Lando Norris claimed his first grand prix victory of the year in Hungary, giving McLaren its first win of the season in a race shaped by strategy, penalties and a late fight for the podium.
According to BBC News, Norris’ win was his first since Sao Paulo in November last year. He said he was “happy to be back and be number one again”, adding that his pace was among the best he had produced and that the car gave him confidence.
Norris started at the front but lost the lead early to team-mate Oscar Piastri after running wide at Turn Two. Piastri led much of the first half of the race, with Norris close behind, before strategy and a later incident involving Williams driver Carlos Sainz helped Norris move ahead.
Piastri, who said his frustration was directed at Sainz rather than McLaren’s strategy, later retired from second place on lap 56 with a gearbox failure. The stoppage brought out a virtual safety car and affected the battles behind Norris, who remained clear at the front.
Max Verstappen took second for Red Bull after a strategy gamble involving soft tyres. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli finished third, extending his championship lead to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton and 59 over team-mate George Russell, who recovered to seventh after a poor start.
Hamilton finished close behind Antonelli on the road but received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The penalty dropped him from fourth to fifth, behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Isack Hadjar finished sixth for Red Bull, ahead of Russell. Aston Martin did not score points, but BBC News reported that the team showed improved pace with its upgraded car.
Formula 1 now enters its summer break before returning at the Dutch Grand Prix from 21 to 23 August. The race at Zandvoort will be a sprint event and is set to be Formula 1’s final visit to the circuit under its current contract.
