Lando Norris achieved his and McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory of 2026 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The race saw mid-race drama and a late retirement for Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri.
Norris started from pole position at the Hungaroring. He initially lost the lead to Piastri at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Piastri maintained his lead for a significant portion of the race, with McLaren initially resisting Norris’s requests to be allowed past.
The internal team battle shifted after the midway point. Piastri, following his second pit stop, encountered traffic in the form of Carlos Sainz in a Williams and made contact. This incident, combined with Norris’s strong pace, helped swing the race in his favour. Piastri’s race ended with a gearbox problem.
Race Incidents and Penalties
A Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed due to Piastri’s retirement, leading to more pit lane activity. Verstappen and Antonelli, who had recently changed tyres, stayed out and secured second and third positions, respectively. They finished ahead of the Ferrari pair, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who both made three pit stops.
Hamilton initially emerged ahead of Antonelli after his final stop. However, replays indicated he had crossed the relevant VSC white line just behind the Mercedes, causing him to cede the position. A five-second penalty for speeding in the pits further impacted Hamilton’s race, preventing a podium finish. Leclerc moved ahead of Hamilton for P4 after the penalty was applied.
Isack Hadjar secured sixth place for Red Bull, while George Russell finished P7. Russell experienced a difficult start to the race, dropping to 21st due to an anti-stall issue. Racing Bulls had both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finish in the points, in eighth and 10th respectively, sandwiching Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg’s teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, finished 11th.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finished 13th and 14th with their updated cars. They were positioned between the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and ahead of both Haas and Williams cars. Piastri, along with Valtteri Bottas (overheating brakes) and Sergio Perez (front-left issue) in their Cadillacs, did not finish the race.
Championship Implications and Calendar Update
Antonelli’s third-place finish allowed him to extend his advantage at the top of the drivers’ championship. He started from seventh on the grid after receiving a three-place grid penalty. Russell’s anti-stall problem on the grid caused him to drop to 20th, a mechanical issue that led team principal Toto Wolff to state that Mercedes needed to avoid such errors. Russell managed to recover to seventh but lost further points to Antonelli.
Piastri expressed frustration after being impeded and struck by Sainz while attempting to lap the Williams driver. Sainz was penalised with a five-second penalty for the incident. Hamilton also experienced frustration, as his Ferrari team instructed him to make a late third pit stop under a virtual safety car, which cost him track position to Verstappen and Antonelli. Hamilton felt this was the wrong strategic call, especially given the difficulty of overtaking in Hungary.
The afternoon ultimately belonged to Norris, marking his first victory of the season. This win suggests McLaren could be contenders in the title fight. Antonelli’s performance, demonstrating resilience, indicates a challenging path ahead for his rivals.
In other news, Formula 1 confirmed the addition of a race at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. This event will take place on 4 October, positioned between the races in Baku and Singapore. The Malaysian race will replace the cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix and will be branded as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with the Gulf state reportedly covering much of the hosting costs. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, also cancelled, will not be replaced. Sepang last hosted an F1 event in 2017.
Source: formula1.com
Arjun Sharma
Sports Reporter