Lando Norris of McLaren achieved his first Grand Prix victory of the year in Hungary. Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, secured second place, while Kimi Antonelli finished third.
The race saw a close contest for the podium positions in the final laps between Verstappen and Antonelli. Antonelli‘s third-place finish extended his lead in the championship standings over Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who finished seventh after a difficult start.
Ferrari‘s Hamilton initially finished fourth, close behind Antonelli, but received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. This dropped him to fifth place, behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
McLaren’s Race Strategy and Driver Performance
Norris‘s victory was aided by a strategic decision that reportedly did not please his team-mate, Oscar Piastri. Norris made a strong start, but Piastri, who also had a powerful start, took the lead after Norris made an error at Turn Two.
Piastri led through the initial pit stops, with Norris consistently close behind. As Norris began to challenge more intensely in the second stint, he requested to make his second stop first, but this was declined. Instead, Piastri was called in, with McLaren stating they were covering a threat from Hamilton.
Norris was then allowed to continue for six additional laps before his pit stop, using his pace to gain time. During Piastri‘s stint, he was delayed by a collision with Williams driver Carlos Sainz while lapping him, an incident for which Sainz received a five-second penalty.
Piastri later retired from second place on lap 56 due to a gearbox failure. He expressed his frustration, directing his anger at Sainz, and believed he would have remained ahead of Norris without the collision. McLaren arrived in Hungary with an upgraded car, and Norris‘s performance revived memories of their dominant victories from the previous year’s championship.
Norris commented on his performance, stating he was “happy to be back and be number one again” and that his pace was “probably some of the best pace I’ve ever had.”
Verstappen’s Comeback and Hamilton’s Penalties
Despite expressing dissatisfaction with his car throughout much of the race, Verstappen secured second place. Red Bull made a strategic move during his second pit stop by fitting soft tyres, which proved effective.
The retirement of Piastri led to a late virtual safety car (VSC), which intensified the battles behind Norris. Ferrari brought both their drivers in for pit stops during this period, placing them behind Verstappen.
Hamilton passed Antonelli into the first corner after exiting the pits, but was required to return the position after the restart. Antonelli and Hamilton then pursued Verstappen but were slowed while lapping Audi‘s Gabriel Bortoleto. Ultimately, Verstappen maintained his lead over Antonelli, finishing 3.6 seconds ahead.
Hamilton faced multiple penalties during the weekend. He received a three-place grid demotion from second to fifth for impeding Piastri in qualifying. This penalty followed two others in previous races in Belgium and Britain, and another five-second penalty in the race for speeding in the pit lane.
Antonelli also received a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently for yellow flags when Verstappen spun during qualifying. Stewards determined that while Antonelli did lift off the throttle, his speed was still slightly higher than his previous lap. He started seventh on the grid.
Hamilton reflected on the penalties, stating, “Sometimes you just can’t catch a break.” He expressed frustration at starting fifth after being close to pole position.
Other notable finishes included Red Bull‘s Isack Hadjar in sixth and Russell in seventh, who recovered significantly after dropping to 21st on the first lap. Aston Martin showed positive signs with their new car, though they did not score points, with Lance Stroll finishing 13th ahead of Fernando Alonso.
The Formula 1 season will now enter a four-week summer break before the next event, the Dutch Grand Prix, scheduled from 21-23 August.
Final Standings
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Kimi Antonelli
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
Source: bbc.com