Papaya ruled again in Hungary as Lando Norris ended a tricky run of form with a dominant victory in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Norris, who hasn’t finished on the podium since June’s Barcelona GP, fought his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri during the first half of the race, only for the Australian to suffer a gearbox failure late on. With Piastri gone, Norris drove a masterful race to win for the second time at the Hungaroring, beating off-track friend Max Verstappen, who finished second.
Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead with third ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who snagged a five-second penalty for speeding in the pits. Isack Hadjar completed the top six ahead of George Russell, who had another weekend to forget.
Liam Lawson was best of the midfield in eighth while Nico Hulkenberg opened his account for 2026 with ninth. Arvid Lindblad made it two Racing Bulls inside the top 10.
The Race
In sweltering conditions, polesitter Norris looked to have done enough to retain his lead at lights out, only to find Piastri swarming over his gearbox on the approach to Turn 1. A mistake from Norris into Turn 2 was the opening Piastri needed, and the Australian streaked past to head a McLaren 1-2 while Verstappen and Hamilton duked it out for third.
Russell needed to make up ground from sixth on the grid, but the Mercedes engine went into anti-stall as the field streaked by, dropping him to 20th by the end of lap one.
McLaren has been mooted as a potential landing spot for Verstappen and in the opening laps the Dutchman was doing Zak Brown’s team a world of good by keeping Hamilton at bay. That allowed Piastri and Norris to increase the gap to over two seconds, with the Australian, who hadn’t led since March’s Japanese GP at Suzuka, doing a sterling job.
Hamilton triggered the pitstop window on lap 14 with Verstappen following suit one lap later, allowing the Briton to briefly regain his former adversary. But Verstappen was having none of it, and he responded on lap 16 with a well-timed divebomb into Turn 1, retaking the place. Piastri was meant to pit that same lap only for Valtteri Bottas’ stricken Cadillac to block the pit entry, forcing the Australian to stay out.
By the time the McLarens and Leclerc had stopped, the order was as you were, with Hadjar helping Verstappen by putting on a clinic of defensive driving. Once Hadjar stopped, the McLarens pulled away, but this time it was Norris hassling Piastri, who was now on the defensive as the second pitstop window approached.
Ferrari brought forward Hamilton’s second stop to Lap 31, with Piastri countering on lap 34, but the Briton remained poised to challenge. Norris got some assistance from Carlos Sainz, who chopped into Piastri on Lap 39, costing the now irate Australian vital time.
Sainz’s lack of awareness changed the race, as by the time Norris stopped on Lap 40, he was the net race leader while Verstappen, now behind Hamilton, opted for a long second stint on softs on Lap 42.
With Norris stuck in traffic, Piastri, Hamilton and Verstappen closed up while Antonelli, the latest to stop on Lap 54, was gaining ground on all of them. Piastri’s strong race ended through gearbox failure on Lap 56, triggering a Virtual Safety Car and a free pitstop for both Ferraris and Norris.
Hamilton and Antonelli traded third for the final few laps, weaving through the backmarkers with the Italian doing all he could to cling on. But it would be all for nought as Hamilton picked up a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pits, spoiling a great fight for third as Norris sealed a hat-trick for McLaren in Budapest.
The Bad
Melbourne feels like an eternity away for Russell after another horror weekend, where a combination of bad luck and technical issues cost him dearly.
Any chance of trimming Antonelli’s lead looked highly unlikely as Mercedes appeared off the boil in Budapest and weren’t in contention for the pole. Russell had a miserable qualifying session, with his second run blighted by yellow flags, with a power unit issue forcing him to stop down at Turn 1.
A horror start relegated Russell to 20th, and while his drive back through the field was commendable, Antonelli’s third place means the gap is now 59 points heading into the break.
Russell’s old team, Williams, had an equally unhappy time in Budapest where the limitations of the FW48 chassis were on full display. Neither Sainz nor Alex Albon could find the right balance or pace throughout proceedings, and as a result neither driver advanced into Q2.
Race day wasn’t much better with Sainz and Albon enduring 70 long laps stuck at the back, with the former copping a 5-second penalty for his near-collision with Piastri. Worse still, Aston Martin’s progress means Williams are now the 10th fastest team on the grid, increasing the pressure on embattled team principal James Vowles.
The Good
There had been plenty of glum faces at McLaren, but after Budapest those frowns were firmly turned upside down after a dominant weekend.
Early signs McLaren were in the hunt for victory were apparent in third practice with Norris and Hamilton trading fastest times throughout. The excellent pace transitioned over to qualifying with Norris timing his final run perfectly to take pole by over two tenths, with Piastri fifth.
Piastri’s strong start meant the opening stint was an all-McLaren affair, and while the battle at the front was curtailed when the Australian’s gearbox expired, nothing was stopping the reigning Constructors Champions from victory.
Meanwhile, Red Bull had a weekend of contrasts. Issues with the rear wing left both Verstappen and Hadjar off the front two rows of the grid, but the race was much better, with the Dutchman driving a strong race to second.
Hadjar played the team game in the first half of the race, holding up Verstappen’s rivals, which allowed him to keep in touch with the McLarens. Sixth at the chequered flag was a fine reward for the young Frenchman who continues to improve.
More joy for Audi as Hulkenberg capitalised on the two Racing Bulls fighting each other to finish ninth and with it the German’s first points of 2026.
Smiles also returned at Aston Martin as Fernando Alonso made Q2 for the first time this year, and with a new engine upgrade for Zandvoort, things are on the up for the double world champion.
Grid Walk Moments
The final round before the F1 paddock heads to the beach may not have the star power of Silverstone, but it did contain some big names. The sheriff of the grid, Martin Brundle, immediately went on the attack, getting a brief interview with a chipper Lawrence Stroll, naturally relieved to see Aston Martin’s progress in Budapest.
After being told by a rather uninformed VIP that it was good to see him back to full health, Brundle reunited with a legend of the sport, Jo Ramirez. At the age of 84, the former McLaren team coordinator was in good spirits in Budapest and is clearly still enjoying his racing, 25 years on from leaving the paddock.
For his final salvo, Brundle moved to the front and caught up with a relaxed Adrian Newey, who continued his annual tradition of studying the competition with his now iconic red notebook in tow.
The Driver
The championship hotline had gotten a little bit quiet of late, but in Budapest the lines were hopping as Lando Norris produced a masterclass to win for the first time since Interlagos last year.
Having finished on the podium in the last three Hungarian GPs, Norris is somewhat of a Hungaroring specialist, as shown by a strong final run that sealed his 17th career pole.
While he had to contend with a rejuvenated Piastri, Norris hardly put a foot wrong all afternoon and was a deserving winner.
F1 Glossary Word Of The Day
Mirrors are on the outside of the car door, allowing drivers to see who is behind or passing. Whether Sainz’s mirrors were functioning when he saw a charging Piastri closing in is a matter of whose view you trust.
