Lando Norris has described venturing into "unexplored territory" in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying as he landed a first pole of the season.
The world champion denied Lewis Hamilton pole on the road at the Hungaroring by just 0.012s, having been 0.101s down after the first runs in Q3, but after Hamilton failed to improve on his second lap, Norris claimed his first pole since the 2025 Las Vegas GP.
The first non-Mercedes pole of 2026 would have been Norris's regardless after Hamilton picked up a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri, but whilst he was confident of securing the position after topping FP3 and every segment of qualifying, Norris felt there was a "bit of a lottery" as he explored the upgraded MCL40 machine.
"It wasn't my finest, and it was difficult to put a lap together, with the new tarmac being grippy in places and not in others," Norris told media, including RacingNews365.
"Sometimes it felt like a bit of a lottery in certain corners, but I certainly did a good amount of them, and when I had the confidence to push more, I pushed more and I kind of got into unexplored territory from when I pushed to the next level - and then lost a bit of time in a couple of places.
"By the third run, I got a chunk better, but it's been a while since I was here, and I've felt confident all weekend, so it is nice to be able to turn it into something.
"I was confident and knew I could do it, but my first lap was not the best. I had quite a big snap of oversteer at Turns 12 and 13; I messed up 14, so basically, I knew I could go better. I was surprised my last lap was not better, but I tried to push more, so that's why it felt like on a third attempt, I would have understood the best of both worlds.
"But I sat in the garage, and I knew the pace was certainly there; it has been all weekend, and I've been consistent, and the car had potential, and the upgrades certainly seem to be going quicker, which is always a good thing."
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