Norris secures victory in Hungary, Ferrari struggles with errors

By Daniel Foster — 26 July 2026 — 6 min read

Norris secures first win of the season

Lando Norris of McLaren achieved his first Grand Prix victory of the 2026 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The race included mid-race incidents and a late retirement for Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Norris, who started from pole position, spent the initial part of the race behind Piastri after being overtaken at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Piastri maintained the lead, with McLaren initially not allowing Norris to pass. However, the dynamic shifted around the halfway point of the race.

After his second pit stop, Piastri encountered traffic and made contact with a Williams car driven by Carlos Sainz. This incident, combined with Norris’s pace in clear air before his own second stop, influenced the race outcome. Piastri’s race concluded prematurely due to a gearbox issue.

A Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed following Piastri’s retirement, leading to further pit lane activity. Verstappen and Antonelli, who had recently changed tires, remained on track to secure second and third positions, respectively. They finished ahead of the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who both made three pit stops.

Hamilton initially emerged from his final stop ahead of Antonelli but lost the position after replays indicated he had crossed the relevant VSC white line just behind the Mercedes. A five-second penalty for speeding in the pits further impacted Hamilton’s chances of a podium finish. Leclerc also moved ahead of Hamilton to secure P4 after the penalty was applied.

Isack Hadjar finished sixth for Red Bull, while George Russell climbed to seventh place after a difficult start to the race saw him drop to 21st due to an anti-stall activation. Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad secured eighth and 10th positions, respectively, sandwiching Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg’s teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, finished 11th.

Aston Martin, with updated cars, saw Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finish 13th and 14th. They were positioned between the Alpine cars of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and ahead of both Haas and Williams entries. Piastri watched the final 15 laps from the sidelines following his retirement. Cadillac drivers Valtteri Bottas (due to overheating brakes) and Sergio Perez (due to a front-left issue) also did not finish the race.

Qualifying and race incidents

Norris secured pole position in a close qualifying session at the Hungaroring circuit, with a lead of just 0.012 seconds over Hamilton. Leclerc qualified third, and championship leader Antonelli was fourth.

However, both Hamilton and Antonelli received three-place grid penalties. Hamilton was penalized for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags, while Antonelli was penalized for impeding Piastri. These penalties moved Norris to the front of the grid, followed by Leclerc, Piastri, and Verstappen. Hamilton was demoted to fifth, and Antonelli to seventh. Perez started from the pit lane after making set-up changes.

At the start of the race, Norris maintained his lead from pole. Piastri overtook Leclerc to follow Norris into the first corner, while Verstappen battled with the two Ferraris. Piastri then used a cut-back move at Turn 2 to take the lead from Norris. Hamilton also passed his teammate Leclerc for fourth and made contact with Verstappen.

Russell experienced a difficult start, falling from sixth to 21st. His engineer confirmed an anti-stall issue. As the race progressed, Piastri held a lead of just over a second from Norris, followed by Verstappen, Hamilton, and Leclerc. Antonelli was in sixth, having gained a position due to Russell’s start, with Hadjar, Lawson, Lindblad, and Hulkenberg completing the top 10.

Verstappen reported issues with his car over the radio, and Hamilton continued to pursue him. Despite several attempts at Turn 1 and 2, Hamilton could not find a way past. McLaren communicated with Piastri about their strategy, and Norris expressed his frustration, stating he was “miles faster” than Piastri.

By Lap 13, Russell had moved up to 11th. Hamilton made the first front-running pit stop on Lap 14, changing to hard tires. He rejoined in ninth and quickly overtook Lindblad. Verstappen responded on Lap 15, also switching to hard tires, and rejoined behind Hamilton. Verstappen then made a pass on Hamilton into Turn 1 at the start of the next lap.

Piastri and Leclerc pitted on Lap 17, followed by Norris on the next lap, which allowed Antonelli and Hadjar, who had not yet stopped, to lead. Piastri narrowly maintained his advantage over Norris after his pit exit. Antonelli continued for a few more laps, suggesting a potential one-stop strategy, but a stop for hards on Lap 22 indicated a two-stop strategy.

Piastri regained the lead but faced pressure from Norris. Verstappen fell back into third, followed by Hamilton, Leclerc, and Antonelli. Russell climbed to seventh before pitting for hard tires on Lap 28. Bottas retired on Lap 28 due to overheating brakes. Hamilton made his second stop on Lap 30 for another set of hard tires, as he was being caught by Leclerc.

Piastri was instructed to use his pace in response to Hamilton’s stop but indicated he had none. Norris, after a wide moment at Turn 4, urged McLaren to let him pass Piastri. On Lap 33, Piastri pitted for hard tires, giving Norris clear air.

Ferrari’s challenges and Piastri’s frustration

Norris described his victory as one of his best performances, noting his improved driving this season compared to his championship year in 2025. He mentioned working with his engineers to understand the car, which he finds challenging to drive consistently at the limit. Team principal Andrea Stella highlighted Norris’s increased confidence and emotional control, which allowed him to manage the race effectively.

The McLaren car received a major upgrade before this race, with another planned for the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break. Norris’s win places him 98 points behind Antonelli in the championship standings. However, he cautioned against high expectations for a rapid climb up the standings, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the present and acknowledging the strong competition.

Piastri expressed significant anger towards Sainz regarding their collision, stating that he would have remained ahead of Norris without the incident. He believed his chances of winning were over once Norris came out ahead. Piastri criticized Sainz’s awareness on track, even if Sainz claimed he did not see him due to a GPS issue. Piastri’s gearbox failure ultimately led to his retirement, preventing a potential one-two finish for McLaren.

Ferrari, despite appearing to have the fastest car in Hungary, underperformed in qualifying. Hamilton’s grid penalty further complicated their race. Leclerc lost positions at the start, and Hamilton was overtaken by Verstappen after the first pit stops. A pit-lane speeding penalty cost Hamilton five seconds, resulting in Ferrari finishing fourth and fifth. Hamilton acknowledged that such mistakes are detrimental to championship aspirations. Team boss Frederic Vasseur stated that Ferrari made “too many mistakes” during the race.

The Hungarian Grand Prix concluded with Norris securing a significant victory for McLaren.

Source: formula1.com