Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday at the Hungaroring, giving McLaren its first victory of the season and denying Max Verstappen a shot at the top step. Norris finished ahead of Verstappen in second and Kimi Antonelli in third, while the race also featured a difficult afternoon for George Russell, who recovered to seventh after a technical problem on the grid sent him to 20th.
Norris delivers when McLaren needed it most
The result mattered because McLaren had not won earlier this season, even as Mercedes had dominated for much of the campaign. On a track defined by relentless cornering, Norris produced the kind of clean, controlled drive the team has been waiting for. Oscar Piastri was part of the backdrop to that race pace as well, with Andrea Stella pointing to Norris’s ability to stay patient even when he felt he had more in reserve.
Stella said Norris is “much more confident” and “more in control of his emotions,” adding that he “hasn’t really had the machinery to show it so far, but he showed it today.” He also noted that when Norris was behind Oscar Piastri, “he said a couple of times that he had pace in hand, but he didn’t get frustrated.” For McLaren, that combination of speed and restraint was enough to turn a strong weekend into a long-awaited win.
Russell’s race turns after grid issue
George Russell’s result told a very different story. He started from 20th after a technical problem on the grid, then worked his way back to seventh, but the damage was already done in terms of his chances to fight at the front. Russell described the season as “unbelievable” for the number of setbacks he has faced, saying he is past the point of disappointment and hopes the bad luck eventually swings around.
Russell added that he has “never had a season like this” in his career, which fits the broader frustration around Mercedes after a campaign that had been expected to offer more. Even with the recovery drive, the contrast at the front was clear: Norris took the win, Verstappen was second, Antonelli was third, and McLaren finally had its breakthrough moment of the year.
