Lando Norris finally returned to the top step of the podium after a composed drive led him to victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, giving both himself and McLaren their first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
After securing pole position in an incredibly close qualifying session, Norris looked in control as the lights went out. However, his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, had other ideas. The Australian made a brilliant move at Turn 2 on the opening lap to snatch the lead, leaving Norris to spend much of the first half of the race glued to the rear of Oscar’s car.
The pair looked set to battle all afternoon, but the race took a dramatic turn after the midway point.
Piastri, who had just completed his second pit stop, made contact with Carlos Sainz while trying to lap the Williams driver. This cost him valuable time and handed Norris the opportunity he needed to snatch the lead back. The reigning World Champion produced a series of exceptionally quick laps before making his final stop, emerging ahead of his teammate, and taking control of the race.
Piastri’s difficult afternoon only became worse when an apparent gearbox failure forced him to retire, ending what had looked like a certain podium finish. A resulting Virtual Safety Car helped settle the order behind Norris, with Max Verstappen and championship leader Kimi Antonelli joining him on the podium.
For Norris, it was a victory built on patience as much as outright pace. Once back in front, he controlled the closing stages of the race, crossing the line more than 15 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen.
Behind the top three, Ferrari endured a frustrating afternoon. Lewis Hamilton briefly looked capable of fighting for the podium but a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped him behind teammate, Charles Leclerc, at the finish. Leclerc claimed fourth, with Hamilton classified fifth.
Isack Hadjar continued his impressive run of form by bringing his Red Bull home in sixth, while George Russell recovered from an anti-stall issue at the start that dropped him from P7 to 19th, eventually salvaging seventh place. Liam Lawson, Nico Hülkenberg, and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.
Although Norris finally opened McLaren’s win account for 2026, the championship picture remains firmly in Kimi Antonelli’s favour. The Mercedes driver recovered from a three-place grid penalty to finish third, extending his lead in the Drivers’ Championship heading into Formula 1’s summer break.
For Norris, though, Hungary could prove to be a turning point. It will be interesting to see how the drivers fair up in the Netherlands when F1 returns in a few weeks.