Norris on pole, a mixed up grid and more: What to expect in the Hungarian Grand Prix

Lando Norris became the first non-Mercedes pole-sitter of the season in Hungary | Credit: Formula One

We have our first non-Mercedes pole-sitter of the season, the defending world champion Lando Norris clinching the fastest lap of qualifying in a tight session that saw plenty of surprises, including the Mercedes pair facing reliability gremlins and a lack of pace as well as a late spin from Max Verstappen.

The final round before the summer break is all set to be a thriller — here are five things to keep an eye on for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Can Norris convert the season’s first non-Mercedes pole into a win?

Norris being the first pole-sitter of 2026 not named Kimi Antonelli or George Russell comes as little surprise. Apart from being the defending world champion, Norris has been rapid lately, coming close to pole last time out in Spa and having pace to fight for the win during the race despite a 10-place grid drop. 

Flawed strategy ultimately hindered his progress in Belgium, but with a genuine shot at the win this time, McLaren will be approaching this race with the weight of much higher stakes. 

A McLaren vs Ferrari battle is on the cards for the race | Credit: Formula One

It won’t be easy for Norris, who’s joined on the front row by Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver is currently on a streak of a win followed by second in Spa, and will be eager to get back up on the top step in Hungary. 

Ferrari have been incredibly strong during their race starts this season, and have looked competitive all weekend, set to give McLaren a headache throughout the duration of race.

Mercedes out of position

Norris won’t just have Leclerc to contend with. Though both Mercedes drivers start further down the grid than they usually would, they remain a threat to the front-row drivers — particularly at the start where the long run to Turn 1 is one of the key overtaking opportunities.

Championship leader Antonelli starts seventh on the grid after being hit with a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow down sufficiently for the yellow flags brought out during Verstappen’s Q3 spin.

Meanwhile, Russell’s rough patch continues as he’s set to line up sixth for this race. The Briton was off Antonelli’s pace all throughout Saturday, and another stroke of bad luck came with a loss of water pressure and leak on his car, leaving him with the feeling of  “a water pistol being sprayed at the tyres” during his final lap of Q3.

George Russell's tough luck continues into Hungary | Credit: Formula One

Despite their Saturday woes, the Mercedes pair can never be ruled out of contention for the win, particularly considering their promising race pace at this track which we saw flashes of during practice.

Antonelli will be eager to have a safe race and not bleed too many points in the championship, while Russell’s goal will be to finish ahead of Antonelli at all costs and hopefully catch Lewis Hamilton up the road as a bonus.

Hamilton’s climb up the ranks

Another driver faced with a grid drop for the race is Hamilton who qualified second but after impeding Oscar Piastri in Q3, the Briton lost his front row start.

Hamilton drops to a fifth-place start, and will be hoping to make the most of his quick-launching Ferrari to make up for lost positions at the start to join his teammate Leclerc and the Papaya pair in the fight for the podium spots.

Lewis Hamilton qualified on the front row but a grid penalty sees him drop to fifth | Credit: Formula One

Hamilton will first have to contend with Verstappen ahead and Russell behind him, meaning the seven-time world champion has his work cut out for him for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Can Red Bull have a better Sunday?

Red Bull’s performance seems to be ebbing and flowing over the past few weekends. Generally struggling on Saturdays but finding their footing during the races, Verstappen and Isack Hadjar come off the back of a decent showing in Spa where the Dutch driver took a podium and Hadjar bolted from the back of the grid to sixth.

Hungary has been more troubling for the Milton Keynes outfit, with both drivers spinning during qualifying. Verstappen could only manage sixth but with grid penalties applied, moves up to fourth, while Hadjar lines up eighth.

Both Red Bull drivers have struggled for confidence in the car this weekend | Credit: Formula One

With the rapid Ferrari of Hamilton and both Mercedes drivers just behind him, Verstappen will be driving with his elbows out to hold position and salvage a positive result from a disappointing weekend so far.

Aston Martin’s moment of truth

Over the past 10 rounds, Aston Martin has had a nightmarish run of form with each weekend becoming more bleak than the previous. A constant fixture at the back of the grid, the Silverstone outfit has been the biggest disappointment of the season under one of Formula One’s most successful engineers, Adrian Newey.

They will hope to right their wrongs this weekend, as they arrive in Hungary with a bumper pack of upgrades. Effectively having a complete overhaul of their car with 16 upgrades, the team managed their first ever Q2 appearance of the season with Fernando Alonso.

Fernando Alonso scored Aston Martin's first Q2 of 2026, 11 rounds into the season | Credit: Formula One

While Lance Stroll couldn’t match Alonso’s push, 16th courtesy of the Spaniard still counts as steady progress for the team that has been wallowing in the depths of their misery for so long this year.

The true test of their efforts with this upgrade package will be during the race. While points seem a distant dream, any headway up the order and a trouble-free running will be a positive indicator for the team.