Hungarian GP: Piastri vs Norris for the title, Verstappen out of it?
F1 NewsWednesday, 30 July 2025 at 21:12
With Max Verstappen fast fading out of the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers' title race, it is sure that either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri will be World Champion this year, and right now, the latter is the man to beat.
Piastri has got used to winning since his first in at the Hungarian Grand Prix last year and returns as Formula 1 leader looking to take a tidy advantage over McLaren teammate Norris into the August break.
The 24-year-old has won six of 13 grands prix so far this season, already more than any Australian driver has ever managed in a single year, and leads his British rival by 16 points while Verstappen trails by 91 with 11 rounds remaining.
"I'm really excited to go back. It's always a fun weekend. It's a great city, a cool track as well," said Piastri after winning a rain-delayed race in Belgium last Sunday in McLaren's sixth one-two of the season. I'm sure Thursday will be nice to go back to where I had my first win. But as soon as we get on track, you forget about that immediately."
Hungary -- hot and twisty and with a layout more like an overgrown go-kart track that makes overtaking tricky -- puts a premium on qualifying.
Norris took pole last time in Hungary but lost out to Piastri at the start, recovered the lead when the Australian suffered a slower pitstop and was then ordered by the team to hand back the place.
The Briton eventually complied but it rankled at the time and he will be looking to win on Sunday without any such controversy.
With McLaren dominant, and historically the most successful team in Hungary, the stage is set for another duel between the teammates.
Who will best of the rest behind the McLarens?
Who joins them on the podium remains an open question but this could be the moment Lewis Hamilton has been waiting for with Ferrari, while teammate Charles Leclerc has had five podiums already this season.
Hamilton has an unrivalled record at the Hungaroring with eight wins and was third last year, admittedly in a Mercedes, behind the McLarens. He also has nine poles at the circuit outside Budapest.
"In the last few races, we've made progress in terms of competitiveness, and in Belgium, thanks to a lot of hard work back in Maranello, we introduced an upgrade package that further improved our performance," said team boss Fred Vasseur.
"It will be interesting to see how the updated SF-25 performs on a completely different track, twisty, with plenty of medium and low-speed corners. Charles and Lewis are both in good form, and the team is also performing well."
George Russell set the fastest lap last year for Mercedes but his team have made some wrong turns in development and have work to do, with Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli also keen to get back in the points.
"After a tough weekend in Belgium, we are looking to put in a more competitive showing," said team boss Toto Wolff.
"Our performances in recent races have not been up to our standards, and we have work planned to both understand why that has been and get on top of it this weekend."
Four-times world champion Max Verstappen, winner in Hungary in 2022 and 2023, will be starting his 200th race for Red Bull.
The race is the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who took his first win at the circuit with Renault in 2003, has raced in more than half of them -- this being his record 22nd.
Hungarian Grand Prix Reuters Facts & Stats:
- At Budapest's Hungaroring, Round 14 of the 24 race 2025 F1 world championship.
- Lap distance: 4.381km. Total distance: 306.630km (70 laps)
- 2024 pole position: Lando Norris (Britain) McLaren One minute 15.227 seconds
- 2024 race winner: Oscar Piastri (Australia) McLaren
- Race lap record: Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:16.627 (2020)
- Start time: 1300 GMT (1500 local time)
- This weekend will be the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix, 16 of them won from pole. The race debuted in 1986 as the first behind the former 'Iron Curtain' and is usually run in high temperatures.
- Lewis Hamilton has won a record eight times in Hungary (2007, 2009 and 2012 with McLaren and 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 with Mercedes) and been on pole a record nine times with 12 podium finishes.
- McLaren have the best record with 12 wins.
- Fernando Alonso (2003), Esteban Ocon (2021), Max Verstappen (2022, 2023) and Piastri (2024) are other past winners.
- The lowest winning start in Hungary was Jenson Button from 14th on the grid in 2006. Verstappen won from 10th in 2022 and Hamilton was third in 2014 after starting from the pit lane.
- Verstappen took his first F1 pole in Hungary in 2019. Alonso, Ocon and Piastri's wins were their first in Formula One.
- The circuit is sometimes referred to as 'Monaco without the walls' because it is short and twisty with overtaking difficult. There are 14 corners.
- Mercedes-powered cars have been on pole for the last five editions of the race.
- The grid area and pit lane have been resurfaced.
2025 F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- Piastri leads teammate Norris by 16 points. Verstappen is third and 81 points off the lead.
- In the constructors' standings, McLaren (516 points) are now 268 points clear of second-placed Ferrari (248), with Mercedes third (220) and Red Bull fourth (192).
- Hamilton has not won in more than a year, the most recent and 105th of his career came in Belgium on July 28, 2024. Hungary will be the seven-times world champion's 370th start.
- Piastri has won six of 13 races this season, Norris four, Verstappen two and Russell one.
- Verstappen has won 65 grands prix and is third on the all-time list after Michael Schumacher on 91.
- Norris and Piastri both have eight career wins.
- McLaren have had six one-two finishes this season, including the last three races. They have not had so many one-twos since 1988 when Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna managed 10.
- Piastri, Norris and Verstappen have each been on pole four times this season, Russell once.
- The McLaren drivers have each finished on the podium 11 times in 2025.
- Charles Leclerc's second place in Monaco remains Ferrari's best of the season so far. The Monegasque now has five podiums for the season. Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari.
2025 F1 World Championship Points
- Piastri is the only driver to have scored in every race this season. The Australian has scored for 39 race weekends in a row, if sprints are included -- and in 31 successive grands prix.
- Only one driver on the grid has yet to score -- Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto.
- Verstappen will be starting his 200th race for Red Bull.
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