Norris secures Hungary GP pole as penalties reshuffle grid

Reigning world champion Lando Norris of McLaren secured his first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season on Saturday, July 25, in a dramatic qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix that was later reshaped by grid penalties for two title contenders. Norris edged Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton by a mere 0.012 seconds at the Hungaroring, but Hamilton and championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes were each handed three-place grid drops for separate incidents, significantly altering the starting order for Sunday's race.

Norris set a best lap time of one minute and 17.207 seconds to end Mercedes' perfect pole record for the season. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified third, with Antonelli fourth and McLaren's Oscar Piastri fifth before the penalties were applied. The session's closing moments were chaotic, featuring a spin by Red Bull's Max Verstappen that triggered yellow flags.

The stewards penalized Hamilton for unnecessarily impeding Piastri during the final phase of qualifying. After completing his own fast lap, Hamilton was driving slowly on the racing line through Turn 1 as Piastri began his final flying lap, forcing the Australian to abort his attempt. Hamilton...