Formula 1 returns to the Hungaroring this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix and round 11 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth win of the season last time out at Spa-Francorchamps, winning from pole position to extend his lead in the F1 world championship to 45 points after Mercedes teammate George Russell crashed out on the opening lap.
Lewis Hamilton is now Antonelli’s closest contender but could only finish fourth on a disappointing weekend for the Briton in Belgium, but he has won seven times in Hungary. His Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, finished second with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris won last year’s race in Budapest ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. It is the final race before the customary summer break.
Follow live updates from the Hungarian GP with The Independent
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Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri to miss opening Hungarian GP practice
F1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Round 11 of the 2026 F1 season takes place in Hungary
- Qualifying is at 3pm (BST) at the Hungaroring
- Lando Norris quickest in final practice; Hamilton 2nd; Antonelli 3rd
- Kimi Antonelli has a 45-point lead in the world championship
- PREVIEW: Aston Martin in last-chance saloon to keep Fernando Alonso in Formula 1
What time is qualifying?
13:05 , Kieran JacksonQualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix starts at 3pm (BST).
George Russell reaches breaking point but familiar foe shows path forward for Mercedes star
14:15 , Kieran JacksonNine races in; 25 points behind. Not ideal, but eminently salvageable for George Russell, who has endured an arduous start to a campaign which had his name written all over a debut F1 world championship. Now, 10 races down, that deficit has doubled in one spin into the gravel to 50 points. Needless to say, this was not how the Briton envisaged the start of his 2026 season.
Whether it be ill-timed safety cars, a lack of confidence or now mechanical issues, Russell has encountered his fair share of problems as the campaign nears its halfway point. In Belgium, an engine starved of straight-line speed – in stark contrast to his teammate Kimi Antonelli – was the latest in an ever-growing list of mishaps.
And it stretched him to breaking point.
Piece after the Belgian GP below:
Russell reaches breaking point but familiar foe shows path forward for Mercedes star
NEWS: Red Bull name replacement for key Max Verstappen ally for 2027
14:00 , Kieran JacksonMax Verstappen’s outgoing race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will be replaced by Tom Hart at Red Bull.
Lambiase confirmed in April that he will leave Red Bull and his role as Verstappen’s right-hand man for McLaren, joining the papaya as the chief racing officer no later than 2028.
Red Bull are now shuffling their cards behind the scenes as they prepare for a new era and it has been confirmed that Verstappen’s performance engineer Hart will take over Lambiase’s role – and will likely be in place for the start of the 2027 season.
More below:
Red Bull name replacement for key Max Verstappen ally for 2027
Constructor standings ahead of Hungarian GP
13:45 , Kieran JacksonFrom a lead of more than 100 points, Mercedes are getting pegged back in the constructors’ championship:
1. Mercedes - 358 points
2. Ferrari - 285 points
3. McLaren - 195 points
4. Red Bull - 151 points
5. Alpine - 61 points
6. Racing Bulls - 61 points
7. Haas - 21 points
8. Williams - 11 points
9. Audi - 10 points
10. Aston Martin - 1 point
11. Cadillac - 0 points
Antonelli has a 45-point lead
13:40 , Kieran JacksonWe know for sure that Antonelli will head into the summer break in front; but will he have an even bigger lead?
Here’s the top-10:
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 204 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 159 points
3. George Russell (Mercedes) - 154 points
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 126 points
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 103 points
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 92 points
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 91 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 60 points
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 42 points
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 39 points
Lewis Hamilton speaking before Budapest weekend:
13:30 , Kieran Jackson"Mercedes are still the team to beat. They've won almost all the races, they're quick in all circuits, fast in slow-speed circuits, the quickest in Monaco.
“You have to anticipate they could be quickest this weekend as well."
NEWS: Malaysia could return to F1 calendar for first time in nine years amid schedule shake-up
13:15 , Kieran JacksonMalaysia could return to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since 2017 as the sport eyes up contingency plans for the second half of the 2026 season.
After races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled in April due to the conflict in the Middle East, F1 is keen to add to its current 22-race calendar and was hopeful of racing in Bahrain in October, in between already scheduled races in Azerbaijan (26 September) and Singapore (11 October).
However, given the recent escalation in the region after the ending of the US-Iran ceasefire, F1 bosses are seeking alternatives and the Sepang International Circuit, just outside Kuala Lumpur, is one option.
Malaysia could return to 2026 F1 calendar amid schedule shake-up
Martin Brundle on FP3:
13:01 , Kieran Jackson“Close, as it always is here. Three different chassis right up at the front, pushing hard. Bodes well for this afternoon.”
Top-10 in FP3
12:46 , Kieran Jackson1. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:17.939
2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.117
3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.129
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.352
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.499
6. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.602
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.717
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +1.004
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.149
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +1.221
Lando Norris fastest
12:37 , Kieran JacksonThe McLaren ends up on top then, just over a tenth quicker than Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli, who make up the top-three.
4-10: Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Verstappen, Hadjar, Lawson, Hulkenberg
Should be a cracker for qualifying, me thinks! And a hot one at that - track temperatures are now 54C!
Antonelli goes third
12:31 , Kieran JacksonImprovement for the championship leader.
He sets a competitive time, within three tenths of Norris, to go third.
Final moments now...
Hamilton goes P2
12:24 , Kieran JacksonHamilton squeezes into second, 0.117 secs off Norris - still a surprise table-topper.
Antonelli, who has been struggling, now setting his final push lap...
Lando Norris goes top
12:18 , Kieran JacksonMcLaren have found some pace!
Norris goes top with a time 0.048 secs clear of Antonelli in P2.
Piastri is P3, with Leclerc fourth and Hamilton fifth.
Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar over team radio: "The downshifts are horrific. Disgusting in Turn One and Two. Turn 12 as well."
Final laps coming in now with 10 mins left!
Top-10 with 25 mins left
12:05 , Kieran Jackson1. Hamilton
2. Norris
3. Hadjar
4. Piastri
5. Verstappen
6. Russell
7. Leclerc
8. Lawson
9. Hulkenberg
10. Bortoleto
Lewis Hamilton goes fastest
12:03 , Kieran JacksonHamilton goes top by 0.009 seconds!
Hot laps coming in right now...
Lando Norris fastest at halfway stage
12:02 , Kieran JacksonNorris goes two-tenths quicker than Russell to go to the top, before Piastri nips in to go P2.
GREEN FLAG
11:59 , Kieran JacksonNow there’s an appetite to get out there!
The majority of cars out on the circuit after Perez’s car is cleared...
RED FLAG
11:53 , Kieran JacksonPerez, now out on track, has stopped at turn 2. And his Cadillac is looking smoky.
Session stopped.
Slow start to FP3
11:43 , Kieran JacksonOK so even for FP3, this is a slow start to proceedings.
12 minutes in and only 4 cars have been out on track - and no big-hitters so far.
While Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas is out on track, there’s a lot of work being done on Sergio Perez’s car.
Only one car out on track
11:36 , Kieran JacksonAs ever at the start of third practice, not much rapid movement in the pit-lane.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto is the only driver out on track in the opening 5 minutes.
FP3 underway
11:30 , Kieran JacksonHere we go then with the third and final practice session in Budapest.
A big one, particularly for the likes of Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri, who have only had one hour of running so far this weekend.
Who will set the final benchmark ahead of qualifying later today?
Mercedes with work to do, says George Russell
11:25 , Kieran Jackson"It's a bit of a shame because Budapest is one of the most enjoyable circuits to drive. They have resurfaced a third of the track and they've done a really bad job. It's really bumpy.
"The track is breaking up in the last corner so people are driving around the middle of the last corner and not hitting the apex.
"The underlying car pace doesn't seem as competitive as we saw in Silverstone and Spa. There is a lot of room to improve. The wind is shifting a lot and that has a real impact into car balance. Hopefully tomorrow will be better."
Charles Leclerc after setting the second-quickest lap in FP2 on Friday:
11:20 , Kieran Jackson"It was a relatively strong day," Leclerc said. "I felt good with the car and the performance seemed to be there straight away so that's a good thing but the weekend is long.
"From the Friday to Saturday we see teams making a jump in performance. Normally we are on the back foot on Friday so it's a good thing we have a good Friday but we still need to stay on it and work hard to get better tomorrow.
"It is going to be tight tomorrow. I don't expect us to have the gap we have today, we will have to do everything perfect. But if the feeling is there I am sure we will do a good job in Q3."
PREVIEW: Aston Martin in last-chance saloon to keep Fernando Alonso in Formula 1
11:10 , Kieran JacksonThey say seeing is believing. And seeing the leaderboard in qualifying last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, specifically the initial phase, really did take some believing.
For a team whose underlying goal was to be a Formula One world championship contender in 2026, Aston Martin’s opening 10 races have been nothing short of a calamity. From “nerve damage” safety concerns at the season opener in Australia to countless power unit failures, Aston’s new partnership with Honda has been woeful. What’s more, they previously used Mercedes engines, by far and away the most powerful on the grid in the sport’s new electrical energy-focused era.
And in Q1 at the last race in Belgium, Aston drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were both more than two seconds slower than the next-slowest car, new team Cadillac, and more than four seconds off the frontrunners.
But this weekend, they have a big upgrade:
Farewell, Fernando? Torrid Aston Martin in last-chance saloon to keep Alonso
What are the start times this weekend in Budapest?
11:00 , Kieran JacksonAll times BST
Saturday 25 July
- Free practice 3: 11:30am
- Qualifying: 3pm
Sunday 26 July
- Race: 2pm
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix
10:57 , Kieran JacksonFormula 1 returns to the Hungaroring this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix and round 11 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth win of the season last time out at Spa-Francorchamps, winning from pole position to extend his lead in the F1 world championship to 45 points after Mercedes teammate George Russell crashed out on the opening lap.
Lewis Hamilton is now Antonelli’s closest contender but could only finish fourth on a disappointing weekend for the Briton in Belgium, but he has won seven times in Hungary. His Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, finished second with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris won last year’s race in Budapest ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. It is the final race before the customary summer break.
