Lando Norris takes Hungarian Grand Prix pole from Hamilton

Lando Norris secured pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix for McLaren, edging Lewis Hamilton by 0.012sec (one hundredth of a second). Hamilton may receive a penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri.

The result represented the defending champion’s first pole of the 2026 season and was decided by a razor-thin margin of 0.012sec. The report was published on 25 July 2026, after a closely fought qualifying session that left little between the front-runners. The narrow gap underlined how tight the field was at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Norris outpaced Hamilton to claim the top starting spot, with Hamilton’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, in third. Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, lined up fourth for Mercedes. That quartet set the tone for the front of the grid in a session defined by fine margins.

Oscar Piastri took fifth place for McLaren, providing the team with two cars in the top five. Max Verstappen was sixth for Red Bull after he spun on his final lap. Verstappen’s late error dropped him out of contention for a higher slot.

George Russell managed only seventh and was told to pull his car off track after his final lap with a mechanical problem. The mechanical issue prevented Russell from improving his position on his concluding run. The seventh-place result left Mercedes with a mixed set of outcomes across their drivers.

The possible penalty for Hamilton over an alleged impediment to Piastri was flagged alongside the qualifying classification. Officials and teams were left to consider the implications of the session’s incidents and the tight finishing order. The tiny margins separating the top drivers underlined how pivotal any stewarding decision could be.

Norris’s pole sets the McLaren driver on the front row for the race at the Hungarian Grand Prix. With several incidents and a potential penalty hanging over the session, the starting grid emerged amid unresolved questions that could influence the race order.