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By Open Chronicle News Desk with Agencies
Lando Norris delivered the fastest lap in the third and final practice session for the 2026 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, putting McLaren at the top of the timesheets ahead of qualifying. However, Ferrari and Mercedes remained within striking distance, suggesting that the battle for pole position at Hungaroring is set to be one of the closest of the season.
The British driver posted a best lap of 1:17.939, finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari and Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while championship contenders from three different teams demonstrated impressive pace throughout the morning.
Ferrari arrived as the team to beat
Following a dominant Friday, Ferrari entered Saturday as the benchmark after leading both free practice sessions. Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc had shown exceptional one-lap speed, while Mercedes impressed with consistent race pace and McLaren remained firmly in contention.
Attention also focused on Gabriel Bortoleto, who continued working to unlock more performance from the Audi package, and Aston Martin, which introduced a significant aerodynamic upgrade package for the weekend.
As is typical in the final practice session, the opening minutes were relatively quiet. Most teams remained in the garages to preserve tyres, leaving Franco Colapinto as the first driver to set a representative lap after losing valuable track time on Friday due to a crash and an earlier driver swap.
Audi shows early promise
The first competitive benchmark came from Nico Hülkenberg, who briefly put Audi at the top with a lap of 1:20.643, highlighting encouraging pace from the German manufacturer.
McLaren quickly responded through Oscar Piastri, who became the first driver to dip into the 1:19s before Leclerc and Hamilton joined the fight near the front.
Bortoleto’s opening runs placed him inside the top ten but initially left him more than eight-tenths behind Hülkenberg, indicating there was still work to be done on car balance.
Soft tyre runs transform the session
Once teams switched from medium to soft tyres, the competitive picture became much clearer.
Max Verstappen briefly looked capable of challenging for the fastest time but lost valuable tenths after mistakes in the final sector.
Ferrari then appeared to take control.
Hamilton moved to the top with a lap of 1:19.053, only for Leclerc to improve further with 1:18.668, reinforcing Ferrari’s impressive qualifying pace after Friday’s dominance.
Mercedes newcomer Antonelli also impressed, initially losing a strong lap after exceeding track limits at Turn 4 before immediately recovering with a 1:18.812, placing himself back among the leading contenders.
Norris delivers the decisive lap
During the final qualifying simulations, Ferrari again appeared to hold the advantage.
Leclerc improved to 1:18.291, while Hamilton produced an even quicker 1:18.056, seemingly putting Ferrari in command ahead of qualifying.
However, Norris produced the lap of the session.
Using a set of used soft tyres, the McLaren driver stunned the field with a 1:17.939, comfortably reclaiming first place and demonstrating that McLaren possesses both outright speed and excellent tyre management heading into qualifying.
Mercedes remained highly competitive as Antonelli improved again to retain third place while George Russell climbed to sixth.
The close margins between the three manufacturers suggest qualifying could feature multiple lead changes.
Bortoleto shows steady improvement
Gabriel Bortoleto enjoyed a productive morning despite narrowly missing the top ten.
The Brazilian steadily improved throughout the session, lowering his best lap to 1:19.338, finishing only 0.178 seconds behind teammate Hülkenberg.
Audi engineers worked extensively with Bortoleto on setup changes, particularly addressing understeer in medium-speed corners. Adjustments to the front wing helped improve the car’s balance, although the Brazilian was unable to improve on his final run.
Even so, his pace throughout the session suggested he could still challenge for a place in Q3 during qualifying.
Final Practice Results
- Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes) – 1:17.939
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 1:18.056 (+0.117)
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:18.068 (+0.129)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:18.291 (+0.352)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren-Mercedes) – 1:18.438 (+0.499)
- George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:18.541 (+0.602)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Ford) – 1:18.656 (+0.717)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull-Ford) – 1:18.943 (+1.004)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls-Ford) – 1:19.088 (+1.149)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – 1:19.160 (+1.221)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 1:19.338 (+1.399)
Three teams ready to battle for pole
The final practice session confirmed what many expected after Friday’s running: McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes appear remarkably evenly matched heading into qualifying.
Norris may have ended the session fastest, but Hamilton, Leclerc and Antonelli all demonstrated genuine pole-position pace, while Verstappen remains within striking distance should Red Bull unlock additional performance before qualifying.
With four teams showing competitive speed and minimal gaps separating the frontrunners, Hungaroring is set for one of the most competitive qualifying sessions of the 2026 Formula 1 season.