After defying the pressure to claim pole in what was a high-intensity qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lando Norris and his McLaren team know they must now deliver when it matters on Sunday. Missed opportunities and minor errors have peppered recent races proving costly but with Oscar Piastri completing a McLaren front row lock-out, in what was clearly the quickest car of the field, Budapest feels like a must-win for Norris.
His lap for pole was an exceptional run at the Hungaroring, chasing down the time Max Verstappen, who finished disappointed in third, had set. So aggressive and confident was the 24-year-old, nailing apex after apex, he was in imperious form, finishing more than three-tenths clear of the Dutchman.
On the second hot runs Piastri followed Norris with similar commitment, demonstrating how quick the McLaren is, just two‑hundredths down on his teammate.
Since his debut win at the Miami GP Norris and McLaren have repeatedly demonstrated great form. However, there were cases of driver and team error, for which both sides held their hands up that have cost him potential wins. He and McLaren will be acutely aware of the need to execute perfectly on Sunday.
Norris was calmly pleased with what was a superb performance, his first pole in Hungary and the third of his career. While a buoyed McLaren will also revel in how far they have come in recent races. They have not taken pole in Budapest since Lewis Hamilton did so in 2012 and have not won the race since Hamilton took the flag at the same meeting.
With Norris trailing Verstappen by 84 points in the championship and 12 races remaining, he and his team know they can no longer afford to throw away chances to reduce the gap if they are seriously intent on pushing Verstappen to the wire, as Norris acknowledged.
“We have done the best we could in every race, I know we have missed out on some but I don’t want to get back into all that stuff,” he said. “I would love to have a clean, strong weekend, but I am not expecting it, I am expecting a difficult race from Oscar and Max behind.
“Every one is important, trying to maximise every place, every point, the more we can try and get back to Max and on Red Bull the better.”
Hungary offers a prize opportunity, to do so especially given Verstappen was comfortably outpaced and palpably unhappy with his car. This was doubly disappointing him given the team had fast-tracked a major upgrade to this race.
Verstappen had emphasised that the success or otherwise of the upgrades were crucial for how the second half of the season would pan out but he clearly did not feel they had done enough and conceded he did not see a way of beating the McLarens.
“The [upgrades] work but we are still not first so we need more,” he said. “I was happy with the laps but balance-wise everything is on the edge. I was pushing as hard as I can, so you have little moments here and there. It’s just nor coming anymore to have great lap times. We are a bit slower so we have work to do, it’s as simple as that.”
Too much to make up it would seem after McLaren’s form in qualifying. After a session interrupted by two stoppages because of crashes, Norris demonstrated great composure in what had been changeable, tricky conditions after early rain, to nail what was one of the best single laps he has put together.
On the first hot runs in Q3 with the track still dry, Verstappen had looked good, quickest through every sector and inch perfect, he set the time to beat with a 1min 15.555sec-lap. Norris followed and charged, attacking the corners with fearsome commitment and produced an immaculate lap of 1:15.227. It proved enough, Piastri went quicker on the final laps to take second but Verstappen did not improve and the session was stopped when Yuki Tsunoda crashed out.
A late coda changed nothing when the session restarted as the final two minutes of running with used tyres was fruitless. McLaren hold all the cards but with exceedingly high expectations to be met if they are to prove the grand old marque has returned to championship contender status.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was fourth and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in fifth, while his teammate, George Russell, had a shock elimination in Q1.
In Q1 Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez was once more found wanting, catching the kerb, losing the rear at turn eight and crashing out, causing the session to be stopped.
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For the Mexican, whose place at Red Bull is under threat after a series of poor performances particularly in qualifying, it was once more disastrous. His contract, recently extended to the end of 2025, is believed to have a performance clause and whether Red Bull are willing to tolerate him failing to deliver for much longer seems increasingly unlikely. He had set a time and finished in 16th.
The break was costly for Russell, with Mercedes opting not to fuel the car to the end of the session and the British driver was unable to take advantage of staying out as the track dried after the break and was knocked out in 17th.
Charles Leclerc was in sixth for Ferrari, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were in seventh and eighth for Aston Martin, Daniel Ricciardo was in ninth for RB and his teammate Tsunoda finished in 10th.
Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen were in 11th and 15th for Haas, Valtteri Bottas 12th for Sauber and Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant in 13th and 14th for Williams. Guanyu Zhou was 18th for Sauber with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in 19th and 20th for Alpine.
