McLaren celebrated a historic moment on Saturday at the Hungarian Grand Prix as Lando Norris secured pole position, leading a stunning front row lockout alongside his teammate Oscar Piastri. This marked the first time in over a decade that the team had achieved such a feat.
Max Verstappen, the three-time world champion from Red Bull, will start Sunday’s race from third on the second row, joined by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. However, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez faced a difficult qualifying session, crashing out in the first session and triggering a red flag. This incident further intensified the pressure on Perez’s position as the Dutch driver’s number two at Red Bull.
Daniel Ricciardo, a former winner at the Hungaroring, delivered a late surge of speed after Q1 resumed, topping the times in his AlphaTauri. He outpaced Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, while George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, was a notable absentee from Q2.
Norris led the pack into the top-10 shootout, with Hamilton, who ended his lengthy winless streak at Silverstone, squeezing through with the slowest time in the middle leg of qualifying. Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri collided with a wall, forcing a second red flag with just two minutes remaining, leaving Norris and Piastri provisionally in the front row.
Verstappen was unable to participate in the conclusion of qualifying due to an issue with his car, allowing McLaren to secure the front row lockout. Hamilton will start from the third row after achieving the fifth-fastest time, followed by Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari. The Aston Martin duo, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, along with Ricciardo and Tsunoda, round out the top 10.
Verstappen currently leads Norris by 84 points in the championship standings as they head into Sunday’s race at the Hungaroring. The Hungarian Grand Prix is expected to be a thrilling contest with the exciting front row lineup and the ongoing pressure on Sergio Perez’s Red Bull future.
