For the first time in the 2026 Formula 1 season, a non-Mercedes driver will start on pole for a Grand Prix.
Reigning World Champion Lando Norris of McLaren took pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix, snapping a 10-race streak for Mercedes. It’s his second career pole at the Hungaroring.
Earlier this season, Norris became the first non-Mercedes driver to take pole in any race format when he started on pole for the Miami sprint race.
Norris set the fastest time in qualifying by 0.012 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton will start fifth after being given a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in Q3.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes qualified fourth but was also handed a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under single yellow flags during his final Q3 lap.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen spun out late in Q3, bringing out the yellow flags. He will still start fourth on the grid, alongside Piastri in third due to the penalties for Hamilton and Antonelli.
Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, was also caught out by Verstappen’s spin. Russell stopped on the track shortly after due to a water pressure leak.
Mercedes decided to change Russell’s power unit for race day to replace a damaged component. It is his fourth unit of the season, which is still within the allotment.
If Norris were to win, it would be his first Grand Prix victory as a World Champion. It would also be the first win by a team other than Mercedes or Ferrari in 2026.
Despite being a track where overtaking is difficult, the pole-sitter has not won in Hungary in the past five years.
Norris started on pole in 2024, but lost out to Piastri at the first turn. Piastri went on to take his maiden Grand Prix win.
Norris won from third on the grid in 2025 after pulling off a one-stop strategy.
Last year’s pole-sitter Charles Leclerc for Ferrari will start second after the grid penalty to his teammate. Leclerc has never finished on the podium in Hungary.
The characteristics of the track favour Ferrari, who have the strongest chassis on the grid. The Hungaroring has been called “Monaco without walls” due to the many slow-speed corners and the narrowness of the track.
Because overtaking is difficult, pit strategy will be key for drivers trying to move up the order. The Hungaroring has the highest track temperatures on the Formula 1 calendar, which can increase tire degradation.
Both Ferrari drivers used a set of medium tires to get through the first round of qualifying. Every other team only used soft tires.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will start 16th. It’s the first Q2 appearance for Aston Martin in 2026 and a positive sign for the team, who brought their first major upgrade package to Hungary.
If the current order holds, Antonelli would have a 41-point lead over Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship.
If the race were to finish in the same order as the starting grid, Mercedes would hold a 59-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship heading into the summer break.
