Norris snatches Hungary FP3 honours after gripping Hamilton and Antonelli battle

Lando Norris won an intriguing battle against Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli as the trio traded blows throughout their late-session qualifying simulations.

Norris won the FP3 battle in Hungary by 0.117s ahead of Hamilton, with Antonelli only 0.018s further back.

Lando Norris tops Hungarian Grand Prix FP3

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

FP3 began in scorching conditions at the Hungaroring, with soaring track temperatures adding to concerns over the circuit’s deteriorating surface after patches of tarmac broke up during Friday’s running.

Franco Colapinto was the first person out, but there was no rush to join him.

Arvid Lindblad wasn’t going out any time soon, as his Red Bull Powertrains power unit was being replaced. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane revealed Liam Lawson was also reverting to his Spa engine.

Aston Martin completed its work on Lance Stroll’s updated AMR26 after his suspension failure on Friday, with the Canadian joining Colapinto on the track. The Alpine driver got the timesheets rolling with a 1:22.4.

Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri were the first of the frontrunners out on track, leaving the pits after 15 minutes. They went 1-2, Piastri ahead by two-tenths. As more drivers ventured out, Norris went quickest, with Isack Hadjar up to second.

Red flag! Sergio Perez came to a halt at Turn 2 with black smoke pouring from the rear of his car, with his brakes appearing to lock up. “It looks like the brakes are on fire at the back,” he told Cadillac.

F1 2026: The season’s winners and losers

The results of the F1 2026 championship

The F1 2026 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship standings

Aston Martin was also having problems with a piece of Fernando Alonso’s AMR26 flying off the car. Back in the pits, Aston Martin got to work on the rear of his car around the floor area.

The session resumed with 20 of the 22 drivers leaving the pits in formation, only Perez and Lindblad not in the action. Leclerc improved to third place, but was still three-tenths down on Norris with Max Verstappen in fourth, a further two-tenths back.

The Mercedes teammates put in their first laps, with George Russell slotted into second place, while Kimi Antonelli went fifth but lost his lap time due to a track limit violation.

A big moment on the kerbs at Turn 4 had Hadjar feeling sorry for his floor. “Ouch, that was tough on the floor,” said the Red Bull driver.

Ferrari made it a 1-2 with Leclerc four-tenths faster than Hamilton, but that was short-lived as Antonelli, after a few tweaks to his car, went second. His teammate Russell had a big lock-up into Turn 1.

Antonelli was the first of the frontrunners to bolt on a new set of soft Pirellis and jumped up into P1 by four-tenths ahead of Leclerc, shaving 0.6s off his previous best. He was pipped by Norris, with Piastri up to third and Verstappen fourth.

And then came the Ferrari teammates. Leclerc’s time was only enough for third place, make that fourth as Hamilton went quickest.

The battle for P1, though, was by no means over as Norris did a second run that put him a tenth ahead of the pack. Hamilton and Leclerc tried to fight back, but both Ferrari drivers made mistakes that cost them.

Lindblad emerged from the Racing Bulls garage with a handful of minutes remaining in the session, and slotted into 14th place.

The reigning world champion finished FP3 with a 1:17.939, 0.117s ahead of Hamilton, with Antonelli a further 0.018s down.

Hungarian Grand Prix: FP3 times

1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:17.939
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:18.056
3 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:18.068
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:18.291
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:18.438
6 George Russell Mercedes 1:18.541
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:18.656
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull 1:19.052
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:19.088
10 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:19.160
11 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:19.338
12 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:19.723
13 Franco Colapinto 1:20.055
14 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:19.895
15 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:20.295
16 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:20.312
17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:20.393
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:20.933
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:21.299
20 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:21.406
21 Alex Albon Williams 1:21.513
22 Sergio Perez Cadillac no time

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read Next: Malaysia closes in on F1 return as prime minister teases major announcement