Despite a missed start that cost him the lead of the race, Lando Norris secured a brilliant victory in Hungary thanks to a pace he considers among the best of his career.
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Lando Norris authoritatively won the Hungarian Grand Prix, but everything could have gone wrong from the very first corners.
Starting from pole position, the McLaren driver lost the lead of the race to his teammate Oscar Piastri after an error at turn 2. Suffering from oversteer, the Briton could not prevent the Australian from taking the lead.
At that moment, Norris truly believed his chances of victory had just vanished.
“I don’t really know what happened. I lost the rear several times, three or four times. It was a horrible feeling and Oscar did a very good job to get back ahead.”
“I thought it was over”
The world champion explains that he probably bit too much into the dirty part of the track, which caused this loss of grip.
He admits to having immediately imagined that victory was slipping away from him.
“I think I just went a bit too wide into the dust and, from that moment on, I thought it was over.”
Norris then tried everything to put pressure on Piastri.
“I attacked like crazy to try and force him into a mistake.”
Finally, the contact between Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz, combined with a staggered McLaren strategy, allowed him to regain the advantage after his second pit stop.
“One of the best cars I’ve ever had”
Once on a clear track, Norris believes he delivered one of the best races of his career.
The Briton states that his race pace was exceptional and that the McLaren inspired him with total confidence.
“Today, I probably had one of the best paces I’ve ever had. The car was magnificent to drive and I felt extremely confident.”
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He also emphasizes that this performance allowed him to extend his stints, a scenario he did not expect before the start.
“I didn’t think we would win this way, but our pace was so good that we could extend the stints and then benefit from fresher tires. That’s what allowed us to win the race.”
Norris believes in McLaren’s comeback
This victory, McLaren’s first this season, rewards the work done by the team around the significant developments introduced this weekend in Hungary.
Norris is convinced that these advancements will allow the team to regularly return to winning ways.
“The team worked tremendously hard to bring this evolved car here, and it clearly paid off. I want to believe that we can continue to win races.”
The Briton remains cautious, however, aware that not all circuits will suit the McLaren as well.
“We will certainly have more complicated weekends, but this one suited us perfectly. It’s probably one of the circuits that best matches my driving style.”
After a difficult first part of the season, Norris believes that this success is no coincidence and marks the beginning of a new dynamic for McLaren.
“I knew this victory would eventually come. The entire team worked tirelessly to build a car capable of winning again, and I’m happy to have been able to give them this reward.”
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