Norris leads Hamilton and Antonelli in final Hungarian Grand Prix practice

By Charlotte Reid — 25 July 2026 — 4 min read

Norris sets the pace

Lando Norris of McLaren recorded the fastest time during the final practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The session took place in warm conditions at the Hungaroring, with Norris achieving a best time of 1m 17.939s. This put him just over a tenth of a second faster than both Hamilton and Antonelli as teams prepared for the upcoming Qualifying session.

The session saw close competition among McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Early on, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto was the first driver to take to the track, following a Friday incident that caused car damage. Lance Stroll also participated after missing a previous practice due to a suspension issue, aiming to understand the updated Aston Martin alongside teammate Fernando Alonso.

Initially, Norris led with a 1m 19.062s on soft tyres, ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar. However, the session was briefly interrupted when Sergio Perez experienced an engine issue, bringing out red flags. After the track was cleared, practice resumed, allowing drivers to complete their programmes.

Mid-session developments

After the restart, Antonelli, George Russell, and Max Verstappen joined the track. Russell’s initial lap placed him second to Norris, while Verstappen was fifth behind Hadjar and Charles Leclerc. Antonelli initially slotted into sixth but had his lap time invalidated for exceeding track limits.

The leaderboard saw further changes when Hamilton posted a 1m 19.053s, taking the top spot for Ferrari. His teammate Leclerc then went even faster with a 1m 18.668s. Antonelli subsequently positioned himself between the two Ferrari drivers, though he requested a check of his car’s floor after hitting a kerb.

As the session neared its conclusion, Antonelli, who is the championship leader, improved his time to 1m 18.254s, temporarily moving into first place. However, Norris, driving an upgraded McLaren, reclaimed the lead with a 1m 18.206s. Hamilton then set a 1m 18.056s, but Norris ultimately secured the fastest time of 1m 17.939s.

Antonelli finished third, followed by Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Russell secured sixth place, while Verstappen and Hadjar of Red Bull were seventh and eighth, respectively. Liam Lawson placed ninth for Racing Bulls, with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top ten. Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls car, which had an apparent power unit issue earlier, made it out in the closing stages, splitting the Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Colapinto.

Friday practice and car updates

In Friday’s practice sessions, Ferrari showed strong performance, with Lewis Hamilton leading Charles Leclerc in a one-two finish. Leclerc noted that the qualifying session on Saturday was expected to be “tight.” Mercedes had a challenging Friday, with Antonelli finishing 13th after a disrupted run on soft tyres, and George Russell in fifth.

A significant development was the debut of a new Aston Martin upgrade. Fernando Alonso described the car as feeling “much better,” despite finishing 19th in one session, with a faster lap disallowed for track limits. The team, which has been at the back of the field, aims for further improvements, with a new Honda engine anticipated for the next race after the summer break. Adrian Newey, involved in the technical leadership, described the car’s debut as “promising.”

The upgrade’s performance was critical, as previous updates had not always met expectations. Alonso indicated that the team had received the expected data and correlation from the new parts. However, the day was not entirely smooth for Aston Martin, as Lance Stroll experienced a suspension failure in the first session and could not participate in the second due to a lack of spare parts for repairs. Ferrari was expected to perform well at the Hungaroring, a track less dependent on engine power.

Russell commented on the track conditions, noting that a resurfaced section was bumpy and that the track was breaking up in the final corner. He also mentioned that the car’s pace did not seem as competitive as in previous races. Antonelli, who leads Hamilton by 45 points and Russell by 50, did not complete a qualifying simulation lap in the second Friday session. His first attempt was interrupted by Franco Colapinto’s crash, and his second was cut short by an error. Antonelli reported issues with rear brake locking during the session.

Source: formula1.com