Norris wins Hungarian GP, first victory of 2026, as Hamilton penalised after late Ferrari stop and Antonelli extends lead to 50 points

Norris’s long-awaited victory

Lando Norris secured his first win since the 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix, 259 days prior, with a dominant drive at the Hungaroring. Starting from pole, he briefly lost the lead to teammate Oscar Piastri at Turn 2 on the opening lap but stayed within striking distance, confident that his pace would prevail. Seeing his ability to match Piastri while running in dirty air, Norris pushed for an alternative strategy, and when Piastri pitted around half-distance to cover Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, Norris inherited clean air and set a blistering pace. He described the performance as one of the best of his career.

My pace today was one of the best I've ever had. This track is ideal for us, and it's one of the most suitable for me all year. But if we want to get back to the top we need many more weekends like this, perfect.

Piastri’s misfortune and Hamilton’s strategy gamble

Oscar Piastri’s race ended on lap 56 when he pulled over with a gearbox problem, likely caused by repeated curb impacts. That handed the lead back to Norris and triggered a virtual safety car, under which Ferrari called Hamilton in for fresh tyres. Hamilton, who had been running second, questioned the call afterward, insisting his tyres were fine and that the stop cost him track position to Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. To make matters worse, he was caught exceeding the pit-lane speed limit by 0.1 km/h, earning a five-second post-race penalty that dropped him from fourth to fifth behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

I definitely don't think we should have taken a stop. The call came literally just before the pit lane entry and I didn't have time to debate it.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur defended the strategy, saying it would have been unfair to ask Leclerc to manage the gap to protect Hamilton’s position. Hamilton, who had also received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Piastri in qualifying, admitted the last three races have been “pretty bad” from his side and acknowledged too many errors.

Championship picture

Verstappen finished second, about 15 seconds behind Norris, while Antonelli took third after a strong recovery from seventh on the grid. Antonelli’s podium consolidated his championship lead: he now sits on 219 points, 50 clear of Hamilton and 59 ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, who recovered to seventh after a disastrous start dropped him to 19th. Only seven drivers completed the full race distance.

Summer reset

The sport now enters its annual summer break. Hamilton, who trails by 50 points with 12 rounds remaining, said he would use the shutdown to reset and return stronger. He noted that Ferrari has been down on straight-line speed for much of the first half and expects a stronger second half, which traditionally suits him better. Antonelli acknowledged the need to keep pushing as the second half will be “tough”. The season resumes at the Dutch Grand Prix on 23 August.