Lando Norris celebrated at the Hungaroring after teammate Oscar Piastri retired due to a gearbox failure, with Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli completing the podium.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris secured his first win of the 2026 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, after a fierce internal battle with teammate Oscar Piastri and a dramatic turn of events that eliminated the Australian from the race. Norris later stated that he was "better than Piastri in every sense", according to F1 World Magazine.
The 70-lap race at the Hungaroring started with a reversal, as Piastri overtook Norris in turn two after the Briton went wide. The Australian then held the lead until the first pit stops. McLaren called in Piastri on lap 16 to cover Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, with Norris pitting a lap later. The key moment came during the second round of stops: Piastri again pitted earlier, on lap 33, while Norris took advantage of clean air and fully opened the throttle. "When Lando was released, his pace was just mega. I think he found about half a second per lap", said team principal Andrea Stella to the official Formula 1 website.
Piastri's race began to unravel on lap 39 when he tried to lap the backmarker Carlos Sainz (Williams). The Spaniard briefly ran wide in turn two and then abruptly returned to the racing line, resulting in contact with the leading McLaren. "At that moment the blue flags weren't working, so it may have been harder than usual to notice what was happening in the mirrors", explained Stella. Sainz received a five-second penalty, but that did not console Piastri, who angrily commented on the strategy over team radio. Stella confirmed that the Australian apologized after the race: "Immediately after the race, Oscar clarified that it was a comment made in anger". That was not the end; Piastri ultimately retired due to a gearbox failure, while Norris, after his stop on lap 39, came out in the lead and never looked back.
Norris later made another stop under the Virtual Safety Car on lap 56 for soft tires, but only extended his lead. Max Verstappen in the Red Bull grumbled throughout the race "about aerodynamic degradation, poor handling and inconsistent gear changes", as reported by Sky Sports, but finished second after overtaking Hamilton's Ferrari. Third place went to Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), further extending his championship lead: he leads Hamilton by 50 points and teammate George Russell by 59 points. The race concluded with 291 points still remaining in the season.
After the race, Lewis Hamilton was penalized for exceeding the pit lane speed limit by just 0.1 km/h, costing him positions. Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle explained that Hamilton had released the limiter early in an attempt to pass Antonelli on the safety line, but without success. Incidentally, it was McLaren's 14th victory at the Hungaroring, and as the r/Formula1 Reddit community notes, Norris, just like Hamilton 17 years earlier, achieved his first win as defending champion at the Hungarian GP on July 26.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports also brings news off the track: The Bahrain Grand Prix has been moved to Sepang (Malaysia) due to security concerns in the Middle East, and there is a possibility that Abu Dhabi may also not take place, with Qatar mentioned as a replacement. Also, Gwen Lagrue, formerly Mercedes' driver scout, moves to Red Bull as a replacement for Helmut Marko. The season continues after the summer break with a Sprint weekend in Zandvoort from August 21 to 23.
