PREDICTION | Norris will fight for pole position in Hungary

The big surprise of the Friday of the race weekend in Hungary was Lando Norris of McLaren. The Brit set the second fastest time in the second free practice session. The score after the free practice sessions is: Norris will fight for pole position tomorrow.

Norris causes surprise in Hungary

The team reacted happily to the positive day. McLaren will go deep into the data gathered during the night from Friday to Saturday to turn the strong foundations they have laid into speed. Although Norris indicated after the sessions that they will not be competing for pole position on Saturday, there seems to be potential.

Norris was a good two tenths off Leclerc with his fastest lap of 1:18:662. To be precise he missed Leclerc by 0.217 seconds. The Briton improved considerably from FP1 to FP2 with a very good six tenths. Leclerc also improved, but by one tenth less. As Ferrari are the odds-on favourite for the weekend in Hungary, it will be difficult for Norris, but nothing rules out McLaren finding some time.

Weather makes chance for Norris greater

The main reason Norris might have a shot at his first pole position is the weather conditions. A lot of rain is expected, so much so that there are fears that qualifying will have to be moved. If not, there is a very good chance that qualifying will be held in the rain or on a wet track. That would shuffle the cards again and it would mean that the fast pace shown by Norris could be an advantage. In addition, Ferrari will probably find it difficult to keep their cool in such a chaotic situation as a wet qualifying session.

On his own, Norris is going to struggle, but never before has the Briton been so close to the front in free practice. There is a very small chance that Norris will take pole position, but he could well be in the fight. Do you agree that Norris will fight for pole position in Hungary? Let us know in a comment below.