NORRIS WINS IN A DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS AGAINST PIASTRI
Lando Norris secured his ninth career Formula 1 win today at the Hungarian Grand Prix after an intense and tactical battle at the Hungaroring, leading a McLaren 1-2 finish ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
Starting from third on the grid, Norris faced early pressure as both Fernando Alonso and George Russell overtook him heading into Turn 1. Meanwhile, polesitter Charles Leclerc made a clean getaway, maintaining the lead and building a strong gap to Piastri through the opening stint.
Ferrari, however, faltered during the first round of pit stops, with McLaren executing flawless service to put both their cars ahead of Leclerc and into contention for the win. From there, the Woking-based team controlled the front of the field, with Norris leading Piastri.
Further back, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were in damage-limitation mode after qualifying in P8 and P12 respectively. The pair made up ground throughout the race but nearly collided on Lap 29 at Turn 5 in one of the race’s most dramatic moments, as they battled for position in the midfield.
In lap 40 though, Charles Leclerc faced a serious issue on the chassis, confirmed by team principal Vasseur which made him slow down by over a second per lap at some point, falling out of the podium.
The defining phase of the Grand Prix began on Lap 46, when Piastri pitted for a fresh set of hard tyres and began hunting down Norris. At that point, the gap between the McLaren drivers stood at eight seconds. Piastri, showing blistering pace, steadily closed the deficit lap by lap.
By Lap 59, the Australian was within 0.6 seconds and started probing for a way past. His most aggressive move came on the penultimate lap, Lap 69, when he attempted a dive down the inside of Norris at Turn 1. The move failed, with Piastri locking up and narrowly avoiding contact.
Despite relentless pressure, Norris held firm, crossing the line just 0.6 seconds ahead of his teammate to take victory. The result not only delivered another dominant 1-2 for McLaren but also significantly reduced Piastri’s lead in the World Championship standings.
With just under half the season remaining, the intra-team rivalry at McLaren is heating up — and the battle for the 2025 title looks increasingly likely to be settled between Norris and Piastri.
Formula 1 now goes into summer break, with a 4-week break until the penultimate Dutch GP at Zandvoort, which will also see the return of F1 Academy since the Canadian GP.
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