Lando Norris took the top spot in Free Practice 3 for the Hungarian Grand Prix. He clocked a 1:17.939 in the upgraded McLaren MCL40. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished second by just 0.117 seconds. Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli followed closely in third.
The session came to a sudden halt with 39 minutes remaining. Sergio Pérez pulled his Cadillac off the track near Turn 2. Smoke poured from the rear brakes. The incident triggered a red flag, halting track action amid a suspected engine issue.
Franco Colapinto managed to get back on the asphalt. He returned to gather necessary mileage after crashing heavily during Friday’s FP2 session. Out front, the timing screens highlighted a split in car characteristics.
If you look at the telemetry, McLaren’s MCL40 dominated the first two sectors of the Hungaroring. Ferrari maintained a clear speed advantage through the final sector.
Antonelli showed a sharp improvement today. He struggled heavily with rear grip on Friday, but he didn’t let that dictate his Saturday. This result breaks a season-long streak. This is the first practice session this year where a non-Mercedes driver set the fastest final lap. The pressure is on Hamilton. He chases a 10th pole position and a ninth career victory at this circuit.