I watched F1 champion Lando Norris clinch Hungarian Grand Prix pole from McLaren HQ - here’s what goes on behind closed doors

Norris kneeling on top of his McLaren F1 car after claiming Hungarian GP pole — Photo: © IMAGO

Hungarian Grand Prix

I watched Lando Norris clinch Hungarian Grand Prix pole from inside McLaren HQ - here’s what goes on behind closed doors

Norris managed to stay out of trouble at the Hungaroring on Saturday

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 26 July 2026 13:59

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Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris snatched pole position off Lewis Hamilton during Saturday's F1 qualifying for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, and thanks to Allwyn, I got to witness the moment from inside the McLaren Technology Centre.

As a partner of the Woking-based squad and official sponsor of F1, Allwyn understands the rush of anticipation that comes with some of the most exciting elements of a race weekend such as qualifying, the formation lap, and even the final few seconds before lights out.

Being an F1 fan can often feel like you're playing the lottery, questioning if you backed the right team or driver and wondering if your support will ever pay off. But it's always worth remembering that you've got to be in it to win it.

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Allwyn is the official operator of the UK's national lottery and brings the anticipation to fans across a race weekend whether they're visiting the track in person or tuning in from home.

Ever find yourself counting down the days until the next race or even the next hour of practice to see how your favourite drivers will perform? With Allwyn, you can bask in pre-race anticipation and enter The Allwyn League here. Trying your luck and making F1 predictions can lead to big prizes!

If you're like me, you might predict your top three drivers correctly (just not in the right order) and be motivated to keep going with your league campaign. Or, you may just find the perfect mix of track knowledge and the lottery that is F1 qualifying, putting you in the running for some unbelievable prizes, ranging from grand prix tickets to Paddock Club access.

That same rush you get from buying a lottery ticket and waiting to find out your fate is akin to the feeling fans relish during the dying moments of qualifying, and it is an experience Norris will certainly have gone through on Saturday,

The 26-year-old fought against his rivals right down to the wire, keeping his fans and all the team back at McLaren HQ on the edge of their seats until eventually, he stole pole by just a tenth of a second.

In F1, even the tiniest changes can be the most impactful, and the victories you see on track are often achieved thanks to the critical work and split-second decisions made by the team back at base.

And this was very much the case on Saturday.

Allwyn is an official partner of McLaren and sponsor of the F1 formation lap

QUALIFYING RESULTS: Hungarian GP times and positions

Norris ends wait for first pole as champion after nail-biting qualifying

As anticipation built within the walls of the MTC, it began to sink in just how realistic a first grand prix pole position of the 2026 season could be for McLaren and Norris.

Prior to qualifying, I was treated to an exclusive facility tour which allowed me to take a look at McLaren's impressive collection of trophies, livery cars and pieces of history, which included the first car ever owned by Bruce McLaren and one of the most successful F1 models of all time, the MP4/4.

I was also granted behind-the-scenes access to production, race workshops and even Mission Control, which had a live feed that gave me a unique insight into the unfiltered race radios from Norris, fellow McLaren star Oscar Piastri, and both of their race engineers.

Getting to see how the team back at the MTC work together across time zones to play out strategies for all eventualities and unpick the key data from reams of live telemetry really struck me.

It may just be Norris and Piastri representing the team out on track but the 30 members of staff who take up a seat in Mission Control all bring unparalleled value to both the drivers' and constructors' title fights.

And then came the moment Norris earned pole.

Whilst the TV broadcasts told a story of Hamilton starting from the front row on Sunday (after a post-qualifying penalty he'll now start P5), my headset revealed another.

Suddenly, the voice of Lando Norris could be heard screaming live from the cockpit of his MCL40 right into my ears, saying: "Let's f****** go!"

No more holding your breath. The television feed eventually caught up and it was confirmed pole position for the Hungarian GP had been secured by Norris.

Anticipation built right up to the line in Hungary as Norris snatched pole by a tenth of a second

After Norris’ impressive feat, we heard from Alex, a key member of McLaren’s 130-person aerodynamics team who had been immersed in qualifying right at the heart of the action from Mission Control.

He had been focused on Norris’ side of the room, which was lined with TV screens to help them feedback vital information to the track, supporting Norris' race engineer, Will Joseph, and the McLaren performance engineers.

Armed with the expert inside analysis which is often invisible to those watching at home, Norris was able to clinch pole, and he will hope to convert that into his first win of the new regulations era later today.

Don't forget to lock in your Allwyn League predictions for the main event on Sunday, and tune in to find out whether winning awaits for Norris at the Hungaroring.

F1 SCHEDULE: Every race date for 2026 plus TV details

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring