Lando Norris delivered a promising performance for McLaren in the final practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, showcasing the potential of the team’s upgraded package. By posting the quickest lap of the day, Norris managed to outshine both the Friday pace-setter, Lewis Hamilton, and Mercedes' championship‑contending driver, Kimi Antonelli, signalling that McLaren could be a serious contender for their first pole of the season. The morning’s earlier sessions had seen Ferrari dominate the track, leading many analysts to predict that the Italian squad would dominate Saturday’s qualifying. However, despite Ferrari staying near the front of the field throughout the day, the final hour of practice was seized by the reigning world champions.
Norris initially recorded a solid lap that placed him second behind Hamilton after both drivers completed their first soft‑tyre runs. Yet, on his second flying lap, Norris found an extra burst of speed, delivering a 1:17.939 lap that edged the Ferrari driver out of the top spot by a narrow 0.117 seconds.
Antonelli, who had endured a particularly challenging Friday, managed to re‑establish himself among the front‑runners, posting the third‑fastest time, just 0.129 seconds shy of Norris’s benchmark. His recovery underscored the competitive nature of the session, where margins were measured in hundredths of a second. Meanwhile, his teammate George Russell continued to battle with the car’s balance and finished only sixth overall, a full 0.6 seconds slower than Norris’s impressive benchmark. The second Ferrari, driven by Charles Leclerc, was positioned fourth, trailing the leading time by about 0.3 seconds, while McLaren’s other driver, Oscar Piastri, occupied fifth place, just a tenth of a second further back.
The Red Bull duo, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, found the session more demanding than usual, ending up seventh and eighth respectively. Their relative underperformance highlighted the unique characteristics of the Hungaroring, where aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical grip are at a premium.
Sky Sports F1 analyst Martin Brundle summed up the atmosphere, noting, "It’s so close, as it always is here. It bodes incredibly well for this afternoon." His comments reflected the tight competition and hinted at an exciting qualifying round.
Beyond the front of the grid, the midfield battle appeared to be shaping around Racing Bulls and Audi. Liam Lawson, representing Racing Bulls, secured ninth place, while Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg followed in tenth. Arvid Lindblad, another Racing Bulls driver, completed only six laps after a power‑unit change forced him to sit out most of the session, limiting his ability to challenge the higher‑placed cars.
Cadillac experienced a setback when a brake fire forced Sergio Perez to abort his lap at Turn One, after exiting the pits. The incident forced Perez to retire from the remainder of the practice, curtailing his data‑gathering opportunities. Conversely, Lance Stroll returned to the track in a heavily upgraded Aston Martin after missing the second Friday session due to a rear‑suspension failure that had spun him off during opening practice. The new‑look AMR26, which had struggled at the back of the grid for much of the season, showed encouraging signs by outpacing both Williams and Cadillac, with Fernando Alonso recording a 17th‑place time and Stroll slotting into 18th, just 2.4 seconds off the overall fastest lap.
The schedule for the weekend was packed: on Saturday, July 25, the F2 sprint began at 1:10 pm, followed by the Hungarian GP qualifying build‑up at 2:15 pm, the qualifying itself at 3:00 pm, and Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 5:00 pm. Sunday, July 26, featured an F3 feature race at 7:35 am, the Porsche Supercup at 9:05 am, the F2 feature race at 10:20 am, and the Hungarian Grand Prix build‑up at 12:30 pm, culminating in the race start at 2:00 pm. Post‑race coverage included a reaction segment at 4:00 pm and another notebook at 5:00 pm. All sessions were broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a contract.
Overall, Norris’s performance in the final practice not only lifted McLaren’s spirits but also injected genuine uncertainty into the qualifying narrative. By extracting maximum performance from the upgraded chassis and demonstrating an ability to extract a sub‑1:18 lap, the British driver signalled that McLaren could challenge the traditional front‑runners. If the team can translate this pace into a clean qualifying lap, a podium finish – or even a maiden pole – could be within reach, reshaping the championship dynamics as the season progresses.