Lando Norris had to beat teammate Oscar Piastri of McLaren in order to win another F1 race as he dominated the Hungarian Grand Prix yesterday, August 3.
Qualifying Surprise and Early Strategy
Saturday’s qualifying shook up expectations as Charles Leclerc outpaced both McLarens to grab pole, setting the stage for a tense 70-lap Hungarian Grand Prix. Sunday dawned dry and breezy in Budapest, with most drivers starting on medium tyres while a few gambled on alternatives like Hamilton and Gasly on hards, Sainz, Hulkenberg and Albon on softs. Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, was relegated to a pit-lane start after Red Bull changed power unit components and adjusted his brake cooling setup under parc fermé conditions.
At the green lights, Leclerc held the lead into Turn 1, while Norris briefly dropped to fifth after being shuffled back by Russell and Alonso. Norris recovered quickly, sweeping past Alonso on Lap 3 and setting his sights on the front runners. Verstappen also made early ground, reclaiming a spot from Lawson and then overtaking Stroll for seventh. Early strategy questions emerged as drivers like Hulkenberg and Bortoleto were flagged, then Hulkenberg would later receive a five-second penalty for a false start.
“Difficult to know with so many laps to go,” Oscar Piastri admitted when asked about the viability of a one-stop approach, while Norris was encouraged to get past Russell after finding himself stuck behind the Mercedes.
Leclerc built a cushion of over three seconds by Lap 15, but Piastri started to claw back time and was told to push, reducing the gap to 2.3 seconds by Lap 18. Verstappen, having pitted early and switched to hard tyres, lamented his strategy as “really terrible” after getting tangled in traffic. Piastri then tried an undercut on Leclerc, with McLaren radioing in “box to overtake Leclerc,” though the Ferrari briefly held position after his own stop was given, albeit with a warning that tyre warm-up could become an issue.
McLaren’s Bold One-Stop and Norris’s Charge
As Leclerc and Piastri committed to two-stop plans, McLaren kept Norris out longer, putting him on a one-stop gamble. He pitted on Lap 32 for hard tyres in a swift stop and emerged in P4, inheriting the lead as the others cycled through their second visits.
Piastri overtook Alonso and was urged to push, while Norris, when asked about his one-stop possibility, responded: “Yeah, why not!”
Leclerc’s pace began to wane; after his second stop he fell behind Norris, and Piastri eventually displaced the Ferrari for P2. The McLaren pairing, now ahead of Leclerc, began to shape the race’s climax. Verstappen’s earlier gains were muted by the traffic and the earlier noted incident with Hamilton in which was under post-race investigation but ultimately didn’t change his ninth-place finish.
With the leaders now sorted, the dynamics tightened. Piastri closed in on Norris as the laps wound down, while Russell started pressuring a struggling Leclerc for the final podium spot, complaining about defensive moves as he tried to execute an overtake.
Leclerc, frustrated, described his SF-25 as “undriveable,” tempering expectations by suggesting a podium would be “a miracle.”
Late Drama and Championship Implications
The closing stages brought intense pressure. By Lap 60, Piastri was within striking distance of Norris, and traffic which included Hamilton, Hadjar and Antonelli loomed as a potential disruptor for the leader.
Russell finally made his move on Leclerc, making it stick after an earlier defended attempt that drew the ire of the Ferrari driver.
Piastri’s final attempt to pass Norris on Lap 69 resulted in a lock-up, and his team warned him, “Remember how we go racing.”
That failed lunge and one last insufficient opportunity left Norris unchallenged across the final tour. The McLaren duo finished tightly, with Norris taking victory by just 0.698 seconds, trimming Piastri’s championship lead to nine points ahead of the summer break.
Norris Clinches Fifth Win of the Season
“I’m dead, I’m dead,” joked Norris in reflection.
“It was tough, it was tough. We weren’t really planning on the one-stop at the beginning, but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things. It was tough. The final stint with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat-out. My voice has gone a little bit. But good, rewarding even more because of that – the perfect result today.”
Leclerc held on for fourth despite a five-second penalty for erratic driving during his scrap with Russell, who claimed the final podium spot in third.
Supporting Performances and Penalties
Fernando Alonso turned in a season-best performance for Aston Martin to take fifth, while his teammate Lance Stroll contributed to a strong day for the squad with seventh.
Between them was Kick Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in sixth, continuing to impress with consistent execution. Liam Lawson delivered eighth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Verstappen in ninth and is still facing scrutiny over his earlier clash with Hamilton, which had briefly forced the Ferrari wide but drew no further sanction. Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top ten, securing valuable points.
Elsewhere, Isack Hadjar finished 11th ahead of Hamilton in 12th, while Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon filled positions 13 to 15. Esteban Ocon came home 16th, Tsunoda endured another tough outing in 17th, and Alpine closed the order with Franco Colapinto in 18th and a penalised Pierre Gasly in 19th after a collision with Sainz. Ollie Bearman was the lone retiree, his Haas succumbing to damage that forced him out.
Up Next: Summer Break and Dutch Grand Prix in Late August
With the Hungarian Grand Prix concluding the pre-break segment of the season, Formula 1 now pauses for its traditional summer break. Racing resumes at the Dutch Grand Prix on the weekend of August 29–31, where McLaren’s in-form duo will be keen to carry momentum and further shape the title fight.
