Hungary Grand Prix sees Norris secure victory over Verstappen and Antonelli

By Rohan Gupta — 26 July 2026 — 5 min read

Lando Norris of McLaren secured his first Grand Prix victory of 2026 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The race featured mid-race drama and a late retirement for Norris’s team-mate, Oscar Piastri.

Norris, who started from pole position, spent the initial part of the race behind Piastri. Piastri had overtaken Norris at Turn 2 on the opening lap and maintained the lead. McLaren initially resisted Norris’s requests to be allowed past his team-mate.

Key Race Developments

The internal team battle shifted after the halfway point when Piastri, following his second pit stop, encountered traffic in the form of Carlos Sainz. Piastri made contact with the Williams car. This incident, combined with Norris’s pace in clear air before his own second stop, influenced the race outcome. Piastri’s race ended prematurely due to an apparent gearbox problem.

A Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed after Piastri’s retirement, leading to further pit lane activity. Verstappen and Antonelli, who had recently changed tyres, remained on track to secure second and third positions, 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 cede the position. Replays indicated he had crossed the relevant VSC white line just behind the Mercedes. A five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane further impacted Hamilton’s chances of a podium finish, leading him to drop behind Leclerc to fifth place after the penalty was applied.

Isack Hadjar secured sixth place for Red Bull, while George Russell finished seventh. Russell’s race started poorly due to an anti-stall issue, causing him to drop to 21st position. Racing Bulls achieved a double points finish with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, who placed eighth and 10th, respectively, around Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg. Gabriel Bortoleto, Hulkenberg’s team-mate, finished 11th.

Aston Martin showed an encouraging performance with their updated cars. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finished 13th and 14th, splitting the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and finishing ahead of both Haas and Williams cars. Piastri observed the final 15 laps from the sidelines. Valtteri Bottas of Cadillac retired due to overheating brakes, and Sergio Perez, also from Cadillac, did not finish due to a front-left issue.

Qualifying and Race Start

In a close qualifying session at the Hungaroring circuit, Norris secured pole position by a narrow margin over Hamilton. Leclerc qualified third, and championship leader Antonelli started fourth. However, both Hamilton and Antonelli received three-place grid penalties. Hamilton was penalised for impeding Piastri, and Antonelli for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags.

This meant Norris started from pole, followed by Leclerc, Piastri, and Verstappen. Hamilton dropped to fifth, and Antonelli to seventh. Perez started from the pit lane after making setup changes. At the start, Norris made a clean getaway, but Piastri overtook him at Turn 2 to take the lead. Hamilton also passed Leclerc for fourth and made contact with Verstappen.

Russell experienced a difficult start, falling from sixth to 21st due to an anti-stall issue. As the race progressed, Piastri maintained a lead of just over a second from Norris, followed by Verstappen, Hamilton, and Leclerc. Antonelli was in sixth, having gained a place due to Russell’s poor start. Hadjar, Lawson, Lindblad, and Hulkenberg completed the top 10.

Verstappen expressed dissatisfaction with his car over the radio during the race. Hamilton pursued Verstappen but could not find a way past. McLaren communicated strategy with their drivers, with Norris indicating he was faster than Piastri but was in dirty air.

Russell climbed back to 11th by Lap 13. Hamilton made the first front-running pit stop on Lap 14, switching to hard tyres and rejoining in ninth. He quickly overtook Lindblad. Verstappen pitted on Lap 15, also for hard tyres, and then made a bold pass on Hamilton at Turn 1 on the following lap.

Piastri and Leclerc pitted on Lap 17, followed by Norris. Antonelli and Hadjar stayed out longer. Piastri narrowly maintained his lead over Norris after the pit stops. Antonelli’s stop on Lap 22 suggested he would also be making two stops. 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 retired on Lap 28 due to overheating brakes. Hamilton made his second stop on Lap 30 for another set of hards. Piastri pitted for hards on Lap 33, giving Norris clear air. Verstappen’s team made a strategic decision to fit soft tyres during his second pit stop, aiming to challenge Hamilton later in the race. Piastri’s retirement on Lap 56, due to a gearbox failure, brought out the VSC.

The VSC prompted more pit stops, with Ferrari bringing in both their drivers, placing them behind Verstappen. Hamilton initially passed Antonelli after coming out of the pits but had to return the position. Antonelli and Hamilton were delayed while lapping Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto. Verstappen maintained his lead over Antonelli, finishing 3.6 seconds ahead.