Hungarian GP 2026
JULY 25, 2026
Practice 3 Report - Norris narrowly tops Hamilton in final practice
© McLaren
Lando Norris set the pace in final practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly beating Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli in a tight three-team contest at the Hungaroring.
The McLaren driver produced a 1:17.939 late in the session, finishing 0.117 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Hamilton and 0.129 ahead of Mercedes championship leader Antonelli. The result promised a closely fought qualifying hour on the twisting, bumpy circuit outside Budapest.
Running was limited early as teams waited for more representative track conditions. Oscar Piastri became the first driver below 1:20 after 16 minutes, before Norris established an early benchmark and Isack Hadjar briefly split the McLarens.
The session was interrupted after 20 minutes when Sergio Pérez stopped his Cadillac with smoke coming from the rear, and left Pérez without a timed lap and triggered a red flag.
Once action resumed, Mercedes and Ferrari closed in. George Russell initially came nearest, while Hamilton found enough time in the first and third sectors to edge Norris by 0.009s. Charles Leclerc then improved, and Antonelli survived a heavy trip over the Turn 4 kerbs before lowering the benchmark.
Norris answered with a 1:18.206, briefly lost top spot to Hamilton, then delivered the decisive 1:17.939. Leclerc finished fourth after running wide at Turn 1, while Piastri’s final effort was compromised when he cut the Turn 6 chicane. Max Verstappen and Hadjar reported handling concerns as Red Bull struggled over the circuit’s bumps.
The final times were: Norris 1:17.939; Hamilton 1:18.056; Antonelli 1:18.068; Leclerc 1:18.291; Piastri 1:18.438; Russell 1:18.541; Verstappen 1:18.656; Hadjar 1:18.943; Liam Lawson 1:19.088; Nico Hulkenberg 1:19.160; Gabriel Bortoleto 1:19.338; Pierre Gasly 1:19.723; Arvid Lindblad 1:19.895; Franco Colapinto 1:20.055; Esteban Ocon 1:20.295; Oliver Bearman 1:20.312; Fernando Alonso 1:20.393; Lance Stroll 1:20.933; Valtteri Bottas 1:21.299; Carlos Sainz 1:21.406; Alex Albon 1:21.513; Pérez no time.
The margins reflected a competitive final rehearsal, although traffic and mistakes denied several drivers clean conclusions. Teams now face difficult setup choices because the Hungaroring rewards confidence through its long sequence of linked corners and punishes minor errors.
Lindblad’s session was also disrupted by a power-unit change, although the Racing Bulls rookie emerged during the session to claim 13th. Hulkenberg led Audi team-mate Bortoleto in the midfield, while Russell ended sixth, 0.602s away from Norris. With McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes separated by barely a tenth at the front, the final practice order left no obvious favourite for pole position in this afternoon’s qualifying session.