Max Verstappen gathered a 1m16.547s on softs shortly after Lance Stroll went to the top of the times, before the Dutchman's lap was then overcome by Charles Leclerc's 1m16.406s. The Monegasque's spell at the top was short as George Russell went 0.094s faster, but Oscar Piastri then rounded his first soft-tyre lap with a 1m16.240s.

Piastri and Norris, who occupy the top two spots in the season’s standings, had dominated the practice sessions in Budapest but had no answer when required to improve their pace in the final seconds of a close battle for pole,