Norris leads Hamilton and Antonelli in tight Hungary FP3 session

By James Carter — 25 July 2026 — 4 min read

Norris Sets the Pace in Hungary

McLaren driver Lando Norris recorded the fastest time during Saturday’s third practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Ferrari‘s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes‘ Kimi Antonelli. The session at the Hungaroring saw McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes drivers closely matched, setting the stage for the upcoming qualifying session.

Norris achieved a best time of 1m 17.939s in warm conditions. This put him just over a tenth of a second faster than both Hamilton and Antonelli. The practice session was crucial for teams to make final adjustments before qualifying.

Early Incidents and Returns to Track

The session began at 12:30 local time with Alpine‘s Franco Colapinto being the first driver on track. Colapinto had experienced significant car damage on Friday after running wide at the final corner and colliding with barriers, impacting his running time.

Lance Stroll also emerged early from the pits, aiming to gain track time after missing most of Friday’s sessions. Stroll had spun out of FP1 due to a suspension issue and subsequently missed all of FP2. He was looking to join teammate Fernando Alonso in understanding the updated Aston Martin car.

Meanwhile, Arvid Lindblad‘s Racing Bulls car remained on jacks due to a power unit issue. His team had worked overnight, breaking paddock curfew, to address a similar problem on Liam Lawson‘s car.

Mid-Session Developments and Red Flags

Approximately a third of the way into the session, Norris held the lead for McLaren with a time of 1m 19.062s on soft tires. He was a few tenths quicker than Red Bull‘s Isack Hadjar at this point. Several prominent drivers, including Antonelli, George Russell, and Max Verstappen, had yet to appear on track.

The session was interrupted when Sergio Perez encountered trouble exiting the pit lane. The Cadillac driver stopped on the approach to Turn 2, bringing out red flags. Perez reported losing the engine and experiencing a “massive brake,” noting that the brakes appeared to be on fire at the rear of his car.

After the track was cleared and Perez’s car was returned to the pits, the FP3 session resumed at 12:56. This left just over half an hour for drivers to complete their practice programs and gather final data before qualifying.

Final Minutes and Top Performances

Upon the session’s resumption, Antonelli, Russell, and Verstappen finally took to the track. Russell’s initial lap placed him second behind Norris, while Verstappen was fifth, behind his teammate Hadjar and Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli initially slotted into sixth but had his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits.

The leaderboard saw rapid changes in the final minutes. Hamilton briefly took the top spot for Scuderia with a 1m 19.053s lap. Leclerc then surpassed him with an even faster time of 1m 18.668s. Antonelli then positioned himself between the two Ferrari drivers before requesting a check of his Mercedes‘ floor, which had made contact with the Turn 4 kerb.

In the last 15 minutes, championship leader Antonelli moved into the lead with a time of 1m 18.254s. However, Norris, driving an upgraded McLaren, reclaimed the top position with a 1m 18.206s. Hamilton then improved his time to 1m 18.056s, but Norris ultimately secured the fastest time of 1m 17.939s, avoiding a slide through the final corner.

Antonelli finished third, followed by Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Russell secured sixth place, approximately six-tenths of a second off the leading pace. The Red Bulls of Verstappen and Hadjar took seventh and eighth positions, respectively, with Hadjar reporting his car felt “undriveable” late in the session.

Lawson achieved an encouraging ninth place for Racing Bulls. He was followed by the Audis of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Lindblad’s other VCARB 03 car made it out in the closing stages, splitting the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto. Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman were next, ahead of the revised Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll. Cadillac‘s Valtteri Bottas and the Williams pair of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon completed the field, with Perez sidelined.

Qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled to take place later today.

Source: formula1.com