Norris secures victory in Hungarian Grand Prix
Norris claims first Grand Prix win of 2026
Lando Norris secured 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 included mid-race events and a late retirement for Norris’s team-mate, Oscar Piastri.
Norris, who started from pole position, was overtaken by Piastri at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Piastri maintained a lead for the initial part of the race, with McLaren resisting Norris’s requests to be allowed through. The dynamic of the intra-team competition changed after the midpoint of the race.
Following his second pit stop, Piastri encountered traffic, making contact with a Williams car. This incident, combined with Norris’s pace in clear conditions before his own second stop, shifted the race’s favour. Piastri’s race concluded with a retirement due to a suspected gearbox issue.
Piastri’s stoppage led to a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period, which prompted further pit lane activity. Verstappen and Antonelli, who had recently changed tyres, remained on track to secure second and third places, respectively. They finished ahead of the Ferrari duo, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, both of whom made three pit stops.
Hamilton received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pits, which affected his chances of a podium finish. He continued to challenge Antonelli until the end, but Leclerc also moved ahead for fourth position after the penalty was applied. Isack Hadjar finished sixth for Red Bull, and George Russell secured seventh place after an early race issue caused him to drop to 19th.
Team performances and penalties
Racing Bulls achieved another double points finish, with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad placing eighth and 10th. They finished around Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, while Hulkenberg’s team-mate, Gabriel Bortoleto, finished 11th. Aston Martin, with updated cars, saw Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finish 13th and 14th, respectively. They split the Alpine cars of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and finished ahead of both Haas and Williams cars.
Piastri watched the final 15 laps from the sidelines after his retirement. The Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas, due to overheating brakes, and Sergio Perez, who experienced a front-left issue, also did not complete the race. Norris had secured pole position by a margin of 0.012 seconds over Hamilton in qualifying, with Leclerc taking third and championship leader Antonelli in fourth.
However, both Hamilton and Antonelli received three-place grid penalties from the stewards. Hamilton was penalised for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags, and Antonelli was penalised for impeding Piastri. This meant Norris started from pole, followed by Leclerc, Piastri, and Verstappen. Hamilton was demoted to fifth, and Antonelli dropped to seventh.
Perez moved to the pit lane from the back of the grid after making set-up changes. Before the formation lap, Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen opted for medium starting tyres, while Leclerc and Hamilton chose soft tyres. Bortoleto, Alonso, Carlos Sainz, and Stroll also started on softs, with the remaining drivers on mediums.
At the start, Norris maintained his lead, and Piastri overtook Leclerc to follow his team-mate into the first corner. Verstappen was in close contention with the two Ferraris. Piastri then moved past Norris at Turn 2. Russell experienced a difficult start, falling from seventh to 19th. Bottas retired from the race due to overheating brakes.
Hamilton expressed his frustration on social media, stating that despite feeling good in practice sessions, things often “fall apart” during the race. He also mentioned receiving three penalties in three weekends. Hamilton acknowledged the progress made by his team and expressed hope for the race outcome. Leclerc suggested Norris was the favourite for the race, noting McLaren’s strong performance throughout the weekend.
Aston Martin showed an improved performance, with Alonso progressing beyond the first qualifying session for the first time this season, lining up 16th. This performance was seen as a significant step forward for the team. Alonso noted that while the package did not drastically change their grid positions, it positively impacted the team’s momentum. The team aims to unlock more potential from the car, with an engine upgrade expected after the summer break.
Norris expressed satisfaction with his pole position, noting that he had felt good in the car over the past few weekends. He acknowledged that the pace of other teams in race simulations looked strong. McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, described Norris’s pole as an “overachievement,” attributing it to McLaren’s execution, an underperformance from Ferrari, and potentially from Antonelli and Mercedes. Overtaking is expected to be particularly challenging at the Hungaroring circuit.
McLaren had struggled at the beginning of the new regulation cycle, having secured two consecutive constructors’ titles in 2024 and 2025, and Norris’s drivers’ championship last year. The focus on the previous year’s championship affected the design of this year’s car, leading to aerodynamic missteps that became clear after the initial races. An upgrade package introduced this weekend, their first since Miami, is intended to correct this course.
The team has also faced challenges with the new Mercedes engine. Norris had shown competitive pace in Belgium but was affected by a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding the permitted number of engine parts and by the timing of a safety car. The Hungarian Grand Prix was Norris’s first pole position of the year.
Read Also
Source: formula1.com
