Lando Norris Reveals Key to 2026 Hungarian F1 Pole

Lando Norris revealed that pushing harder on his final Q3 lap was the key to securing pole position for the 2026 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton appeared set to claim a 10th pole position in Hungary, a milestone no driver has achieved at a single Formula 1 venue. However, Norris improved during the closing moments to take the leading grid position by just 0.012 seconds.

Norris had demonstrated strong pace throughout the weekend, including topping third practice. The British driver also believed the upgrades introduced by McLaren made a positive contribution to the car’s performance in Budapest.

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“Very happy to be back on top. A tough qualifying. These guys at Ferrari were very quick. It has been tight the whole weekend, but we seemed quick from the first laps we did and we brought a few upgrades,” Norris said.

Norris admitted it was difficult to identify the exact lap-time gain delivered by the new package. However, he said the upgrades helped McLaren during qualifying, particularly at a circuit where starting from pole carries significant importance.

The reigning world champion acknowledged that neither of his Q3 laps was completely clean and believed further lap time remained available. Even so, increasing his level of attack on the final attempt provided the margin required to beat Hamilton.

“I pushed it more on the last lap. Some paid off, some didn’t, but the main thing is we did it in the end,” Norris said.

The result gives Norris the best opportunity to control the opening phase of the 2026 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix, although he stressed that McLaren still faces another major task in the race in Budapest.