Lando Norris won a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. The reigning world champion initially lost the lead to teammate Oscar Piastri but was ultimately flagged as the winner. It marked McLaren’s first victory of the current F1 season. Max Verstappen finished in second place, partly due to an unexpected retirement from Piastri. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli limited the damage in the championship by finishing third, followed by both Ferraris in P4 and P5.
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The starting grid was significantly shaken up after qualifying by penalties for Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. The seven-time world champion had to give up three places for impeding Oscar Piastri during his last fast lap. “Our mistake,” Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur admitted afterwards. Antonelli, in turn, received a grid penalty for speeding under yellow flags – he dropped back to P7. Max Verstappen benefited from his colleagues’ misfortune and moved up two places to P4 on Sunday.
Relive the 2026 Hungarian GP below:
FORMATION LAP: The drivers are getting ready for the start! It’s much warmer than during the earlier sessions at the Hungaroring. The mercury has now risen above 30 degrees Celsius, while the track temperature is over 50 degrees. At the same time, there is also a strong wind in Hungary. Apart from the weather, the drivers had been complaining bitterly about the condition of the asphalt in recent days.
LAP 1/70: Max Verstappen gets away well, unlike Charles Leclerc. Both Oscar Piastri and Verstappen overtake the Monegasque. Lando Norris initially defends the lead but goes too wide to keep his teammate behind him. After the first lap, Piastri leads, followed by Norris and Verstappen. George Russell’s start is dramatic; he has fallen back to P18.
LAP 4/70: Lewis Hamilton opens the hunt for Max Verstappen. The seven-time world champion has also overtaken his Ferrari teammate and is now in P4. Leclerc, however, follows closely behind. Russell’s Mercedes went into anti-stall mode at the start, causing him to be overtaken left and right by the midfield.
LAP 6/70: While Verstappen tries to keep his old rival behind him, he complains again about the RB22. “The damping doesn’t work at all,” he says over the team radio. “The car is f•cked again.” Hamilton has meanwhile reduced the gap to the Red Bull driver to three tenths.
LAP 11/70: Championship leader Kimi Antonelli follows at a respectful distance from both Ferraris. He has gained one position compared to his starting position. Behind him, Isack Hadjar, both Racing Bulls, and Nico Hülkenberg complete the top 10. Russell fights his way forward and is already in P12. Verstappen, meanwhile, finds more problems. “Do something about these gears,” he orders the team. “Max is so slow,” Hamilton judges over his own team radio.
LAP 15/70: Hamilton forces his team into a pit stop hoping to outsmart Verstappen. He swaps his soft tires for hards and re-enters the track in P9. Arvid Lindblad, however, is no match for the Ferrari driver and is passed with a beautiful overtaking maneuver. Verstappen also swaps his mediums for hard tires not much later but exits the pit lane behind Hamilton.
LAP 16/70: Verstappen, however, strikes back immediately and overtakes the Ferrari again! A beautiful duel ensues between the two former world champions. Valtteri Bottas has meanwhile parked his Cadillac in the pit lane. He has to retire from the race early.
LAP 19/70: Both McLaren drivers have also come in for new tires and re-enter the track behind Antonelli and Hadjar. Verstappen and Hamilton are driving directly behind the papayas. A new opportunity for Hadjar to further help his teammate; on old tires, he can hold off Piastri and Norris for some time before being overtaken. Verstappen is now driving right behind the reigning world champion.
LAP 26/70: The field spreads out somewhat. The gap between Verstappen and Norris is over four seconds, while the Dutchman keeps Hamilton two seconds behind. Norris, however, is still driving right behind Piastri; he is chasing his teammate’s first place. Russell has caught up with the top teams but still needs to make a pit stop.
LAP 29/70: A mistake by Lando Norris. The Brit goes wide through turn four, drives over the kerbstones, and ends up off track. The gap to Piastri increases to one and a half seconds. The Australian gets some breathing room for the first time in this Hungarian Grand Prix.
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LAP 35/70: Hamilton has made his second pit stop and re-enters the track on hard tires. McLaren must defend against a Ferrari undercut and sends race leader Piastri into the pit lane. Norris had wanted to make a tire change much earlier, but the team refuses to bring him in. “Unfortunately, that’s not possible,” his race engineer informs him. “Do you mean you won’t let me stop? I’m so much faster than Piastri,” complains the reigning world champion. He inherits the lead, Verstappen follows in P2.
LAP 38/70: Carlos Sainz causes a stir with a striking collision with Piastri. The Williams driver is lapped by the Australian and thus sees blue flags. However, he refuses to make way for the McLaren, causing Piastri to collide with the FW48. “Get the f•cking hell out of the way,” he shouts over the team radio. “Oh my god.” The virtual race leader is briefly forced onto the grass and loses a lot of time before passing the traffic.
LAP 40/70: Norris has also been allowed to make his pit stop and inherits the lead from his teammate. The incident with Sainz has cost him dearly. The Spaniard receives a five-second time penalty.
LAP 46/70: Verstappen has made his second pit stop and re-enters the track just ahead of Leclerc. He is given used soft tires to finish the race. The Dutchman, however, doubts whether he can still snatch third place from Hamilton, who is now ahead of him. Again, his team receives a reprimand over the team radio.
LAP 51/70: Problems for Sergio Pérez! His steering wheel suspension appears damaged, forcing the Mexican to drive relatively slowly to the pit lane. It does not result in a neutralization and thus no opportunity for Antonelli to benefit; the young championship leader is in P2 between the two McLaren drivers but still has to make his second pit stop.
LAP 54/70: Antonelli had confidence in a one-stopper and wanted to try to finish the race on his hard tires. Mercedes thinks differently and calls the Italian in for new rubber. He re-enters the track in sixth, restoring the top 3: Norris, Piastri, Hamilton. Verstappen follows on his used softs a little less than three seconds behind the Ferrari driver.
LAP 57/70: A brief virtual safety car! Piastri’s McLaren suddenly gives up, whereupon Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton immediately come in for new soft tires. Max Verstappen stays out. The top 10 now looks like this: Norris, Verstappen, Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc, Hadjar, Russell, Lindblad, Bortoleto, Lawson. Hamilton had initially passed Antonelli when exiting the pit lane but had to give the position back for exceeding the white line.
LAP 70/70: Lando Norris is flagged as the winner in Hungary. Max Verstappen secures an unexpected second place, followed by championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton failed to keep Charles Leclerc (P4) far enough behind him and thus drops back to P5.
LAP 61/70: Hamilton is under investigation for speeding in the pit lane, which almost always leads to a penalty. The seven-time world champion has recently often been the victim of penalties from the FIA stewards. He currently has a 5.5-second lead over his teammate Charles Leclerc.
LAP 66/70: There’s the time penalty for Hamilton! At the end of the Grand Prix, five seconds are added to his race time. While he puts pressure on Antonelli for a podium spot, he must therefore primarily keep teammate Leclerc five seconds behind. Otherwise, he will lose his fourth place.
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Read everything about the Hungarian GP here
