NORRIS WINS IN HUNGARY TO CLAIM FIRST VICTORY AS WORLD CHAMPION
Lando Norris won the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix and claimed his first Formula 1 victory as reigning World Champion. The McLaren driver delivered a perfect race at the Hungaroring, controlling the pace throughout the afternoon and crossing the finish line more than 15 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, who finished second.
Kimi Antonelli completed the podium with Mercedes after a consistent race with no major mistakes. The Italian took advantage of Oscar Piastri’s retirement and finished ahead of both Ferraris, which struggled to match the expectations created before the weekend.
Before the start, strategy was one of the biggest questions heading into the race. Pirelli expected a two-stop strategy to be the most likely option, although a one-stop race was also considered possible. Most drivers started on Medium tyres, while Ferrari chose a more aggressive approach by putting Charles Leclerc on used Soft tyres and Lewis Hamilton on new Soft tyres.
Norris started from pole position after ending Mercedes’ qualifying dominance, but it was his teammate Oscar Piastri who made the best start. The Australian moved alongside Norris at Turn 1 before completing the move on the exit of Turn 3, giving McLaren a provisional 1-2 at the front.
The start was difficult for Charles Leclerc, who lost positions after starting on the dirty side of the track. The Ferrari driver dropped to fifth after being passed by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Meanwhile, George Russell suffered a poor opening lap after an anti-stall issue dropped him down the order.
During the opening stages, McLaren showed stronger race pace and began building a gap at the front. Behind them, Hamilton was putting pressure on Verstappen and appeared to have better performance from his Ferrari. After following the Red Bull for 14 laps, Hamilton entered the pits to attempt an undercut and switched to Hard tyres.
Verstappen reacted immediately by stopping on the following lap, but Hamilton managed to return ahead of the Red Bull. The Dutchman, however, fought back and regained the position with a late-braking move into Turn 1, passing his former title rival in a close battle.
After the first round of pit stops, the fight at the front became much closer, with both McLarens, Verstappen and Hamilton separated by only a few seconds. As the race continued, Norris started closing the gap to Piastri and showed stronger pace compared to his teammate.
McLaren then brought back its team management discussions, allowing Norris to challenge Piastri for the lead. The Australian was the first of the two drivers to make his second stop, while Norris stayed out longer and took over the virtual race lead.
With clear air ahead, Norris was able to maximise the performance of the McLaren and extend his advantage. Piastri also faced difficulties during a battle with Carlos Sainz while lapping the Williams driver, with Sainz later receiving a five-second penalty for the incident.
Ferrari struggled during the second half of the race. Leclerc lost time to Antonelli, who managed to close the gap to the Ferrari before making his second pit stop. Hamilton also faced problems and returned to the pits after only 17 laps on Hard tyres due to a drop in performance.
The key moment of the race came on lap 57 when Oscar Piastri suffered a reliability problem and was forced to retire. His stopped car triggered a Virtual Safety Car period, allowing Norris to make a free pit stop without losing the lead.
The McLaren driver used the opportunity to switch to new Soft tyres and returned to the track still in first place. Verstappen moved into second, while Antonelli held third position, with Hamilton closing in behind on fresher tyres.
In the final laps, Norris controlled the race and secured victory at the Hungaroring. Verstappen finished second after another strong recovery drive, while Antonelli claimed third place for Mercedes.
Hamilton initially crossed the finish line ahead of Leclerc, but he was handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane during his final stop. The penalty dropped him to fifth place, behind his Ferrari teammate.
Leclerc finished fourth, completing a disappointing weekend for Ferrari compared to their expectations before the race. The team had hoped to fight for stronger results after qualifying, but could not match the race pace of McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes.
Behind the top five, Isack Hadjar finished sixth, followed by George Russell in seventh. Liam Lawson scored eighth place for Racing Bulls, Nico Hülkenberg earned his first points of the season with Audi in ninth, and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10, giving the Faenza-based team another double points finish.
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