Norris claims first victory of the season
Lando Norris secured his first victory of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, driving for McLaren at the Hungaroring. This marks McLaren‘s first win of the year. Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, while Kimi Antonelli made a strong comeback drive to claim third place after starting seventh on the grid. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished fourth.
Norris maintained his lead from pole position through the first turn. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, moved up from third to take second place at turn two. Lewis Hamilton advanced from fifth to fourth, while Leclerc dropped from second to fifth.
Piastri initially controlled the race in clear air. During the first pit stops, Hamilton and Verstappen engaged in a battle for position. Red Bull pitted Verstappen a lap after Hamilton, who had a rapid out-lap and passed Arvid Lindblad. Hamilton took the position as Verstappen emerged from the pits, but Verstappen later regained the place with a move at turn one.
The McLaren cars maintained their positions, circulating about a second apart. Norris believed he was faster than his teammate and should have been allowed to pass.
Incidents and penalties impact race outcome
Hamilton made his second stop on lap 30, and Piastri was called in on lap 33, giving Norris the clear track he desired. Norris then set a series of quick laps. Piastri encountered an incident when he was impeded and struck by Carlos Sainz, who was driving a Williams, while attempting to lap him. Piastri expressed his frustration over the radio.
Norris pitted on lap 39 and emerged ahead of his teammate, as the incident with Sainz had cost Piastri a position. Sainz reportedly did not see Piastri and turned into the McLaren.
After Verstappen‘s second stop, Hamilton had moved past him, but Verstappen had fresher tires. Norris decisively passed Antonelli on lap 46 to retake the lead, subsequently opening up a significant gap from his teammate.
Piastri retired from the race on lap 56 due to a gearbox problem, pulling off the track. This prompted a virtual safety car period, during which Hamilton and Norris made quick pit stops, while Verstappen and Antonelli stayed out to gain track position.
Hamilton, on new tires, challenged Antonelli but was also under investigation for speeding in the pit lane. Despite pressuring Antonelli, Hamilton did not have enough of an advantage to pass and was later given a five-second penalty, which dropped him from fourth to fifth place. Norris maintained his lead and finished 15 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
Championship standings and calendar updates
Antonelli extended his lead in the championship standings. His Mercedes teammate, George Russell, experienced a setback when his car went into anti-stall at the start, causing him to drop to 20th. Despite a strong drive to recover to seventh, Russell lost further points to Antonelli as the sport heads into its summer break.
Antonelli currently leads Hamilton by 50 points. McLaren has shown notable improvement since introducing upgrades, which Norris capitalized on. This victory marks Norris‘s second consecutive win in Hungary and his 12th career victory. With Norris‘s win this year and last, McLaren has extended its record to 14 victories at the Hungaroring.
Earlier in the day, F1 confirmed the addition of a race at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. This event is scheduled for October 4, taking place between the rounds in Baku and Singapore. The race, which replaces the cancelled Bahrain GP, will be named the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Bahrain is reportedly covering a significant portion of the hosting costs for the race near Kuala Lumpur.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, also cancelled due to conflict in the Middle East, will not be replaced. Sepang last hosted an F1 event in 2017, which was won by Verstappen. The addition of this race brings the calendar back to 23 races, assuming the final two meetings of the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi proceed as planned.
Source: theguardian.com
