Lando Norris celebrated his first victory of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, bringing McLaren to the top for the first time this Formula 1 season. The British driver and title defender won in around 30-degree heat ahead of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, ending a personal drought that stretched back to the Brazilian Grand Prix last November.
The race itself delivered the decisive moment: after Norris ran wide at Turn Two at the start, teammate Oscar Piastri took the lead. On lap 34, the Australian came into the pits for the second time — and was frustrated shortly afterwards when a lapping maneuver led to contact with Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari. “Get out of the way, you idiot!” Piastri cursed. And so Norris found himself in the lead after his second stop. Shortly afterwards, Piastri retired with technical problems.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli salvaged third place with a strong comeback drive from seventh on the grid, extending his overall lead to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, who crossed the line in fifth place, picked up a late five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Charles Leclerc finished fourth after dropping well back at the start.
The race proved particularly painful for George Russell: following a disastrous start, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate slipped as far back as 18th and ultimately recovered to seventh place.
For Nico Hülkenberg, a personal drought came to an end: the driver from Emmerich finished ninth in the Audi, scoring points for the German team for the first time.
Off track, the FIA caused a stir shortly before the race: Malaysia is returning to the Formula 1 calendar after nine years. In early October, the Sepang International Circuit will host a rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix, which had been canceled in mid-April due to the Middle East conflict. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali expressed his satisfaction: “We have once again proven that Formula 1 can adapt, find solutions, and deliver results, positively surprising all fans of our sport.”
In the race itself, Ferrari drivers Hamilton and Leclerc had initially opted for soft tires but were stuck behind Verstappen on mediums in fourth and fifth in the opening laps. Hamilton was the first of the leading group to pit on lap 14, with Verstappen following a lap later. Despite an undercut attempt, the Dutchman moved back ahead of Hamilton with an overtaking maneuver.
Antonelli was the only top driver to stay out particularly long, making his stop only on lap 23 — a strategy that secured him the podium.
