Norris takes pole ahead of McLaren teammate Piastri at Hungarian GP

McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the Hungarian Grand Prix front row ahead of Formula One leader Max Verstappen after a stellar qualifying session for the British team on Saturday.

Norris earned his third career pole position, and will have his teammate starting right beside him as he aims for a second victory of the season. Norris won in Miami in May, and has come close to another checkered flag with four podium finishes since then.

He took the pole in Spain last month and in Russia in 2021.

"We've come into this weekend, and the last few, confident we can fight for pole," Norris said. "We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us."

The Hungarian Grand Prix marks the start of the second half of the season, which looks likely to be much more hotly contested than the opening races.

Verstappen, who will start in the third spot on the grid, has crossed the line first at the Hungaroring in each of the past two years, despite not starting from pole. He won in 2022 after lining up in the 10th position on the grid.

But the Dutchman had no problem acknowledging McLaren is providing Red Bull with its stiffest test of the past three seasons. Norris topped practice on Friday and earlier Saturday before showing his dominance when it mattered.

"I tried. The whole weekend we have been a little bit behind and that was the case in qualifying. It just wasn't enough, and it is difficult to pinpoint why," Verstappen said. "I love competition, but I would like to be on top of the competition. But at the moment I feel we are chasing, and I don't back out of a fight, but it's trickier."

It was the first one-two finish in qualifying for McLaren in 12 years.

"It's an amazing result for the team," Piastri said, before adding that the main goal is to keep both of the papaya-colored cars at the front come the race's finish.

"Of course I want to get into the lead, but we have both cars on the front row and we are trying to win this championship as a team, and we will be smart," the Australian said. "We want to keep it one-two and we will fight it amongst ourselves to see who gets one."