Norris takes Hungarian GP as Piastri retires, handing McLaren first season win

Lando Norris converted pole into victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix after teammate Oscar Piastri retired with a mechanical issue, handing McLaren its first win of the season. Max Verstappen finished second while Kimi Antonelli strengthened his championship lead.Lando Norris won the Hungary GP. (Image: Reuters)Lando Norris produced a commanding drive to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, capitalising on teammate Oscar Piastri's late retirement to hand McLaren its first victory of the Formula One season at the Hungaroring.Starting from pole position, Norris looked in complete control for much of the afternoon and crossed the finish line ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli completing the podium after another mature drive that helped him extend his championship lead to 50 points.For Norris, it was the 12th victory of his Formula One career and a timely return to the top step of the podium after a frustrating start to the campaign."My pace today was probably some of the best pace I've ever had," Norris said after the race. "The car was beautiful to drive and I felt very confident, so a great race. I'm just happy to be back and see the number one again."PERFECTLY TIMED WINThe Briton had to withstand an early challenge from Piastri, who made a brilliant start from third on the grid to snatch the lead on the opening lap. McLaren appeared set to celebrate a dominant one-two finish, with both drivers pulling away from the rest of the field. The race, however, swung in Norris's favour during the second round of pit stops. Piastri lost crucial time after making contact with Carlos Sainz's Williams while lapping traffic, allowing Norris, who had stayed out longer before changing tyres, to emerge ahead.From there, Norris controlled the pace at the front and never looked troubled, delivering a flawless drive to finally put McLaren on the top step of the podium this season.PIASTRI'S HEARTBREAKPiastri's hopes of victory came to a cruel end with 14 laps remaining when a mechanical problem forced him to stop on track, ending what had looked like another dominant afternoon for the Australian.His retirement triggered a Virtual Safety Car period that reshuffled the battle behind the leaders. Norris and the Ferrari drivers opted to pit, while Verstappen and Antonelli stayed out, setting up an intriguing fight for the remaining podium places.Verstappen recovered impressively after briefly losing position to Lewis Hamilton during the first pit-stop cycle. The four-time world champion reclaimed the place with a bold move a lap later before comfortably securing second."I didn't expect to be on the podium today. But we worked hard for it," Verstappen said."I saw the opportunity. It was my only one. I just went for it. We're good on the brakes, so that helped, but it was all under control."TITLE RACE HEATS UPAntonelli once again delivered beyond expectations after starting seventh because of a three-place grid penalty. Mercedes initially attempted a one-stop strategy before switching plans, and the Italian successfully held off the faster Ferraris after the Virtual Safety Car restart to secure third place."It was really hard to overtake so we had to do something with strategy," Antonelli said."Initially we tried to go for the one stop but then they told me the tyre was too much on the limit. With the Virtual Safety Car the two Ferraris boxed. I knew it would be very hard because I was on hards, they were on softs, but luckily we were able to keep them behind."Ferrari's Hamilton crossed the line in fourth but was demoted to fifth after receiving a five-second post-race penalty for speeding in the pit lane, promoting teammate Charles Leclerc to fourth.George Russell endured a disastrous opening lap that dropped him from the front of the grid to 19th before recovering to finish seventh. While the result kept him third in the drivers' standings, Antonelli's podium extended the young Italian's championship lead over Hamilton to 50 points and left Russell 59 points adrift of his Mercedes teammate after another pivotal afternoon in the title race.- EndsPublished By: Amar PanickerPublished On: Jul 26, 2026 22:20 IST