Norris secures Hungarian Grand Prix victory over Verstappen and Antonelli

By Liam Tremblay — 26 July 2026 — 5 min read

Lando Norris achieved his first Grand Prix victory of 2026 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Red Bull‘s Max Verstappen and Mercedes‘ Kimi Antonelli. The win for Norris and McLaren followed mid-race incidents and a late retirement for his teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Norris, who started from pole position, spent the initial part of the race behind Piastri after being overtaken at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Piastri maintained the lead, with McLaren initially resisting Norris’ requests to be allowed past. However, the internal team battle shifted after Piastri’s second pit stop when he encountered traffic, making contact with Carlos Sainz‘s Williams.

This incident, combined with Norris’ strong pace in clear air before his own second stop, helped swing the race in his favour. Piastri’s race concluded with a retirement due to an apparent gearbox issue. A Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed following Piastri’s stoppage, leading to further pit lane activity.

Race Dynamics and Penalties

Verstappen and Antonelli, who had recently changed tyres, remained on track to secure second and third places, respectively. They finished ahead of the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who both made three pit stops. Hamilton initially emerged from his final stop ahead of Antonelli but had to concede the position after replays indicated he crossed the VSC white line just behind the Mercedes.

Hamilton’s hopes for a podium finish were further dashed by a five-second penalty for speeding in the pits. Despite this, he continued to challenge Antonelli until the finish line. Leclerc moved ahead for fourth place once Hamilton’s penalty was applied. Isack Hadjar secured sixth place for Red Bull, while George Russell climbed to seventh after a difficult start, which saw him drop to 21st due to an anti-stall issue.

Racing Bulls had both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finish in the points, taking eighth and 10th positions, respectively, around Audi‘s Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg’s teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, finished just outside the points in 11th. Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, driving updated cars, finished 13th and 14th, splitting the Alpine cars of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and finishing ahead of both Haas and Williams cars.

Piastri watched the final 15 laps from the sidelines after his retirement. The Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas, who reported overheating brakes, and Sergio Perez, who had a front-left issue, also failed to complete the race.

The qualifying session at the Hungaroring circuit was very close, with Norris taking pole position by a narrow margin over Hamilton. Leclerc qualified third, and championship leader Antonelli was fourth. However, both Hamilton and Antonelli received three-place grid penalties from the stewards. Hamilton was penalized for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags, while Leclerc was penalized for impeding Piastri.

These penalties meant Norris started from pole, followed by Leclerc, Piastri, and Verstappen. Hamilton was demoted to fifth, ahead of Russell, and Antonelli dropped to seventh. Perez started from the pit lane after making set-up changes.

Strategic Decisions and Team Performance

Before the formation lap, Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen opted for medium starting tyres, while Leclerc and Hamilton chose soft tyres, hoping for an advantage into Turn 1. Bortoleto, Alonso, Sainz, and Stroll also started on softs, with the rest of the field on mediums.

Norris maintained his lead at the start, but Piastri overtook Leclerc and then Norris at Turn 2 to take the lead. Hamilton also passed Leclerc for fourth and had contact with Verstappen. Russell experienced a poor start, falling from sixth to 21st due to an anti-stall problem.

As the race progressed, Piastri held a lead of just over a second from Norris, followed by Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, and Antonelli. Russell began to recover, moving up to 11th by Lap 13. Hamilton made the first front-running pit stop on Lap 14, changing from softs to hards and rejoining in ninth. Verstappen responded on Lap 15, also switching to hards from mediums, and then made a bold pass on Hamilton at Turn 1.

Piastri and Leclerc pitted on Lap 17, followed by Norris on the next lap. Antonelli continued for a few more laps, with McLaren initially speculating he might attempt a one-stop strategy, though a stop for hards on Lap 22 suggested a two-stop. Piastri regained the lead but faced pressure from Norris. Verstappen fell to third, followed by Hamilton, Leclerc, and Antonelli. Russell pitted for hards on Lap 28.

Bottas was the first to retire, reporting smoke in the cockpit, with overheating brakes suspected as the cause. Hamilton made his second stop on Lap 30 for another set of hards. Piastri was instructed to use his pace in response to Hamilton’s stop, but he indicated he had little left. Norris, who had a wide moment at Turn 4, urged McLaren to let him pass Piastri, stating he was significantly faster.

On Lap 33, Piastri pitted for hards, giving Norris clear air. Norris described his victory as one of his best performances, noting that he felt he could win despite the early error at Turn 2. He attributed his strong performance to hard work from himself and his engineers in understanding the car. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella commented that Norris is more confident and in control of his emotions, which allowed him to use his pace effectively.

Piastri expressed frustration with Sainz following their collision, stating he was “incredibly annoyed” with Sainz’s lack of awareness. Sainz, however, claimed he had “no idea” Piastri was there and that it was “impossible to avoid it.” Piastri’s gearbox failure ultimately ended his race. Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari made “too many mistakes” during the race, including penalties and losing positions during pit stops. Hamilton, who is 50 points behind Antonelli in the championship, stated that such mistakes cannot be made when challenging for a title.

Norris’ win has moved him to within 98 points of Antonelli in the championship standings. He cautioned against high expectations for future races, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the present and continuous hard work. The next race, the Dutch Grand Prix, will take place after a four-week summer break.

Hamilton, who remains second in the championship, is 50 points behind Antonelli.

Source: formula1.com