Lando Norris lit up the timing screens in the final practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, securing a dominant 1-2 finish for McLaren.
Norris clocked an impressive 1m16.098s lap, just 0.044 seconds ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. The young Brit snatched the top spot from George Russell by nearly half a second during a flurry of soft-tyre runs.
Early in the session, the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had the track to themselves, with Verstappen leading the way on a hard tyre with a 1m17.938s lap. However, as more drivers switched to softer compounds, Norris emerged as the pacesetter with his blistering lap.
George Russell initially took the lead with a 1m16.826s, benefiting from cooler track conditions compared to Friday’s first practice. Lewis Hamilton also showed strong form but eventually dropped to 10th place, narrowly behind his Mercedes teammate.
Verstappen’s attempt to challenge Norris ended with a lock-up on his final lap, leaving him third quickest. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz led Ferrari with the fifth fastest time, although he struggled in the middle sector. Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon impressed by securing sixth and seventh, followed by Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda. Charles Leclerc missed out on the top 10.
This strong finish sets McLaren up for a promising qualifying session later in the day. The team appears well-prepared to challenge the usual front-runners, adding an extra layer of excitement to the Hungarian GP weekend.
With Norris and Piastri leading the charge, McLaren fans have every reason to be optimistic about their chances in qualifying. Stay tuned to see if they can keep up the momentum!
Source: Motorsport
