Lando Norris laid down an important marker ahead of qualifying for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, the McLaren driver topping an ultra-competitive final practice session in which the leading contenders from three different teams were separated by little more than a tenth of a second.
After a quiet opening phase as teams waited for track conditions to improve, the session exploded into life during the closing half hour, with Norris eventually delivering a best lap of 1m17.939s to edge Lewis Hamilton and championship leader Kimi Antonelli in a thrilling dress rehearsal for qualifying.
Oscar Piastri was the first driver to break into the 1m19s after 16 minutes, before Norris immediately lowered the benchmark to 1m19.062s. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar briefly split the two McLarens as the first representative times began to appear.
The session was interrupted after 20 minutes when Sergio Perez stopped on track with smoke pouring from the rear of his Cadillac. The issue appeared to stem from the brakes, continuing a reliability concern that has troubled Formula 1’s newest team.
Once running resumed, Ferrari and Mercedes quickly joined the battle at the front. George Russell closed to within two tenths of Norris, while Charles Leclerc slotted in just behind. Hamilton then produced a lap just 0.009s quicker than the McLaren to briefly move to the top, with the four leading teams covered by only three tenths.
Late runs point to qualifying thriller
Leclerc responded with a cleaner second run to seize first place on 1m18.668s, while Antonelli climbed to second despite reporting possible floor damage after a violent bounce over the Turn 4 kerbs.
Mercedes spotted an aerodynamic anomaly in the data but kept the Italian on track, and he responded with an even faster 1m18.254s.
Norris immediately answered with a 1m18.206s before Hamilton briefly reclaimed top spot. The McLaren driver had the final word, however, producing a superb 1m17.939s flyer to finish just over a tenth clear of Hamilton and Antonelli.
Leclerc ended fourth after running wide at Turn 1 on his final attempt, while Piastri’s last lap was deleted after cutting the Turn 6 chicane. Russell finished sixth ahead of Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Hadjar, both unhappy with the RB22’s behaviour over the Hungaroring’s bumps.
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top 10 for Audi, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad recovered from a power unit change to salvage 13th with a single late run.
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