Defending Formula 1 champion Lando Norris took his first pole position of 2026 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, beating Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton by 0.012 of a second. This marked the first time this season that Mercedes did not secure a grand prix pole. Norris credited new McLaren upgrades for the performance, noting that he felt confident throughout the weekend.
The starting grid saw significant shifts following steward investigations. Lewis Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren's Oscar Piastri, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli was also handed a three-place penalty for a yellow flag breach. Consequently, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was promoted to second on the grid alongside Norris, with Piastri moving up to third and Max Verstappen in fourth.
On Sunday, Norris converted his pole position into victory, securing the first win of the season for both himself and McLaren. Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished second, and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli took third. A potential McLaren one-two finish evaporated when Oscar Piastri suffered a mechanical failure 14 laps from the end of the race.
The race also featured a difficult outing for George Russell, who dropped to 19th after a poor start before recovering to finish seventh. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth on track but was demoted to fifth after receiving a five-second post-race penalty for speeding in the pitlane, promoting Charles Leclerc to fourth. With these results, Antonelli extended his overall championship lead to 50 points.