Lando Norris secured a victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, fending off a fierce challenge from his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in a nail-biting finish. This marks Norris’s fifth win of the season, significantly narrowing Piastri’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship to just nine points as Formula 1 heads into its summer break.
The race at the Hungaroring began with pole sitter Charles Leclerc maintaining his lead, building a comfortable gap over Piastri in the initial laps. However, variations among the frontrunners soon changed the dynamic. While Leclerc and Piastri opted for a two-stop strategy, Norris executed a daring one-stop plan that ultimately paid dividends.
As the race progressed, Leclerc’s pace faded, allowing Piastri to rapidly close in on Norris. The final laps were a tense display of skill and determination, with Piastri relentlessly chasing his teammate. Despite several attempts, Piastri couldn’t find a way past Norris, who crossed the finish line a mere 0.698 seconds ahead.
George Russell of Mercedes secured the final podium spot, battling past a struggling Leclerc, who eventually finished fourth. Leclerc’s challenging day was compounded by a five second time penalty for erratic driving during his skirmish with Russell. Fernando Alonso delivered a strong performance to finish fifth for Aston Martin, contributing to a valuable double points finish for his team.
Other notable performances included Gabriel Bortoleto of Kick Sauber in sixth, Liam Lawson in eighth for Racing Bulls, and Max Verstappen, who had a difficult day, finishing ninth for Red Bull. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top 10, earning the final point.
The race also saw incidents and investigations, including one involving Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, though no further action was taken. Alpine had a particularly challenging day, with both Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly finishing at the back of the pack, the latter receiving a 10 second penalty for causing a collision. Haas’s Ollie Bearman was the sole retiree due to car damage.
Formula 1 will now take its traditional summer break before returning for the Dutch Grand Prix from August 29-31.