Lando Norris delivered a brilliant qualifying performance at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, snatching his first pole position of the season by a razor-thin 0.012 seconds. But despite bringing a highly anticipated upgrade package to the Hungaroring that performed exactly as the team anticipated, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella isn’t convinced his squad actually had the fastest car on track.
Instead, Stella credited their Saturday success to flawless operational and driver execution, pointing out that Ferrari’s underlying potential was likely higher.
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Following the session, Stella was quick to temper expectations. The McLaren boss broke down the telemetry and admitted that piecing together the perfect lap was the ultimate difference-maker.
“If we take Leclerc’s best corners and Hamilton’s best corners, I think their potential was still higher than ours,” Stella explained. “Pole position was mainly the result of execution.”
While Norris managed a clean sweep of FP3 and all three qualifying segments to put his MCL40 on pole, the margins were incredibly tight. With teammate Oscar Piastri starting third, McLaren clearly has a competitive package, but Stella believes their rivals still hold a fundamental engineering advantage in the slow-speed sections.
Ferrari’s Mechanical Grip Advantage
The tight, twisting layout of the Hungaroring historically rewards cars with exceptional downforce and mechanical grip. According to Stella, Ferrari’s chassis remains the benchmark in that specific department.
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“I believe they still have the best chassis in terms of mechanical grip,” Stella noted. “[…] Part of the performance we gained came on the straights.”
This observation sets up a thrilling tactical battle for Sunday’s race. While McLaren’s latest upgrades have clearly optimized their aerodynamic efficiency and straight-line speed, Ferrari’s superior mechanical grip could allow them to protect their tires better through the long, sweeping corners of Sector 2.
With Lewis Hamilton suffering a three-place grid penalty for impeding, Charles Leclerc has been promoted to the front row alongside Norris. Overtaking on this circuit is notoriously difficult, meaning McLaren’s operational execution on the pit wall will have to be just as perfect on Sunday as it was during qualifying if they hope to hold off the charging Ferraris.
