Hungaroring, Hungary, July 25, 2026: Lando Norris delivered a statement performance in the final practice session of the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, topping the timesheets at the Hungaroring ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. The closely fought session highlighted a three-way battle between McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes ahead of qualifying.

Norris clocked a blistering 1:17.939, the only lap under the 1m18s mark, to edge Hamilton’s Ferrari by 0.117 seconds, while Mercedes rookie Antonelli was just 0.129 seconds off the pace in third.

Norris Leads Tight FP3 Battle at Hungaroring

Track activity was initially limited as teams waited for circuit conditions to improve before switching to qualifying simulations. Franco Colapinto was among the earliest drivers to head out after missing FP1 and crashing during Friday’s second practice session, using the session to regain valuable mileage.

Audi briefly enjoyed time at the top through Nico Hülkenberg, before Oscar Piastri became the first driver to dip below the 1m20s barrier. Norris soon displaced his McLaren team-mate on an early run using soft tyres as the pace steadily increased.

Sergio Pérez Triggers Red Flag After Cadillac Failure

The session was interrupted midway when Sergio Pérez stopped his Cadillac near Turn 2 with smoke emerging from the rear of the car. The Mexican driver reported an apparent engine issue and a possible rear brake fire, prompting race control to display the red flags.

The mechanical failure prevented Pérez from completing a representative lap, leaving him classified 22nd after recording only a single lap.

Ferrari and Mercedes Challenge McLaren Late On

Following the restart, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull joined McLaren in full qualifying simulations.

George Russell initially closed to within 0.224 seconds of Norris before Hamilton surged to the top of the order, beating the McLaren driver by just 0.009 seconds. Charles Leclerc then briefly claimed P1, while Antonelli slotted into second despite having an earlier lap deleted for exceeding track limits.

In the closing minutes, Antonelli lowered the benchmark with a 1:18.254, only for Norris to respond with a 1:18.206. Hamilton then delivered an impressive 1:18.056, but Norris extracted even more pace on his final flying lap to reclaim top spot with a stunning 1:17.939.

Top 10 Finishers in Hungarian GP FP3

Leclerc finished fourth, 0.352 seconds behind Norris, while Piastri rounded out the top five after losing time through the Turn 6 chicane on his final attempt.

Russell placed sixth ahead of Max Verstappen in seventh and Isack Hadjar in eighth. Liam Lawson secured ninth for Racing Bulls, with Hülkenberg completing the top 10 for Audi ahead of team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto.

Elsewhere, Arvid Lindblad recovered from an early power unit issue to finish 13th despite completing just six laps, while Colapinto ended the session in 14th after returning to action.

2026 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3 Results