Norris takes first win of 2026 season

By Rohan Gupta — 26 July 2026 — 3 min read

Norris takes first win of 2026 season

Lando Norris secured his and McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory of 2026 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris finished ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The race saw significant drama, including a late retirement for Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Norris, who started from pole position, was initially overtaken by Piastri at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Piastri maintained the lead for the first half of the race. The intra-team dynamic shifted after the midway point when Piastri, following a pit stop, encountered traffic in the form of Carlos Sainz and dramatically made contact with the Williams. This incident, combined with Norris’s strong pace, helped swing the race in his favour. Piastri later retired from the race due to an apparent gearbox problem.

Piastri’s stoppage triggered a Virtual Safety Car (VSC), leading to further pit lane activity. Verstappen and Antonelli, who had recently changed tyres, remained on track to secure second and third positions, respectively. They finished ahead of Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who both made three pit stops.

Race incidents and penalties

Hamilton initially emerged from his final stop ahead of Antonelli but had to cede the position. Replays indicated that Hamilton had reached the VSC white line at the end of the start/finish straight just behind the Mercedes car. Hamilton also received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which ended his chances of a podium finish. Leclerc moved ahead of Hamilton into fourth place after the penalty was applied.

In qualifying, Norris had secured pole position by a narrow margin over Hamilton, with Leclerc in third and championship leader Antonelli in fourth. However, Hamilton and Antonelli were both given three-place grid penalties by the stewards. Hamilton was penalised for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags, while Antonelli was punished for impeding Piastri. These penalties meant Norris started from pole, followed by Leclerc, Piastri, and Verstappen. Hamilton was demoted to fifth.

At the start of the race, Norris made a clean getaway, retaining his lead. Piastri overtook Leclerc to follow Norris into the first corner, and Verstappen battled with the two Ferraris. Piastri then surged into the lead at Turn 2. Meanwhile, George Russell experienced a difficult start, dropping from seventh to 21st due to an anti-stall issue. Russell later recovered to finish seventh.

Team performances and retirements

Racing Bulls achieved a double points finish, with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad placing eighth and 10th, respectively. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg finished between them, while his teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, just missed out on points in 11th. Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, driving updated cars, finished 13th and 14th. They were positioned between the Alpine cars of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and ahead of both Haas and Williams cars.

Apart from Piastri’s retirement, Valtteri Bottas of Cadillac also failed to finish due to overheating brakes. His teammate, Sergio Perez, also retired from the race due to an issue at the front-left of his car. Piastri watched the final laps from the sidelines after his retirement.

During the race, Verstappen reported issues with his car’s damping and shifts over the radio. Hamilton continued to challenge Verstappen despite these struggles but could not find a way past. McLaren also communicated with their drivers, with Norris expressing that he was “miles faster” than Piastri but struggling in dirty air. Hamilton made an early pit stop on Lap 14, changing to hard tyres, and was followed by Verstappen on Lap 15. Piastri and Leclerc pitted on Lap 17, with Norris following on the next lap.

Antonelli continued for a few more laps before pitting for hard tyres on Lap 22, indicating a two-stop strategy. Piastri briefly reclaimed the lead but came under pressure from Norris. Russell climbed to seventh before pitting for hards on Lap 28. Hamilton made his second stop on Lap 30 for another set of hards. On Lap 33, Piastri pitted for another set of hards, giving Norris clear air.

Source: formula1.com