McLaren’s Front-Row Lockout: Lando Norris Claims Pole Position in Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying

Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix as McLaren sealed a front-row lockout in a chaotic session. Norris kept his focus – as rain before and during qualifying created a dramatic spectacle at the Hungaroring – to narrowly beat his team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to pole.

The Brit had set the fastest time before Yuki Tsunoda’s crash brought out the second of two red flags with two minutes and 13 seconds remaining in Q3, after which more rain fell to ensure the leaders were unable to improve on used tyres. Moments before Tsunoda’s crash, as the drivers did what were meant to be their second and final flying laps of Q3, Piastri had gone just 0.022s slower than Norris, with Verstappen only a further couple of hundredths back in third. Norris was unable to finish his second effort due to the incident.

Carlos Sainz was fourth and Charles Leclerc sixth, with Lewis Hamilton splitting the Ferraris in fifth after his Mercedes team-mate George Russell made a shock Q1 exit as a result of the team failing to provide him with enough fuel. Sergio Perez was also knocked out in Q1 after causing the first red flag of the session with a big crash, which will only increase speculation that he could remarkably be let go by Red Bull just a few months after signing a contract extension.

Norris, with the buffer of Piastri in second, has created a strong opportunity to close Verstappen’s 84-point lead over him at the top of the world championship. McLaren are also well placed to close a seven-point deficit to second-placed Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, and to decrease a 78-point gap to leaders Red Bull. Fernando Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll took seventh and eighth, respectively, in an improved performance from Aston Martin. Daniel Ricciardo beat RB team-mate Tsunoda to ninth, with the Australian gaining a position after becoming the only driver to improve his time in the period at the end of Q3 following the red flag.

Norris’s impressive pole position sets the stage for an exhilarating race at the Hungaroring. With the potential to significantly narrow the gap to his rival, Max Verstappen, and challenge for crucial points in the championship standings, the British driver’s achievement adds an extra layer of excitement and anticipation to the upcoming Grand Prix. The dynamic interplay of skill, strategy, and sheer determination on display during qualifying promises a thrilling showdown on race day, as the stage is set for a gripping battle among the leading drivers and teams in Formula 1.

Hungarian GP Qualifying Timesheet

Driver	Team	Time
1) Lando Norris	McLaren	1:15.227
2) Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.022
3) Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.046
4) Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.469
5) Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.627
6) Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.678
7) Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+0.816
8) Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.017
9) Daniel Ricciardo	RB	+1.220
10) Yuki Tsunoda	RB	+1.250
Knocked out in Q2
11) Nico Hulkenberg	Haas	1:16.317
12) Valtteri Bottas	Sauber	1:16.384
13) Alex Albon	Williams	1:16.429
14) Logan Sargeant	Williams	1:16.543
15) Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:16.548
Knocked out in Q1
16) Sergio Perez	Red Bull	1:17.886
17) George Russell	Mercedes	1:17.968
18) Zhou Guanyu	Sauber	1:18.037
19) Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:18.049
20) Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:18.166