Lando Norris of McLaren achieved the fastest time in the final practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. His performance suggests McLaren could challenge for their first pole position of the season with their upgraded car. Norris outpaced Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli, who had been strong contenders.
Initially, Ferrari appeared to be the frontrunners for Saturday’s qualifying, having dominated the practice sessions on the opening day. However, McLaren managed to surpass them in the final hour of practice. Norris, after being second to Hamilton on their initial soft tyre laps, found additional speed on his subsequent flying lap. He recorded a time of 1:17.939, narrowly beating his Ferrari rival by 0.117s.
Kimi Antonelli, despite an earlier challenging Friday, secured the third-fastest time, trailing Norris by 0.129s. His teammate, George Russell, however, continued to experience difficulties, finishing sixth fastest, 0.6s behind Norris‘s leading time. Charles Leclerc was fourth, 0.3s off the pace in the second Ferrari, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was fifth, a tenth further back.
The session proved more challenging for Red Bull, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar finishing seventh and eighth fastest, respectively. Commentator Martin Brundle noted the close competition, suggesting it bodes well for the afternoon’s qualifying session.
Aston Martin’s Upgrades Show Promise
Aston Martin demonstrated significant progress with their upgraded car. Fernando Alonso, driving the new-look AMR26, made it out of Q1 during qualifying, ending a streak of 10 consecutive Q1 eliminations. This development was described as massive progress for the team, with Alonso expressing satisfaction on the radio, indicating there might be more performance to come.
The team’s upgrades seem to be effective, as Alonso was observed to be 12th fastest at one point. This performance is particularly noteworthy given that the AMR26 had previously been at the back of the grid for much of the season. The upgraded car outpaced Williams and Cadillac cars, with Alonso finishing 17th and Lance Stroll 18th in practice, though still 2.4s off the ultimate pace.
Lance Stroll also returned to the track after missing Friday’s second session due to a rear-suspension failure during opening practice. The team is hopeful that these upgrades mark the true beginning of their season, aiming to compete in the midfield rather than languishing at the back.
Qualifying and Tyre Strategies
During qualifying, Charles Leclerc switched to red soft tyres in his Ferrari, while Fernando Alonso was the first to set a lap time. All 16 cars were on track as qualifying commenced. The two Ferraris were initially the only cars on medium tyres, with all others using soft compounds.
Max Verstappen, on soft tyres, was only 0.070 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton, who was on medium tyres. This suggests that the soft tyre might not offer a significant advantage over the medium in terms of lap time if drivers struggle to make it last. Lando Norris, however, managed to go purple in sectors one and two and set a personal best in sector three, propelling him to the top of the leaderboard.
| Rank | Driver | Number | Fastest Lap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 1 | Lando Norris NOR McLaren McLaren | 1 1 | 1:17.939 1:17.939 | 20 20 |
| 2 2 | Lewis Hamilton HAM Ferrari Ferrari | 44 44 | 1:18.056 1:18.056 | 22 22 |
| 3 3 | Kimi Antonelli ANT Mercedes Mercedes | 12 12 | 1:18.068 1:18.068 | 16 16 |
| 4 4 | Charles Leclerc LEC Ferrari Ferrari | 16 16 | 1:18.291 1:18.291 | 24 24 |
| 5 5 | Oscar Piastri PIA McLaren McLaren | 81 81 | 1:18.438 1:18.438 | 22 22 |
| 6 6 | George Russell RUS Mercedes Mercedes | 63 63 | 1:18.541 1:18.541 | 18 18 |
| 7 7 | Max Verstappen VER Red Bull Red Bull | 3 3 | 1:18.656 1:18.656 | 14 14 |
| 8 8 | Isack Hadjar HAD Red Bull Red Bull | 6 6 | 1:18.943 1:18.943 | 17 17 |
| 9 9 | Liam Lawson LAW Racing Bulls Racing Bul… | 30 30 | 1:19.088 1:19.088 | 23 23 |
| 10 10 | Nico Hulkenberg HUL Audi Audi | 27 27 | 1:19.160 1:19.160 | 24 24 |
| 11 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto BOR Audi Audi | 5 5 | 1:19.338 1:19.338 | 22 22 |
| 12 12 | Pierre Gasly GAS Alpine Alpine | 10 10 | 1:19.723 1:19.723 | 20 20 |
| 13 13 | Arvid Lindblad LIN Racing Bulls Racing… | 41 41 | 1:19.895 1:19.895 | 6 6 |
| 14 14 | Franco Colapinto COL Alpine Alpine | 43 43 | 1:20.055 1:20.055 | 30 30 |
| 15 15 | Esteban Ocon OCO Haas Haas | 31 31 | 1:20.295 1:20.295 | 18 18 |
The current world champion’s lap time was recorded at 1:18.277. Max Verstappen later surpassed Lewis Hamilton in the Red Bull. Teams like Racing Bulls, Haas, and Audis were yet to join the session. Williams is also anticipating a significant upgrade, though it is not expected until the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in September.
The Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying is scheduled for 3pm on Saturday, with the race set for 2pm on Sunday.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Niamh Pendlebury is the Sports Reporter at NewsGB.org, covering tennis, cricket and athletics with seven years of reporting experience. She reported on Team GB and the county circuit. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from the University of Central Lancashire and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Preston, she plays club tennis and follows road running. “The best interviews come from patience, not pressure.”