Lando Norris ended Mercedes’ qualifying dominance at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, securing pole position ahead of Sunday’s race with a decisive final lap. The McLaren driver recorded a fastest time of 1 minute 17.207 seconds at the 4.381-kilometre Hungaroring circuit, edging out Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by just 0.012 seconds to claim his first pole since becoming world champion.

Mercedes had won pole position at every race this season prior to Hungary, with drivers Antonelli and George Russell sharing those honors. However, this weekend saw a shift as Ferrari and McLaren emerged as the leading contenders. Hamilton initially looked set to claim a record-extending 10th pole at the venue but was later demoted three places on the starting grid after receiving a penalty for impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri during qualifying. Piastri, forced to abort a fast lap following the incident, was unable to improve his position.

Antonelli himself was handed a three-place grid penalty for failing to reduce speed sufficiently under single yellow flags at Turn 14 during the final qualifying session. Russell, meanwhile, encountered technical difficulties, stopping on track with what Mercedes described as a water leak problem, and ultimately qualified seventh.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the challenges his team faced at Budapest, describing the circuit as “not a track for us.” Antonelli also admitted that securing pole position had been unlikely given the performance of their rivals.

Norris, who had also set the fastest time during final practice earlier in the day, expressed satisfaction with McLaren’s performance and recent upgrades. “It’s been tight the whole weekend, but we seemed quick from the first laps we did,” Norris said. “I pushed it more on the last lap — some paid off, some didn’t — but the main thing is we did it in the end.”

Hamilton said he was uncertain about the circumstances of the impeding incident, noting that he was unaware if he had obstructed another driver. After delivering his final qualifying lap early in the session, he said, “I don’t know if I got in the way of someone. So I’m trying to just run that through my mind because I wasn’t aware anyone was coming.”

Aston Martin also made progress, with upgraded machinery allowing former world champion Fernando Alonso to advance beyond Q1 for the first time this season, ultimately qualifying 16th.

Antonelli, who won the previous race in Austria, leads the drivers’ championship by 45 points over Hamilton, with Russell trailing the championship leader by 50 points as the season approaches its midpoint.