Lando Norris claimed his and McLaren’s first Formula 1 victory of the 2026 season after capitalising on teammate Oscar Piastri’s retirement to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli.
Starting from pole position, Norris initially lost the lead to Piastri at Turn 2 on the opening lap and spent much of the race chasing his McLaren teammate. Although Norris showed stronger pace at times, McLaren chose not to alter positions, allowing Piastri to control the race.
The turning point came shortly after the halfway mark when Piastri damaged his car following contact with Carlos Sainz’s Williams after his second pit stop. Norris, meanwhile, produced a string of rapid laps in clean air before making his second stop, emerging ahead in the strategic battle.
LANDO NORRIS WINS THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX!! 🏁🏆🎉#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/tYrJ7ZuI9C
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2026
Piastri’s hopes of recovering ended with 15 laps remaining when an apparent gearbox failure forced him to retire, triggering a Virtual Safety Car.
The VSC reshuffled the order behind Norris, with Verstappen and Antonelli moving into second and third after extending their stints before pitting.
The move that ultimately propelled Lando to victory 🏆#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/xlpUDSHWpr
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2026
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton briefly looked set for a podium after an aggressive three-stop strategy but dropped behind Antonelli and teammate Charles Leclerc after receiving a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Leclerc finished fourth, with Hamilton taking fifth.
Isack Hadjar continued his impressive run by finishing sixth for Red Bull, while Mercedes’ George Russell recovered from dropping to 19th on the opening lap because of an anti-stall issue to claim seventh.
Racing Bulls celebrated another double points finish as Liam Lawson came home eighth and Arvid Lindblad 10th, with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg splitting the pair in ninth. Gabriel Bortoleto narrowly missed out on the points in 11th.
Aston Martin enjoyed one of its strongest weekends of the campaign, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finishing 13th and 14th respectively. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto ended the race either side of the Aston Martin duo.
Besides Piastri, Cadillac drivers Valtteri Bottas (brake overheating) and Sergio Perez (front-left issue) also failed to finish.
The victory marked Norris’ first Grand Prix win of the 2026 campaign and McLaren’s maiden triumph of the season, providing a timely boost for the reigning constructors’ champions.