Norris pips Hamilton in final practice as F1 heads into Hungarian qualifying

Lando Norris produced the quickest lap in final practice at the Hungaroring, setting the benchmark ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Small margins at the front

The McLaren driver finished the session in front with Lewis Hamilton close behind — Hamilton ended the running just 0.117 seconds adrift. The narrow gap underlines how finely balanced the front-runners remain as teams make their final adjustments ahead of qualifying.

Championship picture and team form

Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, was not far off the pace in third, returning to the top three after a quieter showing earlier in the weekend and finishing 0.129 seconds off the fastest time. Charles Leclerc completed the top four for Ferrari.

Russell said Mercedes had solved the engine glitch which scuppered his previous outing in Belgium.

George Russell encountered more difficulty in Hungary. Although Mercedes report they have remedied the engine issue that affected Russell in Belgium, the driver was notably off the pace on Friday — around 0.6 seconds slower than Norris and nearly half a second behind his team-mate Antonelli.

What this means for qualifying

With practice showing close competition at the front, qualifying — scheduled for 15:00 BST on Saturday — will be decisive in determining the starting order for Sunday’s race. Drivers and teams will be focusing on optimising lap time consistency and traffic management at the tight Hungaroring circuit.

• Fastest in final practice: Lando Norris (McLaren)
• Second: Lewis Hamilton — 0.117s behind
• Third: Kimi Antonelli — 0.129s off the pace

For local followers of the championship, the session highlighted familiar storylines: marginal gains at the front, Ferrari and McLaren pushing hard, and Mercedes still hunting for consistency after recent mechanical trouble. Qualifying will provide a clearer picture of who holds the advantage as the series approaches its summer break.