Norris beats Hamilton to Hungary pole

Lando Norris claimed pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.012 seconds in the final run of Q3. Hamilton had led the early stages, holding a margin of just over 0.1 seconds over Norris, but neither the seven‑time champion nor his teammate Charles Leclerc could improve on their last attempts. Norris secured the top spot after a tumultuous end to the session triggered by a spin from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the final corner. The incident forced Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to slow, leaving them fourth and seventh respectively. Verstappen recovered in time to set a lap that placed him sixth, ahead of Russell and the second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar, while Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg filled the remaining points‑scoring positions. Hamilton was two‑tenths slower on his second run compared with his first and remains under investigation for allegedly impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at Turn One after completing his final lap. Fernando Alonso achieved a notable advance for Aston Martin, breaking into Q2 for the first time this season after the team unveiled its updated car. Alonso will start sixteenth, 2.8 seconds off the pace, which he noted is two seconds quicker in comparative terms than the team’s recent performances. Speaking after the session, the 45‑year‑old Spaniard said: "I consciousness relieved a small bit, feeling that the squad understood the weaknesses of the car and this is the archetypal measurement successful the close direction." He added: "We brought a fewer updates to this car aboriginal successful the season, and it didn't enactment much. And we travel from 2 years of disappointments of upgrades. So decidedly determination is simply a alteration successful optimism successful the mill and I consciousness optimistic." Regarding his future, Alonso stated: "No 1 should uncertainty Adrian Newey oregon the imaginable we person successful Silverstone. It is simply a substance of clip earlier we person the champion chassis and it is simply a substance of clip earlier Honda person the champion motor successful F1. It is simply a question of when." The Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled for 19 July at 14:00 BST, with live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and real‑time updates on the BBC Sport website and app.