Max P7 in final Hungarian GP practice

Published on 25 July 2026 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen finished seventh in the third and final free practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix. On a dusty Hungaroring, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver set a best time of 1:18.656, leaving him seven tenths of a second adrift of pace-setter Lando Norris in the McLaren. Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli taking third.

The third and final practice session at the 4.381-kilometre Hungaroring, just outside Budapest, got underway in warm and sunny conditions. Franco Colapinto was the first driver to head out on track, and as is often the case in the final practice session, it took some time before the rest of the field followed suit. After 20 minutes, Verstappen had still not ventured out when Sergio Perez came to a halt at Turn 2. Moments after leaving the pit lane, the rear of the Cadillac suddenly stepped out, and the Mexican did well to keep the car out of the barriers before bringing it to a stop on the run-off area.

Following a delay of just over five minutes, the session resumed and Verstappen headed out for his first run of the day. On the soft tyres, the four-time World Champion posted a 1:19.564, putting him third, half a second behind Norris at the top of the timesheets. Verstappen remained on track for another flying lap and appeared to be on course for the fastest time, but lost significant time in the final sector. Although he improved to a 1:19.281, he remained fourth before returning to the pits. While Max was in the garage, he slipped to seventh in the classification.

With 15 minutes remaining, Verstappen returned to the circuit on another set of soft tyres fitted to the RB22. He improved to a 1:18.656, moving back up to fourth, although he was soon relegated to sixth as both Ferrari drivers moved ahead of him. Meanwhile, Lando Norris continued to raise the bar, becoming the first driver all weekend to dip into the 1:17s.

In the closing stages, Arvid Lindblad finally made his first appearance of the session after Racing Bulls had opted to replace his power unit as a precaution. At the front, nobody could get close to Norris' benchmark, with the McLaren driver ending the session fastest. Lewis Hamilton finished second, championship leader Kimi Antonelli was third, Charles Leclerc fourth, Oscar Piastri fifth and George Russell sixth. Max Verstappen ended the final practice session in seventh place, seven tenths of a second slower than Norris.

Qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix gets underway at 4:00 pm BST.

Results third free practice Hungary: