Norris claims first win of 2026 season
Lando Norris secured his and McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory of 2026 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The race featured mid-race drama 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. Piastri had taken the lead at Turn 2 on the opening lap. McLaren initially resisted Norris’s requests to be allowed past his teammate.
The internal team battle shifted after the halfway point when Piastri, following his second pit stop, encountered traffic. He made contact with a Williams in the first sector. This incident, combined with Norris’s pace in clear air before his own second stop, influenced the race outcome. Piastri later retired due to an apparent gearbox problem.
A Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed following Piastri’s stoppage, leading to more pit lane activity. Verstappen and Antonelli, who had recently changed tyres, remained on track to secure second and third positions. They finished ahead of Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who both made three pit stops.
Race developments and penalties
Hamilton initially emerged from his final stop ahead of Antonelli but had to cede the position. Replays indicated he had crossed the relevant VSC white line at the end of the start/finish straight just behind the Mercedes. A five-second penalty for speeding in the pits further impacted Hamilton’s race, removing any chance of a podium finish. Leclerc moved ahead of Hamilton into fourth place after the penalty was applied.
Isack Hadjar secured sixth place in the other Red Bull car. George Russell finished seventh after a challenging start to the race, which saw him drop to 19th due to the anti-stall system engaging.
Racing Bulls achieved another double points finish with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, who placed eighth and 10th, respectively. They finished around Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, whose teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, finished 11th.
Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, in their updated cars, finished 13th and 14th. They were positioned between the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and ahead of both Haas and Williams cars.
Piastri watched the final 15 laps from the sidelines after his retirement. Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas also did not finish the race due to overheating brakes.
Qualifying and early stages
Norris secured pole position in a close qualifying session at the Hungaroring circuit, finishing 0.012 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Leclerc took third, and championship leader Antonelli qualified fourth.
However, both Hamilton and Antonelli received three-place grid penalties from the stewards. The Ferrari driver was penalised for impeding Piastri, and the Mercedes driver for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags. This meant Norris started from pole, followed by Leclerc, Piastri, and Verstappen. Hamilton was demoted to fifth, and Antonelli to seventh. Sergio Perez moved from the back of the grid to the pit lane after making set-up changes.
Before the formation lap, Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen opted for medium starting tyres, while Leclerc and Hamilton chose soft tyres. Bortoleto, Alonso, Sainz, and Stroll also started on softs, with the rest of the field on mediums.
At the start, Norris maintained his lead, and Piastri overtook Leclerc to follow his teammate into the first corner. Verstappen engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle with the two Ferraris. Piastri then surged into the lead at Turn 2, and Hamilton passed Leclerc for fourth, appearing to make contact with Verstappen.
Russell experienced a difficult start, falling from seventh to 19th. Piastri held a lead over Norris, followed by Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, and Antonelli. Antonelli gained a place due to Russell’s poor start.
Verstappen reported issues with his car over the radio, while Hamilton pursued him. McLaren communicated with their drivers, with Norris expressing that he was faster than Piastri but was in dirty air.
By Lap 13, Russell had climbed to 11th. Hamilton made the first front-running pit stop on Lap 14, changing to hard tyres. Verstappen responded on Lap 15, also switching to hards, and passed Hamilton on the following lap. Piastri and Leclerc pitted on Lap 17, followed by Norris. Antonelli continued for a few more laps before pitting for hards on Lap 22.
Piastri regained the lead but faced pressure from Norris. Verstappen fell to third, followed by Hamilton, Leclerc, and Antonelli. Russell climbed to seventh before pitting on Lap 28. Bottas retired from the race due to overheating brakes. Hamilton made his second stop on Lap 30, taking another set of hards. Piastri pitted for hards on Lap 33, giving Norris clear air.
Source: formula1.com
