Norris claims Hungary pole as Hamilton faces investigation

McLaren’s Lando Norris has secured his first Grand Prix pole position of the 2026 season, defeating Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by a margin of 0.012 seconds at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris, who recently claimed victory in the Miami sprint, completed the final lap of qualifying to take top spot, capitalising on a session that concluded in disarray following a spin by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Hamilton had initially set the pace on the opening runs, leading Norris by just over 0.1 seconds. However, the seven-time world champion failed to improve on his final attempt, finishing a full second slower than his initial time. Teammate Charles Leclerc also struggled to find additional pace, leaving Ferrari unable to challenge for pole.

The qualifying session was marred by incidents involving multiple title contenders. Verstappen’s spin at the final corner impeded Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who were forced to slow their laps. Antonelli, who finished fourth, is now facing scrutiny from stewards for an alleged yellow-flag infringement. Russell, who qualified seventh, suffered a water leak that sprayed onto his rear tyres during his final run, forcing him to pull over at Turn One to protect the engine.

Hamilton is also under investigation for allegedly impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at Turn One after completing his final lap. The outcome of these steward reviews remains pending as the grid is prepared for Sunday’s race.

In other developments, Fernando Alonso delivered a performance breakthrough for Aston Martin with the debut of their virtually new car. The 45-year-old Spaniard qualified 16th, a result the team described as two seconds faster in relative pace than previous outings. Alonso expressed optimism regarding the technical partnership with Adrian Newey and Honda, though he remains undecided on whether to continue his career beyond the current season.