Norris secures victory at Hungarian Grand Prix as McLaren returns to winning ways
McLaren’s return to form
Lando Norris secured his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, marking a significant moment for McLaren. The win came after a strong performance throughout the weekend at the Hungaroring, with Norris converting his pole position into a win. This result places McLaren back among the front-runners, having previously seen Mercedes secure eight victories and Ferrari two wins in the first 10 rounds of the 2026 season.
Norris described his race pace as some of the best he has ever had, highlighting the improved performance of the upgraded MCL40. Despite briefly losing the lead to teammate Oscar Piastri on the opening lap, Norris maintained his composure and fought back. Piastri’s race, however, ended prematurely due to a collision with Williams’ Carlos Sainz and a subsequent gearbox issue, preventing a potential one-two finish for McLaren.
The team’s principal, Andrea Stella, noted Norris’s increased confidence and emotional control, which he believes contributed to the victory. This performance follows a major upgrade to the McLaren car, with another upgrade anticipated for the next race, the Dutch Grand Prix, after the summer break. Norris acknowledged the team’s hard work in developing the car, stating that he is optimistic for future races but remains cautious about expectations.
Mixed fortunes for championship contenders
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured a podium finish, taking second place despite reporting his car was “completely broken” during qualifying. Verstappen started from a fortuitous second row after penalties for Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. He managed to move into third place on the opening lap, passing Charles Leclerc, and later capitalised on Piastri’s retirement to secure his second-place finish. His teammate, Isack Hadjar, also contributed to Red Bull’s points haul, finishing sixth for the second consecutive race.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli extended his advantage at the top of the Drivers’ standings, finishing third for Mercedes. Antonelli faced a challenge early in the weekend with a penalty for a yellow flag infringement, which dropped him to seventh on the grid. However, a strategic race allowed him to climb through the field. His teammate, George Russell, had a more difficult race, falling to the back of the field due to an anti-stall issue at the start. Russell recovered to finish seventh but expressed disappointment with the outcome, stating he is past the point of disappointment and needs a break.
Ferrari, who had shown strong pace in Friday practice, experienced a challenging race day. Hamilton, after qualifying second, received a three-place grid penalty, starting fifth. Both Hamilton and Leclerc struggled during the race, with Hamilton incurring a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Leclerc finished fourth, and Hamilton fifth, a disappointing result given their early weekend performance. Team boss Frederic Vasseur acknowledged that the team made “too many mistakes” during the race.
Midfield battles and other results
In the midfield, Racing Bulls outperformed Alpine, securing the ‘best of the rest’ position in the Teams’ Championship. Both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, equipped with recent upgrades, achieved a double points finish for Racing Bulls, while Alpine failed to score. Lawson finished eighth after an exhilarating contest with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, who was seeking his first points of the season. Lindblad achieved his sixth consecutive top-10 finish.
Aston Martin also had a strong showing, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finishing thirteenth and fourteenth respectively, ahead of several other cars. Meanwhile, Cadillac faced reliability issues, with both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez retiring from the race due to brake and internal issues, respectively.
In supporting races, Noel Leon of Campos Racing won the F2 Feature Race, aided by a Virtual Safety Car deployment. Leon’s teammate, Nikola Tsolov, maintains a 20-point lead in the championship. In F3, Freddie Slater of TRIDENT won the Feature Race, beating Ugo Ugochukwu by 1.4 seconds and now leads his rival by eight points in the standings. Both F2 and F3 will continue their seasons in Monza, while F1 Academy will race in Zandvoort.
Source: formula1.com
