Norris snatches pole from Hamilton in Hungary
- Jason Sharp
- Jul 25
- 3 min read
Out of the 40 visits to the Hungarian Grand Prix, just four of them have been won from outside the top four on the grid. Qualifying is crucial at the Hungaroring, a drivers’ favourite often referred to as Monaco without the walls.
It was Lando Norris who took this critical pole with a 1:17.207, edging out Lewis Hamilton by just 0.012 seconds.
Q1 - Norris leads the way as Alonso makes it through
In what was a tricky session filled with drivers exceeding track-limits, reigning World Champion Lando Norris continued to top the time sheets, just as he did in FP3.
The big story of the session is that Fernando Alonso managed to make it into Q2, showing the impact of his heavily upgraded Aston Martin at the circuit where he secured his maiden victory back in 2003.
Oliver Bearman was disappointed to be P17, and both Williams struggled for outright pace in what is Alex Albon’s 100th Grand Prix weekend for the team.
Q1 Exits
P17 - Oliver Bearman
P18 - Carlos Sainz
P19 - Alexander Albon
P20 - Lance Stroll
P21 - Valtteri Bottas
P22 - Sergio Perez
Q2 - Norris continues to lead as Leclerc is investigated
Lando Norris continued to comfortably set the pace, being the favourite to take pole position.
There was drama down the field as Isack Hadjar suffered a spin at Turn 12. He continued without damage and made the top 10, but proved the difficult driveability of the Red Bull all weekend.
Charles Leclerc was briefly under investigation for a yellow flag infringement, but was soon cleared after it was proved that he lifted off to an acceptable standard.
Q2 Exits
P11 - Liam Lawson
P12 - Pierre Gasly
P13 - Franco Colapinto
P14 - Gabriel Bortoleto
P15 - Esteban Ocon
P16 - Fernando Alonso
Q3 - Norris snatches pole in the final moments
It was Ferrari that set the pace at the start of the session, but neither could improve on their final runs. After a snap of oversteer out of the final corner on his first attempt, Norris edged out Hamilton by just 0.012 seconds to take pole position at the sessions end.
In the closing moments, Max Verstappen spun off at the final corner after a correction on the way in, bringing out the yellow flags and compromising those behind him.
After the flag, George Russell had to bring his Mercedes to a stop with a technical issue, adding to an already difficult session that saw him finish P7.
Top 10
P1 - Lando Norris
P2 - Lewis Hamilton
P3 - Charles Leclerc
P4 - Kimi Antonelli
P5 - Oscar Piastri
P6 - Max Verstappen
P7 - George Russell
P8 - Isack Hadjar
P9 - Arvid Lindblad
P10 - Nico Hulkenberg
Looking ahead
Hungary once again provided a qualifying session that was decided by the smallest of margins, and last year's winner Lando Norris took his first pole since becoming World Champion.
Norris lines up alongside Hamilton in what will be a fascinating race, the outcome of which is often decided by tyre management. The big questions are if Norris can convert his pace into his first victory of the season, if Ferrari have an answer across the race distance, and if Mercedes can find an answer to their pace drop.
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