Lando Norris triumphed in a gripping finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly defeating his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to reduce Piastri’s lead in the Formula One championship standings to just nine points. Norris executed a successful one-stop strategy, completing 39 of the 70 laps on a single set of hard tyres. Piastri, who made two pit stops during the race, closed a 12-second gap to finish just 0.6 seconds behind Norris.
The podium was rounded out by George Russell in third place, who finished a distant 20 seconds behind the leaders. Norris expressed his exhaustion after the race, stating, “I’m dead. I’m dead. It was tough.” The Briton started in third position but dropped to fifth early on after being squeezed at the start. He explained that the team had initially planned for a two-stop strategy but shifted to the one-stop plan after the first lap, which turned out to be the key to his success.
Norris’s victory marked his fifth win of the season and his third in the last four races, adding to his career tally of nine wins and contributing to McLaren’s seventh one-two finish in 14 races. He highlighted the unpredictability of race strategies, saying, “It’s very easy now to say a one-stop was the way to go, but one second different and the answer would be very different.”
Race Dynamics and Key Performances
Frustration was evident for Charles Leclerc, who started on pole but dropped to fourth place after a challenging final stint on a two-stop strategy. Leclerc led for 40 laps before a second pit stop allowed Piastri to overtake him. Compounding his troubles, Leclerc received a five-second penalty for erratic driving while defending against Russell. After the race, he acknowledged a chassis issue that affected his performance, saying, “There was an issue on that side so we will look into it for it to not happen again.”
Fernando Alonso secured fifth place, achieving Aston Martin’s best result of the season, while rookie driver Gabriel Bortoleto finished sixth for Sauber, marking a significant achievement for the young driver. This race was also Sauber’s sixth consecutive scoring event. Lance Stroll contributed to Aston Martin’s push in the constructors’ standings by finishing seventh, helping the team move ahead of Sauber.
The eighth position went to Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, while reigning champion Max Verstappen finished ninth. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top ten, ending a scoring drought for his team.
Norris’s victory also highlighted the competitive nature of the championship, with Piastri maintaining a narrow lead over Verstappen, who is currently 97 points behind. Russell, meanwhile, sits just 15 points adrift of Piastri, making the upcoming races even more crucial.
The race unfolded with Norris initially boxed in at the start, losing ground to Alonso and Russell while Piastri pursued Leclerc. By lap three, Norris regained fourth place from Alonso, setting the stage for his eventual strategy shift. Piastri made his first pit stop on lap 18, with Leclerc following a lap later but managing to stay ahead.
Norris took his pit stop on lap 31, allowing him to leapfrog Piastri and take the lead once the other competitors completed their second stops. Despite having fresher tyres for the final 14 laps, Piastri could not find a way past his teammate, leading to a nail-biting finish.
In a disappointing day for Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion started in 12th place and finished in the same position. Hamilton faced challenges throughout the race, including being lapped by the leaders and forced off track by Verstappen. Following the event, he expressed frustration, indicating that little had changed since qualifying.
Overall, the Hungarian Grand Prix proved to be a pivotal moment in this season’s championship race, with the next round set to begin after the August break.
