Lando Norris admitted to feeling “pleasantly surprised” about beating Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, having delivered a pair of laps in Q3 that he described as “not the best”.
Norris, who topped Saturday’s third and final practice session, was one of several contenders for pole around the tight, twisty Hungaroring circuit, with McLaren’s upgrade package appearing to deliver a step forward.
While Hamilton led the way after the opening Q3 runs, neither the Briton nor Ferrari team mate Leclerc managed to improve on their second, which gave Norris a chance that he duly took by going 0.012 seconds quicker.
“I’m very, very happy – very happy to be back on top,” said Norris, with the result marking his and McLaren’s first pole of 2026. “A tough, tough Quali. Obviously these guys here [the Ferrari drivers] were very quick. It’s been pretty tight the whole weekend.
“We’ve seemed quick from the first laps that we did. We brought a few upgrades, and it’s hard to know how much it helps in terms of lap time, but it certainly helped today.
“I’m very, very happy to be back on top, especially at a track where you want to be on pole.”
Pushed on how the pole shootout unfolded, he added: “Honestly, I had confidence the whole of today. My laps in Q3 were not the best, even the one at the end, so I’m pleasantly surprised to be on top.
“We’ve been doing a good job, the car’s been feeling good, I’ve had good confidence. I certainly pushed it a little bit more on the last lap… some paid off, some didn’t, but the main thing is we did it in the end.
“I’m very, very pleased for the team, a big thanks to them for working so hard, and another big job tomorrow.”
Norris then threw it forward to Sunday’s Grand Prix, and his chances of converting pole into what would also mark McLaren’s first victory of the season.
“I mean, I’m in the best position for it, of course, but these guys [Ferrari] get good starts, they’ve been fast all season,” he commented. “I’m expecting still a tough race.
“Obviously they did Q1 on the mediums, so it’ll be interesting to know what tyre they’re going to start on tomorrow. They may be in potentially a slightly better position with some things, but otherwise we did the job that we had to do today, so I’m pleased for that.
“Tonight, we’ll make sure we prepare in the best way possible for tomorrow.”
