Lando Norris fended off a final-lap charge from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to clinch victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Briton’s composed defensive driving through a frenetic race, wherein the main title contenders ran contrasting plans, trimmed his gap to Piastri in the standings to just nine points as the grid heads into the summer break.
Podium Finishers
George Russell secured the final podium spot for Mercedes, slipping past a fading Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari whose early pole position had promised stronger. Fernando Alonso executed a textbook one-stop of his own to deliver his and Aston Martin’s highest finish of the campaign in fifth, while his apprentice Gabriel Bortoleto mirrored the feat in his Sauber, clinching sixth place. Lewis Hamilton finished 12th, trapped in traffic after starting on hard tyres.
How Norris Earned Victory
Norris imagined the win slipping away when he darted for Piastri into Turn One, only for a tight inside line to hand the racing line to Russell and Alonso. He quickly snared Alonso’s Aston Martin but found himself boxed behind Russell and Piastri. Passing in the early laps was especially tricky.
Leclerc, who nailed the start, was already 2.5 seconds ahead of Piastri when McLaren brought the rookie in for a fresh set. The aim was to pit a lap early and jump him, but Leclerc reacted and held every meter. Norris opted to stretch his set—an opening for a lonely one-stop.
“I thought if it paid off we could maybe snatch second; if I got the clean air I could lean on it and find the pace I needed,” Norris admitted later. He stretched the first hard set to lap 31, totting up 39 laps before his next stop. Stella confirmed the team went into the race unsure whether the long final stint was possible, but the driver’s blend of pace and careful management meant they could plan for lap 70 instead of an earlier pit.
Piastri vs Norris
Leclerc, still in contention, sat second with the two McLarens flanking him. Piastri’s radio conversation was clear: he preferred the margin of fresh rubber that would help him take Norris instead of worrying about the Ferrari. “Forget about him; let’s focus on Lando,” was the gist.
Leclerc pitted for fresh hard on lap 40, but Piastri held off until lap 45, gaining the grip advantage needed to chase Norris. Piastri powered around Leclerc on lap 51, moving into second with 19 laps left. By five laps to go, he was eligible for DRS, but Norris defended successfully, keeping the gap a second and a half.
“I’m dead,” Norris exhaled in the pen, sweat-soaked. “A one-stop wasn’t the plan on lap one, but once the first lap unfolded it was the only way to stay in the race. The last stint, with Oscar coming the whole time, was flat-out. Rewarding was an understatement; that was the perfect result.”
Piastri shrugged, “I pushed flat, but once I spotted Lando committing to a single stop I knew I had to pass him on the track. Much easier said than done here. Today we weren’t quite fast enough at the end. He had little to lose. The call to undercut Leclerc still feels iffy, but we’ll review it on the flight.”