Lando Norris claimed his first win as champion with the upgraded McLaren. After struggling throughout the weekend, Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli secured podium finishes in P2 and P3, respectively. Antonelli extended his championship lead as it was another arduous weekend for teammate George Russell. After solving last week’s issue, new problems emerged for the British driver this weekend, causing him to fall further behind in the championship.
Aston Martin’s upgrades were the center of attention this weekend. We discuss some of the highlights from the F1 2026 Hungarian GP in our Biggest Hits and Misses format.
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Hit: Lando Norris gets his first win of the season
Lando Norris claimed his 12th career win and first of the season. McLaren brought several upgrades ahead of the 2026 Hungarian GP, and the MCL40 delivered promising results, with the car running near the top of the timesheets throughout the weekend.
On Saturday, the team started getting into a groove as Norris set the fastest lap in FP3, and that form translated into qualifying, with the defending champion taking pole position. On Sunday, however, it was not a good start for the Briton, as he was overtaken by teammate Oscar Piastri at Turn 2 during the opening stages of the race.
On a track where overtaking is difficult, and with the same tyre strategy as his teammate, Norris found himself stuck behind Piastri. It was difficult to attempt an alternative strategy, as he was vulnerable to the pack behind.
With a stroke of luck, Norris got some help when the lapped Williams of Carlos Sainz collided with Piastri as the Australian was rejoining after his pit stop. The incident gave Norris enough time to execute the overcut. From that point onwards, Norris enjoyed clean air, set consistently quick lap times, and led the race to the chequered flag.
Miss: Piastri’s misfortune strikes again
This weekend will be agonising for Piastri, as for the first time in a long while, the MCL40 was the car to beat, yet he lost the opportunity to capitalize because of multiple misfortunes in a single race. Despite Norris starting from pole and the Hungaroring being notoriously difficult for overtaking, Piastri managed to take the lead in the early stages.
Following conventional strategy, the team pitted Piastri ahead of Norris to preserve his lead, but things started to unravel for the Australian when Sainz collided with him. McLaren then pitted Norris, allowing the Briton to take the lead.
After that, Piastri’s pace on the hard tyres disappeared, and he struggled to extract enough performance from the car to fight back. Adding salt to the wound, his gearbox failed on Lap 56, bringing his race to a premature end. On a weekend where McLaren had the fastest car and introduced an upgraded package, he should have at least finished on the podium if not for the misfortunes he suffered.
Hit: Max Verstappen maximizes the result
During Friday and Saturday’s practice sessions, Verstappen made it clear how frustrated he was with the car. The RB22 appeared to be only the fourth-fastest package in Hungary, with the top three teams closely matched while Red Bull lagged.
Verstappen’s brilliant driving, combined with smart strategic decisions, such as using the soft compound for the final 29 laps and choosing not to pit during the Virtual Safety Car (VSC), earned the Dutchman his second consecutive podium finish.
Miss: Another opportunity missed by Ferrari
After performing well at tracks where the team has traditionally struggled, Ferrari arrived at a circuit where they were expected to be particularly competitive. The Hungaroring’s twisty layout suited Ferrari’s strengths, while its lack of long straights reduced one of the team’s biggest weaknesses.
In theory, this should have been Ferrari’s weekend, and Friday’s practice sessions seemed to confirm that, as both drivers topped the timesheets. However, things started to go downhill in qualifying when Hamilton qualified second but was later demoted to fifth after receiving a grid penalty for impeding Piastri.
The decision to start on the soft tyres did not pay off, as both Ferrari drivers became stuck behind cars running on the medium compound. When Ferrari attempted to undercut Verstappen, Hamilton was immediately overtaken by the Dutchman.
From there, it became a difficult race for Ferrari, as the team lacked pace on the hard tyres.
What’s next?
Now that the Hungarian GP has concluded, it is time for Formula One’s annual summer break. Teams and drivers will unwind, reflect, and regroup, while the driver market is expected to heat up as major decisions regarding drivers’ futures are often made during this period before the season resumes on 21 August 2026 in the Netherlands. Until then, our coverage will continue throughout the break with insightful features, analysis pieces, and the latest F1 news on The Sports Side.
Summer Break Coverage starts
