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 *

What time is qualifying?

Qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix starts at 3pm (BST).

PREVIEW: Aston Martin in last-chance saloon to keep Fernando Alonso in Formula 1

They 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:

Antonelli has a 45-point lead

We 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 **

  1. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 159 points

  2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 154 points

  3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 126 points

  4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 103 points

  5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 92 points

  6. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 60 points

  7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 42 points

  8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 39 points

Martin Brundle on Aston Martin's upgrades:

“The car looks better. Often, you’ve got speed not reliability or the other way around - but they’ve had neither. They have all the ingredients but if the upgrade isn’t stonking, something isn’t working.

“I think it will be 2027 before Honda and Aston Martin are back.”

George Russell reaches breaking point but familiar foe shows path forward for Mercedes star

Nine 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: **

NEWS: Red Bull name replacement for key Max Verstappen ally for 2027

Max 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: **

Constructor standings ahead of Hungarian GP

**From 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

Lewis Hamilton speaking before Budapest weekend:

"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

Malaysia 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.