Norris Secures First Win of 2026 Season in Hungarian Grand Prix
Lando Norris has finally broken his duck for the 2026 season by claiming a commanding victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The reigning World Champion converted a hard-fought pole position into a spectacular win for McLaren in a race defined by blistering heat, strategic gambles and late heartbreak for his team-mate.
Max Verstappen dragged his Red Bull to second place after a marathon final stint on soft tyres while Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli recovered from a grid penalty to secure a phenomenal podium finish.
McLaren team-mates duel in the Budapest heat
Starting from pole Norris initially lost the lead to Oscar Piastri after running deep into Turn 1. The Australian swooped past to take control of the race and looked comfortable during the opening stint while Norris had his mirrors full of Verstappen and a charging Lewis Hamilton.
The two McLarens fighting for the lead ⚔️
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2026
Max and Lewis battling for P3 😮
WATCH THE RACE START 👇#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/XkkBkBpc2N
As the race progressed Piastri began to struggle with tyre degradation. Despite holding the preferential pit stop strategy the Australian could not break away from his team-mate. McLaren’s headache compounded when Norris undercut Piastri during the second round of pit stops to snatch the net race lead.
Piastri’s heartbreak and retirement
The turning point of the afternoon for Piastri came on lap 38 when he encountered the Williams of Carlos Sainz. While attempting to lap the Spaniard the two cars made contact resulting in a hefty loss of race time for the McLaren driver. Sainz was subsequently handed a five-second time penalty by the stewards for causing a collision.
Here’s the Sainz/Piastri moment 💥#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/IYkdAQYTTi
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2026
Piastri’s miserable afternoon came to a premature end on lap 56. The Australian pulled over at Turn 3 with a terminal gearbox issue to bring out the Virtual Safety Car. Norris was later warned by his race engineer to avoid the kerbs to prevent suffering a similar mechanical failure.
From fighting for the win to pulling up at the side of the track
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2026
A desperately unlucky afternoon for Oscar 😫#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/ZX19BSdE8L
Antonelli’s phenomenal charge to the podium
The standout drive of the day arguably belonged to Antonelli. The Mercedes driver started seventh after receiving a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags in qualifying.
Operating on a different strategy to the front-runners Antonelli put in a phenomenal middle stint that saw him temporarily lead the Grand Prix. When the Virtual Safety Car was deployed for Piastri’s stricken McLaren the young Italian was perfectly placed. He capitalised on the timing to secure third place and spent the final laps setting a blistering pace to break the slipstream of Hamilton behind him.
Hamilton pits under the Virtual Safety Car and moves ahead of Antonelli
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2026
But he came back out on track inches behind the Mercedes driver 👀
Lewis has given the place back#F1 #HungarianGP | LAP 57/70 pic.twitter.com/sRT3av4qHT
Verstappen holds on as Hamilton pays the penalty
Verstappen rolled the dice during the final caution period by electing to stay out on aging soft tyres. The Dutchman masterfully managed his rubber for over 30 laps to fend off the cars behind and cross the line 15 seconds adrift of race-winner Norris.
Verstappen… from downtown! 🤯
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2026
Max passes Lewis at Turn 1 🎥#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/CO10DyFUVv
Behind him the intra-team battle at Ferrari concluded with a sting in the tail for Hamilton. The seven-time World Champion crossed the line in fourth place but was under investigation for speeding in the pit lane during his final stop. The stewards handed Hamilton a five-second time penalty which proved incredibly costly.
With Charles Leclerc running just 4.6 seconds behind him on the final lap the penalty demoted Hamilton to fifth place overall and promoted his Monegasque team-mate to fourth.
Further down the order Isack Hadjar secured solid points for Red Bull in sixth ahead of George Russell. Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten to complete the points-paying positions in a breathless final race before the summer break.
