McLaren driver Lando Norris has led a three-team combat to prime FP3 at Method 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix, organising an intriguing qualifying session in Budapest.
Norris’ late 1m18.939s flyer was simply over a tenth faster than Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ championship chief Kimi Antonelli on the twisty Hungaroring.
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FP3’s opening section was quiet as drivers saved their powder dry for qualifying runs in the direction of the tip of the session, when the monitor can be in its most consultant situation for qualifying.
After 16 minutes, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was the primary driver to dip under the 1m20s barrier on softs earlier than team-mate Norris clocked a 1m19.062s to set the early goal, with Pink Bull’s Isack Hadjar splitting the 2 McLarens.
Sergio Perez prompted a pink flag after 20 minutes when he floor to a halt with a smoking rear finish on his Cadillac, which appeared to originate from the brakes – a recurring weak point for F1’s latest competitor.
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On the restart midway via the one-hour session, Ferrari and Mercedes each set chase for Norris’ benchmark. George Russell got here closest however nonetheless shipped two tenths, whereas Leclerc was one other tenth in arrears. Hamilton did discover sufficient time in sectors one and three to pip Norris by a mere 0.009s because the 4 prime groups had been all lined by three tenths forward of the ultimate set of qualifying simulations.
Sergio Perez hit brake points in his Cadillac
Sergio Perez hit brake points in his Cadillac
Leclerc had a a lot cleaner lap on his second try and clocked a 1m18.668s, with Antonelli transferring as much as second. The Italian requested his staff to verify for potential flooring harm after a wild trip over the Flip 4 kerbs. However whereas the staff mentioned it “noticed one thing on the aero” knowledge, it did not stop Antonelli from going faster nonetheless with a 1m18.254s effort.
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Norris swiftly responded with a 1m18.206s lap, half a tenth up, briefly being bested by Hamilton earlier than Norris reclaimed the lead with a 1m17.939s tour. However with Hamilton and Antonelli only one tenth in arrears, qualifying on the Hungaroring is shaping as much as be a detailed contest.
Leclerc was fourth after going broad in Flip 1 on his final try, adopted by Piastri, who noticed his lap ruined by reducing the Flip 6 chicane. Russell was six tenths behind in sixth, trailed by Pink Bull duo Verstappen and Hadjar, neither of which sounded significantly impressed by the RB22’s dealing with on the Mogyorod circuit’s many bumps.
Nico Hulkenberg led Audi team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto because the German veteran rounded out the highest 10, the German producer showing to realize the higher hand this weekend in F1 2026’s tight midfield battle.
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Alongside Perez, Arvid Lindblad was the opposite driver hit with mechanical bother. The British Racing Bulls rookie missed a lot of the session as a result of an influence unit change, however left the storage proper on the finish to take thirteenth.
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