Norris takes Hungarian GP pole by 12 milliseconds over Hamilton

Lando Norris of McLaren claimed pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the Formula 1 World Championship, with a blistering lap time of 1:17.207. The British driver will start the race from the front, with Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari alongside him on the front row, just 12 thousandths of a second behind.

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It was a lost opportunity.

Forming the second row will be Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari and Kimi Antonelli driving for Mercedes. The third row features Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Max Verstappen in his Red Bull. A yellow flag in the final moments of Q3, caused by Verstappen spinning, did not prevent Norris from snatching pole, though he did ease off slightly. The incident may have also hindered Antonelli's final lap.

Hamilton expressed his disappointment, calling it a "lost opportunity." "We were the fastest throughout the whole session, so it's definitely a lost opportunity," the British driver stated in post-qualifying interviews. "I felt solid, but for some reason we went out on track first, which I don't think was the right choice. And the grip wasn't enough for either Charles or me. Anyway, congratulations to Lando, who did a fantastic lap."

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We were the fastest throughout the whole session, so it's definitely a lost opportunity. I felt solid, but for some reason we went out on track first, which I don't think was the right choice. And the grip wasn't enough for either Charles or me. Anyway, congratulations to Lando, who did a fantastic lap.

Leclerc, who qualified third, admitted that not everything went as planned. "There was a rather abrupt change in wind and I don't think I predicted it well. And qualifying was a bit chaotic, I had to recover ground. We were lucky with the yellow flag," the Monegasque driver concluded. The FIA has announced it is investigating an alleged impeding incident between Hamilton and Piastri.

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There was a rather abrupt change in wind and I don't think I predicted it well. And qualifying was a bit chaotic, I had to recover ground. We were lucky with the yellow flag.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri, commented on the possibility of Formula 1 returning to the city. "We are ready and available as always, we are working to always be ready and at our best," he said. He added that they are analyzing other tracks and continuing modernization projects for their circuit, while keeping channels open with Formula 1. "Obviously, we are pleased with the interest surrounding Imola and the possibility of its return to the calendar," he stated, though his primary thoughts were with areas of global conflict.

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We are ready and available as always, we are working to always be ready and at our best.