Norris wins Hungarian GP, Antonelli extends lead
Lando Norris secured his first win of the season at the Hungaroring, while Kimi Antonelli's third place increased his lead in the drivers' standings to 50 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Lando Norris secured his first win of the season at the Hungaroring, while Kimi Antonelli's third place increased his lead in the drivers' standings to 50 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix, giving McLaren its first win of the season, while Kimi Antonelli's third place for Mercedes further strengthened his lead in the overall drivers' standings. Max Verstappen secured second place for Red Bull thanks to a bold soft tyre strategy, with drama present until the very end of the race at the Hungaroring.
Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri led for much of the first half of the race, but had to retire on lap 56 due to a gearbox failure. The Australian had just been promoted back to second place when Antonelli made his second pit stop, but the failure prevented him from achieving a potentially better result. Piastri was clearly unhappy and told his engineer over the radio not to talk to him during the race, though he clarified afterward that his anger was directed at Carlos Sainz, whom he collided with while lapping him. Sainz received a five-second penalty for that incident.
Verstappen spent much of the race unhappy, with regular complaints over team radio. However, Red Bull made the right call by fitting soft tyres on his second pit stop, aiming to challenge Hamilton in the closing laps. Hamilton made an early second pit stop with 40 laps to go, but Piastri's retirement and the activation of the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) changed the race dynamics. Ferrari used the VSC to bring in both drivers, placing them behind Verstappen. After the restart, Hamilton briefly overtook Antonelli but had to give the position back because he had already crossed the key line on track. Verstappen eventually crossed the finish line 3.6 seconds ahead of Antonelli.
Lewis Hamilton finished the race just behind Antonelli in fourth place, but received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane and dropped to fifth behind teammate Charles Leclerc. This was already Hamilton's second penalty in two days, after being penalized on Saturday for blocking Piastri in qualifying. The seven-time world champion also received penalties in the previous two races in Belgium and Britain, making it four consecutive penalties. Antonelli now has a 50-point lead over Hamilton and 59 over teammate George Russell, who dropped to 21st on the first lap at the Hungaroring due to an anti-stall activation but fought back to seventh place.
Norris celebrated the win with visible relief, and McLaren arrived at the Hungaroring with an upgrade to the car. "I'm happy to be back and be number one again," the Briton said according to BBC News, adding: "My pace today was probably the best I've ever had. The car was a joy to drive and I had confidence." The victory echoed McLaren's dominant performances in last season's title-winning campaign.
Despite not scoring points, Aston Martin had a positive weekend thanks to a long-awaited car upgrade. The new version of the car, which was completely new except for the front suspension, engine, and gearbox, reduced lap times by around two seconds. Fernando Alonso was able to fight with other drivers, which had not been the case before, and the long first stint on soft tyres was a bold strategy. The next step for the team is an upgrade to the Honda engine planned for the Dutch Grand Prix, which takes place in four weeks after the summer break, and the team hopes it will bring them closer to the points zone.
