Piastri’s Championship hopes Fade as Norris wins Hungarian GP

The Australian started strong from third, overtaking Leclerc at Turn 1 and taking the lead from his teammate at Turn 2. Piastri managed the race well initially, maintaining the lead through the first pit stops before Norris gained an advantage in the second cycle. After his second stop, Piastri was faster than Norris and seemed likely to stay ahead. However, a collision with Sainz at Turn 2 on Lap 38 forced Piastri onto the grass, costing him time and allowing Norris to take the lead after his second stop. Piastri was set for second place until a gearbox issue on Lap 56 forced him to retire, ending his race in disappointment.

The retirement marked a harsh end to McLaren's impressive performance, with Norris achieving his first grand prix victory as world champion, finishing 15 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. Kimi Antonelli climbed from seventh to secure a podium finish. Charles Leclerc moved up to fourth after teammate Lewis Hamilton received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, dropping Hamilton to fifth. Isack Hadjar secured sixth for Red Bull, while George Russell recovered from an early setback to finish seventh.

Liam Lawson returned to the points with an eighth-place finish, just ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, who earned his first points of 2026 in ninth. Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10, marking his sixth consecutive points finish. Norris secured his 12th career win, closing to within 91 points of championship leader Antonelli. Antonelli's podium extended his lead over Hamilton and Russell to 50 and 59 points, respectively. Norris expressed joy at his first win since the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, despite challenges after falling behind Piastri at the start.

“My pace today was probably some of the best I've ever had,” he remarked.

“The car was wonderful to drive, and I felt very confident. It was a great race. Extending the stints wasn't what I expected, but the pace was so good that I could do it, and fresh tires almost won me the race. I'm just happy to be back and see the number one again.”

Norris expressed hope that the upgrades McLaren introduced in Hungary would maintain their performance in the second half of the season.

“I definitely want to believe we can keep it up,” he said. “There will be times when we'll struggle more and moments that might be even better.”

"We know this track suits us well. It's one of the best tracks for me this year, so this is probably as good as it gets for now. But I believe we can still win races. The team has worked incredibly hard to make the car capable of winning again, and it's rewarding to achieve this for them." Meanwhile, Verstappen was satisfied with his second-place finish, noting he hadn't expected to compete so high given the weekend's earlier events. "I didn't expect to be on the podium today, but we worked hard for it," he said. "The start was decent, and after the first stop, getting back ahead of Lewis under braking into Turn 1. Managing the compounds and making the right strategic calls was key.

So yeah, very happy to be second here."

Antonelli secured third place with a two-stop strategy, resisting late pressure from the Ferraris. Despite early challenges, including losing position to Oscar, Antonelli pushed hard, especially during the middle phase and second pit-stop cycle. He described the race as challenging, with overtaking difficult, prompting a shift to a two-stop strategy due to tyre constraints. The Virtual Safety Car allowed the Ferraris to pit, but Antonelli maintained his position on hard tyres. Blustery conditions affected the race, with 21 drivers starting after Sergio Perez opted for the pit lane. Most top 10 drivers began on medium tyres. Norris started from pole, but Piastri overtook him for the lead after Norris ran wide.

Verstappen and the Ferraris competed for third, with Verstappen taking the final podium spot early on. Leclerc dropped from second to fifth on Lap 1, while Russell fell to the back after hitting anti-stall, finishing the first lap in 19th. Hamilton was close behind Verstappen.

Lawson moved from 11th to eighth, passing his teammate Lindblad and Hulkenberg. By Lap 5, Piastri led Norris by 0.9 seconds, with Hamilton pressuring Verstappen. The Ferrari driver attempted to pass Verstappen, resulting in brief contact but no issues.

By Lap 10, Russell had climbed to 12th, closing in on Gasly’s Alpine, while Piastri extended his lead over Norris to 1.7 seconds. Verstappen was 2.3 seconds further back, holding up the Ferraris. Hamilton pitted on Lap 13, switching to hard tyres and rejoining in ninth, then overtaking Lindblad for eighth. Verstappen pitted a lap later, but Hamilton emerged ahead, taking net third.

On Lap 15, Valtteri Bottas reported brake smoke, leading Cadillac to retire the car. He returned to the pits slowly, blocking Piastri's scheduled stop. Verstappen overtook Hamilton at Turn 1 on Lap 16, reclaiming sixth position and securing third after both passed Lawson. Piastri and Leclerc pitted on the same lap. Norris pitted on Lap 17, allowing Antonelli to lead, with the champion emerging ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton but behind his teammate.

Piastri was stuck behind Hadjar, who hadn't pitted and was slowing the McLarens to help his Red Bull teammate. Piastri overtook Hadjar on Lap 19, with Norris following. Hadjar let his teammate pass but tried to hold up Hamilton, who eventually moved into fifth place. By then, only two seconds separated Piastri in second from Hadjar in sixth. Hadjar pitted at the end of Lap 19, with Antonelli leading Piastri by 12.6 seconds. Antonelli pitted on Lap 22, allowing Piastri to retake the lead, 0.9 seconds ahead of Norris and three seconds ahead of Verstappen.

Antonelli rejoined in sixth, ahead of his teammate in seventh, who hadn't pitted. Norris closed the gap to Piastri to 0.7 seconds by Lap 25, as Piastri reported rear tyre issues. Russell pitted on Lap 28 from seventh, rejoining behind Bortoleto in eighth and just ahead of Lawson. The Racing Bulls driver tried to overtake the Mercedes at Turns 1 and 2 but was unsuccessful.

Piastri maintained a slim lead over Norris up to Lap 28, with the gap remaining under one second as the race approached its midpoint. Norris faced several tense moments while pursuing Piastri, including a detour through the Turn 4 run-off area on Lap 29, which allowed Piastri some extra breathing room. Hamilton made his second pit stop on Lap 31 after Leclerc closed in on his teammate’s gearbox. The Briton re-entered the race in seventh place behind Hadjar, while McLaren simultaneously encouraged Piastri to increase his pace, although the Melburnian noted there was little more he could do with his "inconsistent" car.

Piastri made his second pit stop on Lap 34 after Norris claimed he was faster and should pass to counter Hamilton. Piastri rejoined in fifth, behind Antonelli and 2.8 seconds ahead of Hamilton.

Norris aimed to overtake Piastri, but Piastri's speed on fresh hard tires kept him close. Leclerc pitted on Lap 37, dropping behind Hadjar and his teammate Hamilton in fifth. On Lap 38, Piastri was involved in an incident with Sainz's Williams while lapping him at Turn 2, leading to an investigation of Sainz.

"Move out of the way, you f**king idiot. Oh my god!" he exclaimed. Piastri had been lapping faster before the incident but lost enough time for Norris to pit on Lap 39 and take the net race lead. McLaren informed Piastri that the Sainz incident, not team strategy, cost him the position, but he continued expressing frustration over the radio. Verstappen pitted on Lap 41, emerging ahead of Leclerc but behind Hamilton, who closed the gap to within two seconds of Piastri.

Antonelli led the race with a 3.3-second lead over Norris but had not yet completed his second pit stop. Norris closed the gap by Lap 46, overtaking Antonelli at Turn 1 to lead with 24 laps remaining. On Lap 51, Perez, driving the second Cadillac, faced a suspected front-left suspension problem and retired after returning to the pits.

Norris maintained a 6.9-second lead over Antonelli, with Piastri 4.3 seconds behind in third. Verstappen, in fifth, was advised to maintain his pace on soft tyres as he closed in on Hamilton in fourth.

Antonelli pitted on Lap 53, allowing Piastri to reclaim second. Antonelli rejoined in sixth, ahead of his teammate but behind Leclerc. On Lap 56, Piastri reported a gearbox issue and retired at Turn 2, triggering the Virtual Safety Car. This led to pit stops for Norris, Verstappen, and Hamilton. Verstappen returned ahead of Hamilton, who rejoined just in front of Antonelli. Ferrari then instructed Hamilton to yield the position after replays suggested he gained it illegally at the Safety Car line.

Racing resumed on Lap 59 with Hamilton pressuring Antonelli for third, while Norris led Verstappen by 6.1 seconds. On Lap 61, Hamilton was flagged for potential pit lane speeding, closing the gap to Antonelli to 0.5 seconds by Lap 64. He received a five-second penalty, dropping from fourth to fifth behind Leclerc. Norris secured victory ahead of Verstappen and Antonelli. Formula 1 will break for three weeks before the Dutch Grand Prix on August 23.