Lando Norris secured his first victory of the 2026 Formula One season at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26, delivering McLaren’s first race win of the year. Starting from pole position, the reigning world champion briefly ceded the lead to his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri at the start but regained it following a pivotal second round of pit stops. Piastri’s race unraveled after a collision involving Williams driver Carlos Sainz while attempting to lap him, which led to McLaren reshuffling their strategy in Norris’s favor. Piastri retired on lap 56 due to a gearbox failure.
Norris maintained a commanding pace throughout the race, ultimately crossing the finish line 15 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished second. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes completed the podium in third, preserving Mercedes’ perfect record of podium finishes this season. Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who was penalized five seconds for speeding in the pit lane and dropped from third to fifth.
The race began with Norris leading into the first corner but being overtaken by Piastri at turn two. Meanwhile, Leclerc suffered a poor start, falling from second to fifth on the opening lap. George Russell had a challenging day, dropping from his starting position to 18th after his Mercedes briefly engaged anti-stall mode. He recovered to finish seventh.
On-track tensions flared when Piastri, frustrated after the incident with Sainz, expressed his anger over team radio, criticizing the Williams driver’s actions. Sainz received a five-second penalty, but the damage to Piastri’s race was already done. The subsequent retirement of Piastri triggered a virtual safety car period, during which Norris and Hamilton pitted. Hamilton briefly emerged ahead of Antonelli but was ordered to yield the position after it was confirmed the Mercedes driver had been ahead at the safety car line.
Hamilton also criticized Ferrari’s decision to pit him under the virtual safety car, calling it a questionable call that ultimately contributed to his penalty and loss of position. Verstappen, who chose not to pit during the safety car phase, struggled for pace but managed to hold off Antonelli’s challenge for second place in the closing laps. Norris, despite a track limits warning mid-race, extended his lead comfortably to secure the win.
Antonelli extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 50 points over Hamilton, with Russell in third. In the constructors’ standings, Mercedes remains in front, followed by Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull.
Norris expressed satisfaction with the result and confidence in McLaren’s progress, highlighting the team’s development efforts that have made winning possible once again. The Formula One field now enters a four-week summer break before resuming action.