Hungarian GP: This time Norris outfoxes Piastri, as McLaren destroy rivals

Lando Norris clinched victory at today's Hungarian Grand Prix, his ninth in the top flight, after a tense final-lap showdown with teammate Oscar Piastri, delivering McLaren’s 200th Formula 1 win and reigniting the championship fight. On a day the World Champions destroyed their rivals, with George Russell P3, albeit 22 seconds adrift.

Starting from third, Norris lost out at the start and fell to fifth, but a bold one-stop strategy from McLaren brought him back into contention. After inheriting the lead on Lap 20 when Leclerc and Russell pitted, Norris committed to stretching his hard tyres to the finish. A rapid 1.9-second pit stop on Lap 31 set the stage for a strategic race of survival.

Behind him, Piastri undercut Leclerc to take second and steadily closed down his teammate, slashing a nine-second gap to under one by the final laps. Despite fresher tyres and multiple DRS attacks, Piastri could not find a way past. A lock-up and near collision by the Australian on Lap 69 was his final chance gone.

The win cuts Piastri’s championship lead to nine points. Afterwards, Norris said in Parc Ferme: "We weren't really planning on the one-stop but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things. The final stint with Oscar catching I was pushing flat out. Rewarding even more because of that. The perfect result today. I didn't think it would get us the win, I thought it would get us maybe into second."

Piastri took the defeat on the chin, summing up his race: "I pushed as hard as I could. After I saw Lando going for a one-stop, I knew I was going to have to overtake on track, which is much easier said than done around here. It was a gamble either way. Today, unfortunately, we were just on the wrong side of it. The team did a great job, the car came alive in the second half of the race. The car's been great all weekend. Thank you to the team."

Mercedes driver Russell secured third after a combative drive that saw him overtake Fernando Alonso and later Charles Leclerc, who was handed a five-second penalty for erratic defending. It was Russell’s fifth podium of the season and a crucial result for a Mercedes team looking to rebound from recent struggles.

While Piastri may rue a missed opportunity, Norris’ controlled drive under immense pressure showed maturity and racecraft. For McLaren, it was the perfect result on a historic weekend, while for Ferrari, Leclerc’s pace evaporated after his second stop, costing them the podium.

With 10 rounds remaining, the championship narrative is now a straight duel between the two McLaren drivers. Budapest may well be remembered as the race that turned the tide in a title race that will from now on be akin to a "Cup Final" each time they race.

In contrast, what promised so much for the #16 Ferrari starting unexpectedly from pole, Leclerc’s troubled afternoon ended with a penalty and a lost podium, while Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso, Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and Red Bull's four time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen each had standout performances for very different reasons.

Leclerc looked set for P3 before tyre degradation and radio frustration took hold. After losing position to Russell late on, his weaving under braking into Turn 1 earned him a five-second penalty, dropping him to P4 at the flag. “It’s undriveable,” he fumed over the radio with ten laps to go, as his Ferrari faded in the final stint.

Alonso had a relatively quiet but clinical race to P5, making the most of Aston Martin’s improved pace. The Spaniard defended hard against Russell earlier in the race and later inherited a position thanks to Leclerc’s sanction.

Arguably, the driver of the day was rookie Bortoleto, who absorbed pressure from Verstappen and Hülkenberg in the early stages, kept his nose clean, and finished a career-best P6. It marked a major breakthrough for the Brazilian in what has been a difficult debut season.

Behind him, Aston Martin Lance Stroll had one of his better days en route to P7, holding steady in the midfield and capitalising on Verstappen’s compromised afternoon.

Best of the Red Bull brigade on the day was 'Junior Team' driver, Liam Lawson impressed again for Racing Bulls, staying calm in the tense closing stages to finish eighth and beat Verstappen on pure pace. It was a mature drive under pressure from the reigning champion.

Verstappen, starting from P8, struggled all race with tyre life and traffic after Red Bull’s early pit stop gamble failed to pay off. A second stop dropped him further back, and despite several bold overtakes, P9 was all he could manage.

Rounding out the top ten was Kimi Antonelli, who secured another point for Mercedes with a steady, mistake-free drive that kept Tacibng Bull's Isack Hadjar and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

The seven-time F1 World Champion and eight-time winner here in the past, started P12 on hard tyres but dropped to P14 on Lap 1 and spent most of the race stuck in traffic. A late switch to mediums offered little reward. He was lapped by the leaders and finished P12.

It was also an anonymous day of little joy and no reward for the Williams duo of Carlos Sainz and Alez Albon. Same thing for Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon for Haas. And finally, sad to see Tsunoda still nowhere close to Verstappen even when the Dutch ace and Red Bull have another forgettable weekend.

It was an embarrassing day for the Flavio Briatore-run Alpine team. The once proud French team finished last of the cars running on track. Pierre Gasly started P16 on hard tyres but classified P19, ending a dismal weekend, not helped on race day by a ten-second penalty for causing a collision.

In the other Alpine, Franco Colapinto started P14, but dropped to P18 after 70 race laps. Both drivers ran one-stop strategies but were unable to challenge for the top ten. The team leaves Budapest with no points from Round 14 of the 2025 season, and firmly last in the 2025 Formula 1 Constructors' Championship.

Last word to the winners, McLaren CEO Zak Brown told Sky Sports F1 after his team's 200th victory and another one-two: “Everyone will sleep well tonight! A great way to go into the summer break. You’re never perfect in a race, but I think that was as close to perfect as you can get. The drivers were awesome, pit stops amazing, strategy was great to get Lando up there, and Oscar drove brilliantly. I couldn’t be prouder of this racing team."

Formula 1 now takes a summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix next up on 31 Aigust, 2025,

Top 11 drivers elect to start on mediums, with Hamilton in P12 going for something different with the hards. Gasly in P16 has also chosen the hards, while Carlos Sainz (P13), Nico Hulkenberg (P17) and Albon (P19) are on the softs. Tsunoda starts from the pit lane after taking a new Power Unit.

Start / Lap 1/70
Hungarian Grand Prix is go! Leclerc gets a clean getaway from pole.
Norris loses out badly, dropping to P5 after a poor launch.
Russell up to P3, Alonso into P4.
Norris attempted to dive inside Piastri but compromised his line.
Hamilton drops to P14 after being passed by Sainz and Antonelli.

Lap 2/70
Leclerc leads Piastri by 0.6s.
Russell closely chasing Piastri into Turn 1.
Verstappen reclaims P8 from Lawson with a move into the Turn 6/7 chicane.

Lap 3/70
Norris uses DRS to re-pass Alonso into Turn 1, back into P4.
Leclerc now out of DRS range from Piastri.
Verstappen lining up Bortoleto for P7.

Lap 4/70
Bortoleto under investigation for a potential false start.
Verstappen gets past Stroll and begins pressuring Bortoleto.
Bortoleto holds P6 for now.

Lap 5/70
Leclerc continues to lead and extends the gap over Piastri to over two seconds.
Russell in P3, Norris in P4, both around 1.5s apart from the car ahead.

Lap 6/70
Leclerc pushes the gap to nearly three seconds.
Hülkenberg also noted for a potential false start.
Both Sauber drivers under scrutiny from the stewards.

Lap 7/70
Field begins to settle into early rhythm.
Hadjar runs in P11 with Sainz closing in behind.

Lap 8/70
Bortoleto cleared of a false start after review.
Hadjar reports discomfort from gravel inside cockpit but continues in P11.

Lap 9/70
Piastri told engineers are discussing a potential one-stop strategy.
Gap to Leclerc remains stable at around three seconds.

Lap 10/70
Hülkenberg officially handed a five-second penalty for a false start.
Norris closes to within 0.5s of Russell, possibly setting up an overtake.

Lap 11/70
Leclerc still leads by 2.6s, but radio transmission suggests possible power unit concerns.
Brundle suspects PU management could become an issue for Ferrari.

Lap 12/70
Norris urged to pass Russell but cannot get close enough.
Despite DRS, remains 0.7s behind into the middle sector.

Lap 13/70
Hamilton remains stuck in P14 behind Antonelli.
Running the hard tyre, but progress stalled in traffic.

Lap 14/70
Leclerc extends his lead back to three seconds over Piastri.
Norris drops 1.5s behind Russell and loses DRS.
McLaren may need to consider undercut strategy.

Lap 15/70
Piastri and Leclerc continue to match pace.
Gap stable at three seconds.
Piastri must close in if McLaren want to undercut.

Lap 16/70
Norris radios frustration over the final three corners.
McLaren suggest a wider line in Turn 2, but that is not the problem according to the driver.

Lap 17/70
Norris claws back within DRS of Russell.
Hovering at 0.7 to 0.8 seconds across the line, still not close enough for a move.

Lap 18/70
Verstappen becomes the first top 10 runner to pit.
Red Bull put him on hards, rejoining in P16.
Piastri starts to reduce Leclerc’s lead to 2.4s.

Lap 19/70
McLaren respond by boxing Piastri.
Smooth stop, rejoins in P5.
Undercut attempt begins.

Lap 20/70
Ferrari react immediately. Leclerc pits for hards and stays ahead of Piastri.
He locks up into Turn 1 on cold tyres, but keeps track position.
Russell also pits and exits in P6.
Norris inherits the race lead.

Lap 21/70
Piastri gets by Alonso on the main straight.
Gap to Leclerc now 1.7 seconds.
Norris continues to lead by 12 seconds.

Lap 22/70
McLaren assessing options for Norris strategy.
Gap to Leclerc at 11.5 seconds, Piastri a further two seconds back.
Team considering extending Plan A (two-stop) or switching to Plan D (one-stop).

Lap 23/70
Verstappen frustrated with traffic after early stop.
Passes Hülkenberg into the chicane to move up to P13.
Radios frustration over strategy and rejoining in traffic.

Lap 24/70
Russell closes on Alonso for P4.
Alonso defends hard into Turn 2, Russell tries outside but cannot pass.

Lap 25/70
Russell continues the attack.
Almost pushing Alonso down the straight.
Still no way past as Alonso holds firm.

Lap 26/70
Russell finally gets through.
Passes Alonso cleanly into Turn 1 for P4.
Gap to leaders continues to stretch.

Lap 27/70
Norris extends lead to seven seconds over Leclerc.
Leclerc holding two-second gap to Piastri.
Signs of Norris committing to a one-stop strategy.

Lap 28/70
Hamilton stuck in DRS train behind Hadjar.
Verstappen now behind him on fresher tyres.
Hamilton describes himself as a sitting duck.
Red Bull has DRS but cannot yet make a move.

Lap 29/70
Norris confirms willingness to attempt 40 laps on hards.
Leclerc unhappy with car setup post-stop.
Ferrari driver says pre-race discussion was not properly followed.

Lap 30/70
Verstappen lunges at Hamilton at Turn 4.
They come close to contact but Verstappen gets through cleanly for P11.

Lap 31/70
Verstappen-Hamilton incident officially noted by stewards.
Leclerc leads Piastri by 1.4 seconds.
Norris pits from the lead and rejoins P4 after a rapid 1.9-second stop.

Lap 32/70
Leclerc back in the lead.
Piastri just 1.4 seconds behind.
Norris 18.9 seconds adrift but could benefit later if one-stop gamble works.

Lap 33/70
Leclerc opens gap to 1.6 seconds.
Piastri stuck in dirty air and begins to struggle to keep pace.

Lap 34/70
Approaching half distance.
Piastri still within range for a possible undercut.
Norris under a pit stop behind, still in contention.

Lap 35/70
Norris sets the fastest lap on fresh tyres.
Now within nine seconds of Russell and closing quickly.

Lap 36/70
Verstappen under investigation by stewards for Hamilton incident.
Piastri indicates that he can make it to the end if he pits now.

Lap 37/70
No major position changes.
Piastri and Leclerc still on edge of pit window.
McLaren and Ferrari monitoring gaps closely.

Lap 38/70
Russell asked for more pace but tells team to let him drive.
Running six seconds ahead of Norris, seven off the lead.

Lap 39/70
Norris runs wide and puts two wheels in the gravel.
Told to refocus by his engineer.
Gap to Leclerc at 15.4 seconds.

Lap 40/70
Field compressing at the front as second stops approach.
Piastri staying within range of a potential undercut again.

Lap 41/70
Leclerc pits from the lead.
Ferrari may have been baited by McLaren radio traffic.
He rejoins in P4, seven seconds behind Norris.

Lap 42/70
Piastri now in clear air and pushing hard.
Holds a 9.1 second gap to Russell, Norris 10.8 seconds behind him.

Lap 43/70
Norris right behind Russell in the battle for P3.
Needs to clear him quickly to make one-stop work.
Hamilton finally pits from P9, switches to mediums, rejoins in P16.
Verstappen-Hamilton incident now marked for post-race investigation.

Lap 44/70
Russell pits from third.
Norris now has clean air, a crucial development for his strategy.
Russell comes out in P4, 14 seconds behind Leclerc.

Lap 45/70
Piastri leads Norris by 8.5 seconds.
Norris sets a new fastest lap and closes the gap rapidly.
Piastri’s long stint likely nearing its end.

Lap 46/70
McLaren bring Piastri in.
Another flawless stop: 1.9 seconds.
He rejoins 12 seconds behind Norris and six behind Leclerc.

Lap 47/70
Norris leads by 7.3 seconds with 24 laps to go.
Leclerc in second, Piastri in third and closing fast.
Norris asks McLaren to be proactive with blue flags for traffic.

Lap 48/70
Hamilton down in 15th and in danger of being lapped by the leaders.
His hard tyre strategy has not worked out.

Lap 49/70
Piastri takes big chunks of time out of Leclerc.
Gap now under three seconds and shrinking fast.
Red Bull commit to a second stop for Verstappen.
He rejoins just ahead of Antonelli in P9.

Lap 50/70
Bearman becomes the first retirement of the race.
He was running in P16 before pulling into the pits.

Lap 51/70
Piastri uses DRS to pass Leclerc into Turn 1 and moves up to P2.
Gap to Norris is 8.5 seconds.

Lap 52/70
Piastri starts to close the gap with fresher tyres.
Leclerc now falling into Russell’s sights for the final podium place.

Lap 53/70
Traffic begins to cost Norris valuable time.
Gap to Piastri down to 6.3 seconds.
Hamilton overtakes Ocon and Sainz to move up to P12.
Seven seconds behind the points with Hadjar and Antonelli ahead.

Lap 54/70
Leclerc furious on team radio over tyre management.
Calls car “undriveable” and says it would be a miracle to finish on the podium.
Russell four seconds behind and gaining in the fight for third.

Lap 55/70
Rain threat emerges with drops possible at Turn 14.
Norris asks for soft tyres if a Safety Car appears.
Piastri now five seconds behind and gaining around half a second per lap.

Lap 56/70
Piastri continues to close the gap.
Gap now just five seconds with 14 laps remaining.

Lap 57/70
Russell less than two seconds behind Leclerc.
Final podium spot could come down to the wire.

Lap 58/70
Piastri closes further, now four seconds behind Norris.
Clean, consistent driving from the Australian as he closes in.

Lap 59/70
Gap to Norris down to 3.5 seconds.
Russell right behind Leclerc but no way through yet.
Albon moves aside for the lead cars without issue.

Lap 60/70
Russell continues to stalk Leclerc for P3.
Waiting for a mistake or opening.

Lap 61/70
Russell attempts a late move on Leclerc at Turn 1.
Leclerc just manages to shut the door and holds position.

Lap 62/70
Piastri closes to within 2.5 seconds of Norris.
Both McLaren drivers pushing to the limit, Piastri consistently faster by half a second per lap.

Lap 63/70
Norris frustrated with traffic as Piastri cuts the gap to 1.5 seconds.
Russell overtakes Leclerc into Turn 1 with a late move.
Leclerc makes two moves under braking but avoids contact.
Russell calls for a penalty on team radio.

Lap 64/70
Piastri stuck at 1.2 seconds behind Norris in turbulent air.
Both McLarens lap Hamilton, who is running in 12th.
Russell reports light rain starting to fall.
Gap at the front now 1.1 seconds.

Lap 65/70
Piastri gets within one second and activates DRS for the first time.
Still fighting through traffic but nearly on Norris’ gearbox.
Leclerc officially under investigation for his defensive driving against Russell.

Lap 66/70
No more traffic expected for the leaders.
Piastri still within DRS but unable to get close enough.
A 14-point swing is at stake in the title fight.

Lap 67/70
Piastri within 0.7 seconds but cannot get closer than that.
Norris continues to manage tyres and track position perfectly.

Lap 68/70
Piastri shows a nose into Turn 1 but doesn’t commit.
Norris holds the racing line and stays ahead.
Tension building with two laps to go.

Lap 69/70
Piastri makes a bold dive into Turn 1, locks up and runs wide.
Almost hits Norris but backs out just in time.
Drops to 0.9 seconds behind after the failed move.

Lap 70/70
Norris defends the inside line into Turn 1.
Piastri stays behind after final opportunity fades.
Leclerc receives a five-second penalty for erratic driving.
Russell confirmed in P3 as penalty drops Leclerc to P4.

Finish
Lando Norris wins the Hungarian Grand Prix, holding off Piastri by 0.6 seconds.
One-stop strategy pays off with a controlled, tactical drive.
Piastri finishes second and sees his championship lead reduced to nine points.
Russell takes third, ending Mercedes' dry spell.
Leclerc finishes fourth ahead of Alonso in fifth.
Bortoleto impresses with P6 as the top rookie.