Ferrari’s SF‑26, praised for its agile chassis, was expected to shine at the Hungaroring, but neither Lewis Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc secured pole or a podium. Leclerc topped FP1, Hamilton led FP2, yet both were beaten in FP3 and qualifying by ultimate race winner Lando Norris. Hamilton’s closest attempt fell 0.012 s short of pole and a three‑place penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri left him starting P5 on soft tyres. A poor start and a late‑virtual safety‑car pit stop cost him track position to Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli; a 5‑s penalty for pit‑lane speeding dropped him from fourth to fifth.

Leclerc, starting second, struggled to maintain position behind Piastri, Verstappen, and Hamilton, while the SF‑26’s hard‑on‑tyres reputation hit in 31 °C ambient and 51 °C track temperatures. McLaren’s Andrea Stella praised Norris’s pole, noting their chassis still lags Ferrari, yet Ferrari’s consistency remained elusive. Team boss Frederic Vasseur cited execution failures and tyre‑compound frustrations as key issues.

The weekend highlighted Ferrari’s unpredictable performance: strong when expected to struggle, and faltering when confidence was high.