb back into contention, posting the third‑quickest lap, just 0.129 seconds shy of Norris’s benchmark.
McLaren’s other driver, George Russell, continued to experience difficulties, ultimately recording the sixth‑fastest time—approximately 0.6 seconds slower than Norris’s impressive effort. In the Ferrari camp, Charles Leclerc clocked a respectable fourth‑place time, trailing the leader by 0.3 seconds, while teammate Oscar Piastri settled into fifth, a further tenth of a second behind Leclerc. Red Bull struggled to find rhythm on the Hungarian circuit, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar occupying seventh and eighth positions respectively.
Their relative under‑performance contrasted sharply with the dominant display from the upgraded McLaren, prompting Sky Sports F1 analyst Martin Brundle to comment, "It's so close, as it always is here. It bodes incredibly well for this afternoon." His remarks underscored the tight margins that define qualifying at the Hungaroring and hinted at an exciting showdown later in the weekend. The midfield battle also featured notable performances. Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson claimed ninth place, while Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg followed in tenth.
Arvid Lindblad, representing Racing Bulls, completed only six laps after a power‑unit change forced him to sit out most of the session, relegating him to thirteenth overall. Cadillac encountered a setback when a brake fire forced Sergio Perez to abort his lap at Turn One, forcing him into the run‑off area and preventing any further participation.
Conversely, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll returned to the track after missing the second Friday session due to a rear‑suspension failure that had spun him off in opening practice. The upgraded AMR26, now sporting a more aggressive aerodynamic package, demonstrated its progress by outpacing both Williams and Cadillac, with Fernando Alonso posting a seventeenth‑fastest time and Stroll slotting in eighteenth, just 2.4 seconds off the session’s overall best. Looking ahead, the weekend schedule is packed with action.
On Saturday, July 25, the F2 sprint will kick off at 1:10 pm, followed by the Hungarian GP qualifying build‑up at 2:15 pm and the main qualifying session at 3:00 pm. A special qualifying notebook from Ted will be released at 5:00 pm.
Sunday, July 26, promises a full day of racing, beginning with the F3 feature race at 7:35 am, the Porsche Supercup at 9:05 am, and the F2 feature race at 10:20 am. The Hungarian Grand Prix itself will start at 12:30 pm, with the race commencing at 2:00 pm, followed by post‑race analysis, the chequered‑flag reaction, and another edition of Ted’s notebook.
All sessions are being broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available through the NOW platform, offering a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime option for viewers. Fans can also stay updated via Sky Sports on WhatsApp, ensuring they never miss a moment of the high‑octane action in Budapest. In summary, Norris’s performance in the final practice session has injected fresh optimism into McLaren’s campaign.
By delivering a lap that eclipsed both Hamilton and Antonelli, he has demonstrated that the upgraded package can compete at the front of the field. The upcoming qualifying and race will test whether this pace can be translated into a pole position and, ultimately, a podium finish, potentially reshaping the championship narrative as the season progresses.