Norris secures his first pole as reigning champion, Russell qualifies outside of the top six for the first time in over a year and Ferrari reach 700 Q3 appearances. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix!
NORRIS ON POLE AT THE 2026 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
Lando Norris secured his first pole position as reigning World Champion at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. This was Norris’ first pole position since the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Norris secured the 17th pole of his career, equalling Jackie Stewart for 21st on the list of most pole positions in Formula 1 – and fifth on the list of most poles for a British driver.
This was the second time in the last three years that Norris secured pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Hungaroring is only the second circuit, after Interlagos, at which Norris has secured multiple pole positions.
Norris secured pole position by just 0.012 seconds from Lewis Hamilton, who was later penalised three places on the grid. It is the second-smallest pole margin in Hungarian Grand Prix history, after 2023 where the pole margin was 0.003 seconds.
McLaren became the first team to secure ten pole positions at the Hungarian Grand Prix, moving clear of Mercedes and Ferrari at the top of the list.
The 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix was the 39th consecutive race at which a Mercedes-powered car qualified on the front row. It equalled the record for the most consecutive races at which an engine manufacturer has appeared on the front row of the grid, equalling the record set by Renault-powered cars between the 1995 Italian Grand Prix and the 1997 European Grand Prix.
IN THE TOP TEN
With both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc reaching Q3 at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari became the first team to make 700 Q3 appearances since the knockout qualifying system was introduced in 2006.
Lewis Hamilton qualified on the front row for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix before being handed a three-place grid penalty. It equalled his best qualifying result so far this year, having also qualified on the front row at the Barcelona Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri qualified fifth for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix – his worst qualifying result to date at the Hungaroring.
For the first time in 2026, Mercedes did not take pole position. It ended a streak of ten consecutive poles.
This was the first time since 2022 that both Mercedes drivers reached Q3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli equalled his worst qualifying result of the year with fourth place in qualifying at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. He also qualified fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix. A three-place grid penalty sees him drop to seventh on the grid.
Qualifying seventh, George Russell recorded his worst qualifying result of the season so far. This was his first qualification outside of the top six in over a year, since qualifying 14th at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix. He will start sixth following Antonelli’s penalty.
Arvid Lindblad qualified ninth for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, reaching Q3 for the fourth consecutive race weekend.
This was the third year in a row that Racing Bulls saw at least one of their drivers reach Q3 in Hungary.
There have been only two races in 2026 – China and Miami – at which neither Racing Bulls driver appeared in Q3.
Nico Hulkenberg reached Q3 for the second time this year, qualifying in the top ten for the first time since the Barcelona Grand Prix.
With Gabriel Bortoleto having reached Q3 last week at the Belgian Grand Prix, this is the first time that Audi have reached Q3 at successive race weekends.
This was the fourth time in the last five years that at least one of the former Sauber team’s drivers reached Q3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
ELIMINATED IN Q2
Fernando Alonso became the first Aston Martin driver to progress past Q1 in the 2026 season, qualifying 16th for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
This was the first time since 2018 that Alonso failed to reach Q3 in Hungary.
Liam Lawson qualified 11th for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, becoming the first driver for the Red Bull junior team to miss out on a spot in Q3 at the Hungaroring since 2023.
Lawson qualified 11th for the second race weekend in a row.
Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto lost their 100% Q3 appearance rates at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar kept their streaks alive.
With both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto exiting in Q2, this was the fourth year in a row that neither Alpine driver qualified in the top ten at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
This was the third time in the last four races that both Alpine drivers were out in Q2. The Monaco Grand Prix remains the last time that the team reached Q3 with either driver.
2026 is the first time since 2021 that Pierre Gasly out-qualified his team-mate at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
OUT IN Q1
With Fernando Alonso reaching Q2, Cadillac are now the only team yet to progress past Q1 in 2026.
For Valtteri Bottas, this was his first Q1 elimination at the Hungaroring, having reached Q2 on all 12 of his previous appearances.
Sergio Perez set the slowest time in Q1 for the second time this year, after the Chinese Grand Prix.
Perez was out-qualified by his team-mate for the 11th time in his last 12 appearances at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll qualified 20th for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, recording an 11th consecutive Q1 exit. This was his first Q1 exit in Hungary since 2019.
Stroll recorded the first Q1 exit for an Aston Martin driver at the Hungaroring since 2022. 20th marks the worst qualifying result for a driver at the Silverstone-based team since 2008, when Adrian Sutil qualified 20th for Force India.
Both Williams drivers exited in Q1 at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, recording their third double Q1 elimination of the season, after China and Austria.
Williams recorded their sixth double Q1 elimination in Hungary in the last ten years. It was their first here since 2023.
This was Carlos Sainz’s fourth Q1 exit of the season – his first since the Austrian Grand Prix.
Qualifying 18th, this was Sainz’s first-ever Q1 elimination at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He had never previously qualified below 15th at the track.
Alex Albon recorded his seventh Q1 exit of the year – and his fourth in the last five races. It was also his fourth Q1 exit in his last five appearances at the Hungaroring.
Albon qualified 19th, recording his worst qualifying result of the season to date.
Ollie Bearman qualified 17th for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, exiting in Q1 for the third time this season after the Japanese and Monaco Grands Prix.