Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday: Teams and drivers report from Hungaroring

While Charles Leclerc started from pole and led the way early on, Ferrari had no answer to McLaren's pace especially after suffering from issues with the Monegasque's car towards the end of the race.

The race wasn't eventful in the first part, but as it progressed it turned into a nail biter as Piastri chased down Norris the pair battling till the chequered flag crossing the line less than a second apart.

While we covered the main stories from the Hungarian Grand Prix - McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari - here is what the other teams have go to say following the final grand prix before the Formula 1 summer break.

Max Verstappen (P9): "Unfortunately, the whole weekend wasn't good for us and we need to understand why that was. It has been quite tough as we got stuck in between cars during the race and struggled for grip. Although the high speed was okay, the low and medium speed wasn't good. There are a lot of things to understand as the car has been difficult all weekend and we couldn't turn things around unfortunately. Like we always do, we will analyse everything and take learnings from the weekend to find more performance as we go into Zandvoort. Ultimately, this weekend hasn't gone to our liking, but it is now summer break and I can enjoy time with family and friends and not think too much about the racing side of things. There are many more races left and we can look to do better after the break. We want to aim to be more consistent and always try and even though it was a disappointing result we will keep our head up."

Yuki Tsunoda (P17): "This weekend has been a tough one for the Team. We knew coming into today that it would be tricky to move up into the points, and once I had damage to the front wing our race was effectively over. The gurney flap fell off halfway through and that cost us a lot of pace and worsening grip, so we then lost the ability to make a positive strategy call that would benefit us. Looking back on the season so far I can feel pretty positive, we've made progress, especially since the new floor upgrades were brought to Spa. The gap with Max continues to close, it may not feel like we are getting there but on paper we are only 1/10th off his pace, I'm not sure many other drivers could get as close to him. I am heading straight to the factory tomorrow to go into the Sim, we need to investigate where we went wrong and put in some hard work over the summer break so that we don't start the next half of the season how we finished this one. It's frustrating but we will stay positive and bounce back stronger."

Laurent Mekies, CEO & Team Principal: "It has been a very tough weekend from the first lap in FP1 and the race reflected this. We have certainly missed something quite key this weekend and looked at many things with both Yuki and Max, to try to get back to the level we had and get the car in the right window. The Team have tried everything, but the underlying performance was missing to be able to fight at the top end. The truth is we didn't have the performance so when we pitted Max wasn't ultimately going to be defining to the race result, we just did not have the lap time we needed in the car. Yuki was in a similar situation and starting from the pitlane meant he was never able to really make an impact on the field. What is important this weekend is that we have collected enough data to get out of similar situations in the future and make a positive step forward. These weekends are the ones you learn a lot from and that is what we will do. We will spend time reflecting during the break and we don't underestimate the work ahead of us, we have many, many talented people in the Team to overcome this and we want to come back with a different level of performance after the summer break."

Fernando Alonso (P5): "Today's race went to plan for us and we maximised the performance of the car this weekend. It was a good job by everyone in the team and we are happy to have scored 16 points. We had some threats to deal with in the race, but we managed to keep them behind. The performance we've shown here has been a nice surprise, but we need to analyse everything from Spa and Budapest so we can better understand why we were much faster here in Hungary. I will enjoy the short break now and I look forward to racing again in Zandvoort."

Lance Stroll (P7): "It was a great day for the team and a solid weekend from start to finish. Heading into the summer break with 16 points is a big uplift for us. But we have lots to learn from this weekend because we don't fully understand why we were more competitive here. We need to be in a place where we can put the car in that window at more tracks because ultimately, we want to be at this level of competitiveness more consistently. We'll see how we go in Zandvoort after the break because it's a very different kind of track."

Mike Krack, Chief Trackside Officer: "Fifth and seventh place in Budapest is a good way to wrap up the first half of the year. Fernando and Lance have been excellent all weekend and converted our strong qualifying result into important points. They both made the one-stop strategy work and did a great job of managing the Medium tyres during the long first stint. It has been our most competitive weekend this season so well done to the entire team for the great preparation and execution. It is always nice to start the summer break off the back of a good result and these 16 points will give everybody in the team a boost. We will take a few weeks' holiday and come back ready to build on this result in the races to come."

Pierre Gasly (P19): "We cannot be pleased with the end result today, even if it felt like our execution was quite good. Ultimately, we are just too slow. The last two weekends we have been able to maximise the conditions and come away with two good results. Today was more conventional and it really highlighted our weak spots. Still, there were a lot of fun battles out there and I felt like the racing was generally very good. I am here to race, not to give up, and I just gave it my best in all the wheel-to-wheel fights. Now, the team and I are staying in Budapest for a test before the summer break. We have all been working extremely hard and I am sure everyone is looking forward to a couple of weeks off. We will continue the hard work, especially with a lot of focus on 2026, but we are still aiming to come back in good shape for the remainder of this year."

Franco Colapinto (P18): "It was not the best of days today and a difficult race for us as a team. The pace was good at times in clean air and I had the same feeling as yesterday, I think we have taken a good step forward with the car which has given me confidence. But with the blue flags and losing time in the pitlane, it really limited what we could achieve today. The initial start and getaway was good, but from there we fell back on the first lap and lost places. I was struggling with rear grip and sliding, which came back to us later in the race. We opted for a two-stop and unfortunately, we encountered issues on both which meant we were held longer than we expected. As a team, we've been very good recently with pitstops, but these things happen in racing. With the summer break we need to use this opportunity to rest and reset and be ready to go again in Zandvoort and try to understand where we can keep making improvements."

Flavio Briatore: "A disappointing end result and a difficult weekend overall for the team, which has really highlighted areas of weakness in our car. It has been a tough season so far and the aim for the remainder of the year is to try and turnaround our current position. It is a big challenge as all our focus is on 2026 and capitalising on the opportunity of the new regulations. Now is a critical phase in our work for next year and I know the team at Enstone is making positive headway on that project. I expect everyone to come back from the summer break with a lot of determination and fighting spirit, giving it our all to finish the season as strongly as possible and make sure we're ready for 2026."

Carlos Sainz (P14): "It was a cleaner weekend for us; it's just a shame it's not on a weekend where the car is strong. P13 looked like the maximum, which is where we would've been without the incident with Gasly. We tried to do a one-stop but that was probably too optimistic going from the Soft to the Hard, but we tried to do something different before switching to the two-stop. I'm leaving the first half of the season slightly disappointed as we didn't maximise the weekends where we were stronger, but hopefully the second half of the season is the other way around. A big thanks to the team for their massive effort and to all our fans for their endless support. We'll reset, recharge and come back stronger for the rest of the season!"

Alex Albon (P15): "It was a very tough weekend. I came into this weekend optimistic, and I feel like we're a little bit exposed around this track and the car didn't really suit it. We struggled in the race more than I thought we would. We need to do our homework because I know we would do a better job if we had another go at it. It's going to be a dogfight for the rest of the year and it's not going to be easy. I think we favour the lower downforce circuits and others probably favour the higher downforce ones, so we'll see how it plays out. But I'm going to fight like hell to keep P5 in the Championship for us and I'm sure Carlos feels the same. It's going to be a fight to the end."

James Vowles, Team Principal: "A difficult weekend. We need to make sure that we learn and understand why we can be strong on one circuit and poor in others. It's a pattern that's been consistent over years, but we need to break out of it in order for us to be able to move up the grid. I'm really proud of what the team has achieved in the first half of the season. It's great to be in fifth in the Championship. However, we have to recognise it will be a close fought battle to the end of the year and we have to maximise every opportunity that comes towards us. Well done to everyone on the team, Alex and Carlos for everything we've achieved in the first half of the year. It's time for everyone to enjoy a break and come back refreshed in a few weeks."

Liam Lawson (P8): "I'm very happy with today's result. It was a tough race and trying to find a window for boxing was tricky with all the traffic. The speed was really good as well as the degradation on the tyres, so everything was well executed by the team. It's never easy keeping a driver like Max behind you, but our strategy meant that we could keep position until the end. It's obviously great to have more consistency over the most recent races, but the key thing is for us to keep the momentum going following the much-deserved summer break."

Isack Hadjar (P11): "It's pure frustration just missing out on points. The pace was strong all weekend, and I felt confident going into the race. Unfortunately, we didn't get a great launch at the start. I gave it everything on lap one, but got overtaken and ended up getting stuck behind other cars. On the Medium tyres, our pace was solid. It's a good result for the team and for Liam, there are definitely plenty of positives to take away. The car has the potential, I just need to put everything together when it counts. We've been a bit unlucky in the last few races, but I'm optimistic about the second half of the season. I'll stay focused on what's ahead and come back stronger after the summer break."

Alan Permane, Team Principal: "A very strong race from Liam, both the car and the one-stop strategy worked very well; he made the tyres last well and brings home another 8th place. It was a shame for Isack, he felt he could have qualified better yesterday and ultimately on this track, two or three places in Qualifying is ever so hard to get back in the race. We lost a place to Bearman at the start, losing a lot of time behind him, which then undid the rest of his race. Overall though, the car has been decent with both of them in Q3 in the last two races. Unfortunately, we've lost a position in the Championship, but it's all very tight in the midfield and we have a good car, so we're looking forward to the second half of the season and I'm very sure we'll get some positions back. A massive thank you to the drivers and all our teams back in Faenza and Milton Keynes, we can have a breather as we go into the break, and we'll come back very strong in Zandvoort."

Ollie Bearman (DNF): "We managed to run in P10 for the first stint, but I was really clinging on the whole way. I was really struggling with the feeling of the car, and I had massive oversteer throughout. It progressed in the second stint, picking up some damage somewhere because we saw a big drop in loads, and by that point, it was clear that we couldn't finish the race. It's disappointing as we had a decent qualifying and opening lap today, but from there I wasn't looking forward, I was looking behind. We need to understand why that was the case because in the last few races I've been feeling really good in race trim, but this weekend it hasn't been the case."

Esteban Ocon (P16): "It was a difficult day for sure. We struggled a little bit, especially towards the end, as I think the cars behind were a bit quicker on fresher tires. We got ahead of them, so we gave ourselves the opportunity. It was a solid start, but we need to work on how we can get the car a little bit more under control and get more pace throughout the race. Looking at this first half of the season, there are definitely some positives – a decent amount of points – but we're not consistent enough. If you look at Spa, we had a mega performance in the Sprint, and obviously we're not there every single weekend, but we're working on it and I have full trust in this team."

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "We didn't show what we should be showing today. With how quick the car is, where we should've qualified, and the race pace of Bortoleto, there's no reason we can't do that. I'm pretty sure Ollie's car was overbalanced, there's no way that degradation from Ollie was the limit of the car or driver. We retired Ollie as he damaged the floor at Turn 4 again, it's the third time this weekend, so we need to look at that also. On Esteban's side, we need to look at our processes as clearly we were too early with our pit stop for a one-stop strategy. The only way is up, the car is quick, and we have two drivers with potential – we've just struggled putting it together for the last three races. We need the summer break, refocus, look at ourselves and then think about how we can deliver."

Nico Hulkenberg (P13): "It was a challenging race today, no doubt. Starting from the back, we knew it would be an uphill battle, especially on a narrow track where traffic management is always tricky. We opted for an aggressive two-stop strategy, which looked promising at times, but in hindsight, the one-stop turned out to be the more effective route for most. Ultimately, my result was shaped by yesterday’s qualifying: we didn’t execute, and that compromised our chances. Still, I’m pleased to see Gabi bringing home strong 8 points for the team, as that is what matters. On the whole, we’ve made solid progress since Barcelona: six consecutive races in the points speak for themselves. We’re firmly in the midfield fight now, and that’s a testament to the hard work from everyone trackside and back in Hinwil. We’ll recharge during the summer break and come back ready to push to again."

Gabriel Bortoleto (P6): “I’m so happy with this result, it’s our best so far and it shows the amazing job we’re doing as a team. We’ve been making the right steps in the right direction, and this is just the beginning of what we can achieve together. The race itself was very intense and mentally tough, with 70 laps where you can’t afford a single mistake, but I gave everything I had and didn’t put a wheel wrong. We maximised every opportunity, from my driving to the team’s strategy and execution, and I’m so glad for everyone involved. To be racing between a two-time World Champion [Fernando Alonso] ahead and a four-time World Champion [Max Verstappen] behind was an incredible experience, and moments like that remind me how far we’ve come. I want to thank every member of the team, on track and as well in Hinwil for this first part of the season. What we achieved would not be possible without all the work that we put together. I just want to enjoy this with my family now and celebrate the progress we’ve made as a team.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: “Today’s result is a testament to the resilience and determination of the entire team. Despite a challenging start to the weekend with reliability issues in FP1, the team pulled together and delivered an outstanding performance. Today’s result marks our sixth consecutive race finishing in the points, an achievement that reflects the consistency and competitiveness we’ve been building throughout the season.

“Gabi’s drive was nothing short of exceptional. He secured P6 – his best result so far in his early Formula One career – and earned a well-deserved Driver of the Day award. Nico also showed incredible race craft, especially in the opening laps. Although he eventually finished P13, it was one of his strongest drives, and his performance deserves respect even if it didn’t end in points.

“This season has been defined by incredibly tight margins across the entire field, and we fully expect the second half to be just as fiercely competitive. Now it’s time for some well-deserved rest - both for everyone at the factory and for the team at the track. We’re already looking forward to the remainder of the season and the challenges that lie ahead.”