The Hungarian Grand Prix delivers an exciting battle within McLaren, while Ferrari's seven-time champion targets the Red Bull car. The race is underway at the Hungaroring in Budapest.
The Hungarian Grand Prix, the 11th race of the Formula 1 season, brings a spectacle to the Hungaroring where McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris fight for victory, while Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton attacked Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the first half of the race. The race runs for 70 laps and started at 3 PM, available to watch on RTL and the Voyo platform.
Piastri, starting from third position, took the lead already on the first lap, breaking through to first place after the third corner. Norris, who secured his first pole position of the season, dropped to second, while Charles Leclerc lost three positions. The worst start was for George Russell, who fell from seventh to 18th place. By the seventh lap, the order was: Piastri leading, Norris 1.222 seconds behind, Verstappen 1.964, and Hamilton 3.682 seconds behind the leader.
One of the most exciting episodes of the first half of the race unfolded for third place. From lap 12, Hamilton hunted Verstappen, who reported car issues, but the gap remained consistently under a second without any overtaking opportunity. On lap 14, Hamilton pitted for soft tires, rejoining in eighth place and immediately passing Arvid Lindblad. Verstappen pitted a lap later, giving Hamilton a brief advantage, but on lap 16, Verstappen responded with a brilliant move on the inside of the first corner, reclaiming the position. Both drivers continued on hard tires.
A simmering conflict within McLaren emerged, this time strategic in nature. By lap 33, Norris was visibly frustrated with the team's decision not to allow him to pit before Piastri. According to an Index.hr Sport report, Norris told the team on the radio that he was miles faster and would gain an advantage if allowed. Piastri pitted on lap 34, and Norris on lap 40, after which he emerged ahead of his teammate. The Hungaroring is known as a track where overtaking is extremely difficult, making pit stop strategy a key variable.
Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader with 204 points and six wins this season, started from seventh position instead of fourth due to a three-place penalty. The stewards determined he did not slow down enough under the yellow flag displayed after Verstappen spun out in the final corner of qualifying. A similar penalty befell Hamilton, who initially secured second place on the grid but was penalized for impeding Piastri, starting fifth instead. Antonelli pitted on lap 23, after which Piastri reclaimed the lead, which he maintained until lap 40.
The 2026 season has been marked by Mercedes' dominance, with their drivers winning eight of the ten races before Hungary. In the constructors' standings, Mercedes leads with 358 points, ahead of Ferrari (285) and McLaren (195). Red Bull Racing has 151 points. In the drivers' standings, Antonelli leads with 204 points, followed by Hamilton (159), Russell (154), and Leclerc (126). Norris is fifth with 103 points, Piastri sixth with 92, and Verstappen seventh with 91. Hamilton, who achieved numerous successes at the Hungaroring over his 20-year career, was chasing a potential ninth win at this track, but the strategy and Verstappen's counterattack made his task more difficult.
