Norris beats Hamilton to Hungary pole

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, McLaren's Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix last seasonByAndrew BensonF1 Correspondent at the HungaroringPublished25 July 2026, 16:16 BSTUpdated 2 minutes agoMcLaren's Lando Norris took his first grand prix pole position of the season, beating Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton by 0.012 seconds with the final lap of the session.Hamilton had been fastest on the first runs, by just over 0.

1secs from Norris, but neither the seven-time champion nor team-mate Charles Leclerc could improve on their final attempts.But Norris pulled out pole, following one in the sprint in Miami, in a chaotic end to the session caused by a spin at the final corner by Red Bull's Max Verstappen.The four-time champion's error affected Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who were forced to slow, ending up fourth and seventh.

But Verstappen had got going again before Norris came around as the last driver on track to clinch pole in the upgraded McLaren.Malaysia set to host F1 race in OctoberPublished2 hours agoHamilton was a second slower on his second run than on his first, and he also faces a potential investigation for impeding McLaren's Oscar Piastri at Turn One after he finished his final lap.Verstappen managed to take sixth, ahead of Russell and the second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg.

Fernando Alonso made a major breakthrough for Aston Martin on the weekend they debuted their virtually new car by breaking out of the first session for the first time this season.Alonso will start 16th, 2.8secs off pole - but that was two seconds faster in relative pace than they had managed for some time.

Alonso 'optimistic' after progressing to Q2Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Aston Martin team members celebrate Fernando Alonso's progress into Q2The veteran Spaniard, who is 45 next week, said: "I feel relieved a little bit, feeling that the team understood the weaknesses of the car and this is the first step in the right direction."We brought a few updates to this car early in the season, and it didn't work much. And we come from two years of disappointments of upgrades.

So definitely there is a change in optimism in the factory and I feel optimistic."Alonso faces a decision this summer as to whether to continue his career after this season. He said that while he had no doubts managing technical partner Adrian Newey would lead the team to success in the future, he was not sure whether it would happen soon enough for him."

No one should doubt Adrian Newey or the potential we have in Silverstone. It is a matter of time before we have the best chassis and it is a matter of time before Honda have the best engine in F1. It is a question of when."

More to followHungarian Grand Prix19 July at 14:00 BSTListen on SoundsLive commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and appFull coverage guideRelated topicsFormula 1More on this storyAndrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questionsPublished1 day ago 25 July 2026, 16:16 BST 2 hours ago Andrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questionsPublished1 day ago 1 day ago