Lando Norris has finally done it. The reigning world champion took his first Grand Prix victory of the 2026 season at a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix, a race that had drama, penalties, and a gearbox failure that ended what should have been a comfortable McLaren one-two.
The Race That Nearly Got Away
From pole, Norris immediately lost the lead when he ran wide at Turn 2, handing it to Oscar Piastri. For much of the afternoon, Piastri looked like the man to beat, until a collision with backmarker Carlos Sainz gifted Norris momentum he never gave back. Sainz collected a five-second penalty, but the damage to Piastri’s race was already done.
Norris then did what champions do: he put his head down, extended his lead, and waited for fate to finish the job. On lap 56, Piastri’s gearbox expired out of Turn 2, triggering a Virtual Safety Car and gifting Norris a free pit stop. Game over.
Verstappen Pulls Off the Impossible
If Norris winning was expected, Max Verstappen finishing second was anything but. The Dutchman spent the opening stint begging Red Bull for help with a car he described as “completely f***ed”, his dampers seemingly giving up before the race even settled. His frustration had been building all weekend.
Yet Verstappen being Verstappen, he launched a stunning late-braking divebomb into Turn 1 to pass both Liam Lawson and Lewis Hamilton in a single move after the first pit stops. When Piastri’s retirement reshuffled the order, he found himself sitting in second, somewhat bewildered but absolutely not complaining.
Hamilton Strikes Again, Himself
Lewis Hamilton crossed the line fourth but was demoted to fifth after a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, his fourth penalty in three events. He had already served a three-place grid drop in qualifying, and this latest addition to his growing penalty collection will make uncomfortable reading for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc inherited fourth as a result.
Kimi Antonelli completed the podium in third after Mercedes called him in for a second stop on fresh softs, and he scythed through the pack to claim the final rostrum position. The championship leader extends his advantage.
The Rest of the Field
Isack Hadjar finished sixth after playing the team game for Verstappen, with George Russell seventh after recovering from an anti-stall nightmare at the start. Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg grabbed eighth and ninth, with Arvid Lindblad rounding out the points in tenth. Piastri, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas all retired.
Full Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Winner |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +15.0s |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +18.7s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +23.8s |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +24.5s |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +55.4s |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | +57.5s |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1 lap |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1 lap |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1 lap |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1 lap |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 lap |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1 lap |
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +2 laps |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2 laps |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +2 laps |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | +2 laps |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2 laps |
| 19 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +2 laps |
| DNF | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | Gearbox |
| DNF | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | Retired |
| DNF | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | Brakes |
Formula 1 now heads into the summer break. Norris has his win. Verstappen somehow has a podium from a broken car. And Hamilton has another penalty to explain. Some things, it seems, never change.
