Lando Norris set the pace in the final practice session for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly beating Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli as three teams emerged as contenders ahead of Qualifying at the Hungaroring.

The McLaren driver produced a late lap of 1:17.939 to finish 0.117 seconds clear of Hamilton’s Ferrari, with Mercedes driver Antonelli only 0.012s further back in third.

Running was limited during the opening stages as several teams waited for the circuit to improve before beginning their qualifying preparations. Franco Colapinto was among the first drivers on track, gathering valuable mileage after missing FP1 and crashing during Friday’s second practice session.

Nico Hülkenberg briefly headed the order for Audi before Oscar Piastri became the first driver to lap below the 1m20s mark. Norris then moved ahead of his McLaren team-mate with an early soft-tyre run as the leading teams began to increase the pace.

The session was interrupted after Sergio Pérez stopped his Cadillac near Turn 2. Smoke was visible from the rear of the car, with Pérez reporting an apparent engine problem and a possible rear brake fire. The incident brought out the red flags and left the Mexican without a representative lap.

When running resumed, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull joined McLaren in completing performance runs. George Russell initially moved within 0.224s of Norris, while Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar also featured near the front.

Hamilton then jumped to the top of the order, edging Norris by just 0.009s. Charles Leclerc subsequently improved to first place, with Antonelli moving into second despite earlier losing a lap for exceeding track limits.

The final phase featured fresh soft tyres and qualifying simulations throughout the field. Antonelli lowered the benchmark to 1:18.254 before Norris responded with a 1:18.206. Hamilton then delivered a strong final sector to take first position with a lap of 1:18.056, but Norris found further time on his second push lap and reclaimed the lead with the session’s only sub-1m18s effort.

Leclerc finished fourth on 1:18.291, 0.352s behind Norris, while Piastri completed the top five after his final attempt was compromised at the Turn 6 chicane. Russell was sixth, ahead of Verstappen and Hadjar. Liam Lawson placed ninth for Racing Bulls, with Hülkenberg completing the top 10 for Audi ahead of team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto.

Arvid Lindblad recovered from a power unit problem that kept him in the garage for most of the session to take 13th with only six laps completed. Pérez was classified 22nd after completing a single lap.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:17.939 20 202.358
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:18.056 0.117 22 202.054
3 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:18.068 0.129 16 202.023
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:18.291 0.352 24 201.448
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:18.438 0.499 22 201.070
6 George Russell Mercedes 1:18.541 0.602 18 200.807
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:18.656 0.717 14 200.513
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:18.943 1.004 17 199.784
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:19.088 1.149 23 199.418
10 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:19.160 1.221 24 199.236
11 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:19.338 1.399 22 198.789
12 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:19.723 1.784 20 197.829
13 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:19.895 1.956 6 197.404
14 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:20.055 2.116 30 197.009
15 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:20.295 2.356 18 196.420
16 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:20.312 2.373 14 196.379
17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:20.393 2.454 17 196.181
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:20.933 2.994 20 194.872
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:21.299 3.360 15 193.995
20 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:21.406 3.467 17 193.740
21 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:21.513 3.574 13 193.485
22 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari - 1