Lando Norris authoritatively won the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari missed its opportunity, while Oscar Piastri retired due to a mechanical problem.
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Starting from pole position, Lando Norris nevertheless did not maintain the lead into the first corner. Thanks to an excellent start and a perfectly executed crossover at turn 2, Oscar Piastri took the lead ahead of his teammate.
The start of the race was much more complicated for Ferrari. Starting from the front row, Charles Leclerc was surprised by Max Verstappen and immediately dropped to fifth place. George Russell also experienced a catastrophic start, remaining almost stationary on the grid before plummeting to the back of the field.
Lewis Hamilton, on soft tires, tried to put the pressure on Verstappen, but couldn’t find a way through. Up front, the two McLarens quickly set their pace and opened up an initial gap.
Strategy shuffles the deck
The first pit stops enlivened the race. Ferrari took a gamble by pitting Hamilton before Verstappen, a choice that paid off as the undercut allowed the Briton to emerge ahead of the Red Bull.
But Verstappen immediately retaliated with a spectacular move at the first corner, overtaking Hamilton and Liam Lawson in a single attack to regain his position.
Meanwhile, McLaren perfectly managed its strategy. After the first stops, Norris and Piastri quickly returned to the front, while Kimi Antonelli benefited from a longer stint to momentarily lead the race.
Despite several radio requests, Norris was not allowed to anticipate his second stop. True to its « Papaya Rules », McLaren maintained strategic priority for Piastri, who was then leader of the race.
Norris shows his pace
Once his teammate had pitted, Norris fully exploited a clear track to set a series of extremely fast laps.
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His second stint made the difference. Despite a slightly delayed stop, the Briton emerged ahead of Piastri and quickly closed in on Antonelli, who was attempting to reach the finish with a single stop.
On lap 45, Norris launched his attack on the Mercedes under braking into the first corner. Antonelli tried to retaliate in the following corner, but the McLaren driver immediately regained the advantage with a late brake.
Once in the lead, the reigning world champion definitively pulled away, building a gap of over ten seconds.
Piastri retires, Ferrari misses its chance
The end of the race definitively turned in Norris’s favor when Oscar Piastri suffered a mechanical failure on lap 56, causing a Virtual Safety Car.
Norris, Hamilton, and Leclerc took the opportunity to make a final stop, while Verstappen and Antonelli remained on track.
Hamilton then experienced another frustrating episode. After briefly rejoining the track ahead of Antonelli, he had to give back his position, before being handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
At the finish, Lando Norris won with nearly 14 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. He secured McLaren’s first victory of the season and his first success since his world title.
Ferrari, despite being announced as favorites before the start, had to settle for fourth and fifth places with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Isack Hadjar finished in a solid sixth position ahead of George Russell, Liam Lawson, Nico Hülkenberg, and Arvid Lindblad, who completed the top 10.
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2026 F1 Hungarian GP Classification:
