Lando Norris raced to pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, giving McLaren the lead on the grid for the first time this season and raising hopes of a dramatic upset against traditional powerhouses Ferrari and Mercedes. The defending world champion delivered a tremendous final lap in Q3, snatching pole from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who was later hit with a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri. This penalty reshuffled the front order, promoting Charles Leclerc to second on the grid and moving McLaren’s Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to the second row, after Kimi Antonelli was also penalized for speeding under yellow flags.
Norris’s performance marks a significant turnaround for McLaren, a team that looked to be on a winning streak at the start of the season. In many races the team’s biggest upgrade package to the MCL40 has paid immediate dividends, particularly on the technical Hungaroring circuit – a venue where McLaren had claimed one-two finishes in both of the last two years. Speaking after qualifying, Norris did not hide his surprise or ambition: “You still need good pace, good tire management, a good start otherwise you’ll learn on the go! You have to prepare well and we have very tough competition. Mercedes and Ferrari’s race pace looks very good and they’ve been strong all year. We’re in no man’s land. It’s the first time we’ve been at the front, so we’ll see what we can learn moving forward.” “And how can we adapt? I expect a very tough race, but it’s not impossible.”
Despite this historic pole, Norris remains measured, wary of the challenges that lie ahead in Sunday’s 70-lap contest. “Let’s just wait and see. I mean, it’s just qualifying. It’s a long race ahead, and it’s going to be tough, so we’ll see,” he said. Reflecting on his luck at last week’s Spa-Francorchamps, where he was one of the fastest but was hampered by a 10-place grid penalty, Norris said, “Certainly, if we go back to Spa last weekend, as I said then, I felt I had enough pace to definitely not be on pole, but definitely fight for the podium and potentially the win, in terms of pace. I clearly did. Didn’t do it, but the potential was there. Look, it’s been implemented this weekend, and that potential has translated into results, which is always a great thing for the whole team and great for the motivation and atmosphere within the team, but you can’t just rely on a good race.
The penalty has put a question mark on the prospects of both Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. For the third weekend in a row, Hamilton faces grid demotion, which, combined with the Hungaroring’s notorious overtaking challenges, could hinder his challenge for victory. Nevertheless, Hamilton remains optimistic about Mercedes’ form: “I think the car is absolutely strong. I think the team has done a really great job, and a really big thank you to all the guys who come back to the factory every weekend to step up and bring parts. We’re constantly innovating and developing the car. It’s night and day different to the car we had last year, and I’m really excited to have helped take the car to this point and develop the car to this point. I am grateful that we are fighting at the front, but the competition is very close between the top runners, and to get first place you ultimately need to be perfect.
Antonelli, meanwhile, will start sixth and seventh with the Mercedes pair just behind teammate George Russell. Although both Hamilton and Russell lead the Drivers’ Championship, Antonelli faces a tough challenge on the first lap in the midfield pack. Antonelli admitted, “The race is not going to be easy. Overtaking is going to be difficult, and we are now starting much further back than we could.” “Our long race pace on Friday was also good so we will do everything we can to win.”
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