Norris leads Hamilton and Antonelli in Hungarian Grand Prix final practice
McLaren driver Lando Norris set the fastest time during the final practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Ferrari‘s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli at the Hungaroring.
Norris recorded a best time of 1m 17.939s in hot conditions. This placed him just over a tenth of a second faster than Hamilton and Antonelli.
Practice Session Overview
The session began at 12:30 local time with Alpine‘s Franco Colapinto being the first driver on track. Colapinto had previously experienced car damage on Friday after sliding into barriers. Lance Stroll also emerged early, having missed the entirety of FP2 due to a suspension issue in FP1. He aimed to gain understanding of the updated Aston Martin alongside teammate Fernando Alonso.
Early in the session, Norris led for McLaren with a 1m 19.062s lap on soft tyres, ahead of Red Bull‘s Isack Hadjar. However, the session was interrupted when Sergio Perez‘s Cadillac stopped near Turn 2, leading to a red flag. Perez reported an engine loss and issues with his brakes.
After the track was cleared, the session resumed at 12:56, leaving over 30 minutes for drivers to complete their practice programmes. Antonelli, George Russell, and Max Verstappen then joined the track. Russell initially placed second to Norris, while Verstappen was fifth behind Hadjar and Charles Leclerc. Antonelli provisionally held sixth but had his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits.
Late Session Developments
Minutes later, Hamilton moved to P1 with a 1m 19.053s, and teammate Leclerc then went faster with a 1m 18.668s. Antonelli then positioned himself between the two Ferrari drivers, though he requested a check of his Mercedes’ floor after hitting the Turn 4 kerb.
In the final 15 minutes, championship leader Antonelli improved his time to 1m 18.254s, temporarily taking the top spot. Norris, driving an upgraded McLaren, then reclaimed the lead with a 1m 18.206s. Hamilton further improved to 1m 18.056s, but Norris ultimately secured the fastest time with his 1m 17.939s lap.
Antonelli finished third, followed by Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Russell was sixth, while Red Bull drivers Verstappen and Hadjar took seventh and eighth positions, respectively. Hadjar described his car as “undriveable” late in the session. Liam Lawson secured ninth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Audi drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Arvid Lindblad‘s Racing Bulls car, which had been on jacks due to a power unit issue, made it out in the closing stages, splitting the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto. Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman followed, with the Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll, Cadillac‘s Valtteri Bottas, and Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon completing the field ahead of the sidelined Perez.
In qualifying, Norris secured his first grand prix pole position of the season, beating Hamilton by 0.012 seconds. Hamilton had been fastest on the initial runs, but neither he nor Leclerc could improve on their final attempts. Verstappen’s spin at the final corner affected Antonelli and Russell, who were forced to slow, resulting in fourth and seventh positions for them. Hamilton faces an investigation for impeding Piastri, and Antonelli is also under investigation for an alleged yellow-flag infringement. Verstappen managed to take sixth place in qualifying.
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Source: formula1.com
