Norris and McLaren’s return to winning ways
Lando Norris and McLaren secured their first victory of the 2026 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, marking a significant moment in the championship fight. This win followed a period where Mercedes and Ferrari had dominated, with Mercedes achieving eight victories and Ferrari two in the first 10 rounds. McLaren’s upgraded MCL40 demonstrated strong performance at the Hungaroring, particularly with Norris at the wheel.
Norris started from pole position after a strong qualifying lap. Despite briefly losing the lead to his teammate Oscar Piastri on the opening lap, Norris managed to reclaim the top spot and maintain his advantage. He described his pace during the race as some of the best he has ever had, expressing confidence in the car’s performance and the team’s development efforts. The victory was a boost for McLaren, especially after a challenging start to the season for the reigning world champion.
The team’s success could have been even greater, but Piastri was involved in a collision with Williams driver Carlos Sainz and later retired due to an apparent gearbox issue. Piastri expressed frustration with Sainz regarding the incident. Despite this, Norris’s win provided ample reason for celebration for the Woking-based team as they head into the summer break.
Mixed fortunes for top contenders
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen navigated a challenging race to secure another podium finish, placing second. His car experienced issues during qualifying, leading him to provisionally start in sixth place. However, he moved up to the second row after penalties were applied to Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen capitalised on this opportunity, taking third place from Charles Leclerc on the opening lap and demonstrating strong defensive driving against the two Ferraris.
Verstappen briefly lost a position to Hamilton during the first round of pit stops but regained it with a strategic move, also passing Liam Lawson. He managed the remaining laps on increasingly worn soft tyres and benefited from Piastri’s retirement to secure second place. His teammate, Isack Hadjar, contributed to the team’s points haul by bunching up the pack, which aided Verstappen. Hadjar also achieved a second consecutive sixth-place finish.
For Mercedes, Antonelli extended his championship lead by finishing third, despite receiving a penalty for a yellow flag infringement that dropped him to seventh on the grid. He made gains during the race, employing a different strategy that involved an initial one-stop plan before a second stop was required later. This result was positive for Antonelli, further solidifying his position at the top of the Drivers’ standings.
In contrast, it was a more difficult race for Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell. A challenging start, attributed to anti-stall engaging, caused him to fall towards the back of the field. Despite recovering to finish seventh, it was not the outcome Russell had hoped for, especially following his early exit at Spa the previous week. Russell acknowledged the need for a break after a demanding first half of the season.
Ferrari’s struggles and midfield battles
Ferrari had a promising start to the weekend, topping the timesheets in Friday practice. However, their form declined as the event progressed. Hamilton, who had been in contention for pole position, qualified second but received a three-place grid penalty, dropping him to fifth. Leclerc was promoted to second but had a difficult start on Sunday, losing positions.
Both Ferrari cars opted for a three-stop strategy. Hamilton emerged ahead of Antonelli after his final stop, but a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane pushed him back to fifth. Leclerc finished fourth, leading to a disappointing outcome for Ferrari after initial signs of promise. Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur noted that the team made “too many mistakes” during the race.
Away from the top teams, intense battles unfolded in the midfield. Racing Bulls and Alpine arrived in Hungary level on 61 points in the Teams’ Championship. Racing Bulls, equipped with recent upgrades, demonstrated superior performance. Both Lawson and Arvid Lindblad secured double points finishes, with Lawson finishing eighth and Lindblad achieving his sixth consecutive top-10 finish.
In other racing categories, Noel Leon won the F2 Feature Race for Campos Racing, aided by a Virtual Safety Car deployment. He beat polesitter Kush Maini and Rafael Camara. Leon’s teammate, Nikola Tsolov, maintains a 20-point lead in the championship. In F3, Freddie Slater of TRIDENT won the Feature Race, beating Ugo Ugochukwu by 1.4 seconds and leading his rival by eight points in the standings. Both F2 and F3 are set to return to action in Monza.
Source: formula1.com
Priya Nair
Sports Reporter
