Lando Norris emerged victorious in a thrilling McLaren showdown towards the end of the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, fending off his team-mate Oscar Piastri for a 1-2 finish.
After a tricky start, Norris’s gamble on strategy ultimately paid off, securing his fifth win of the season and boosting his championship hopes by reducing the gap to Piastri in the Drivers’ Standings.
The Australian driver settled for second place after he couldn’t make the two-stopper work in his favour.
George Russell snatched a podium finish after polesitter Charles Leclerc fell off with his pace towards the end of the race.
Leclerc delivered a standout lap in Saturday’s qualifying, edging out the McLarens, but couldn’t keep the chasing pair behind him in the Grand Prix.
Norris has a poor start as Leclerc leads into Turn 1
Ahead of the formation lap, most drivers opted to start the race on the Medium tyres, Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton taking the Hard tyres instead. Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon gambled on the Soft tyres.
The threat of rain lingered over the Hungaroring, but Leclerc led into Turn 1 with no issues, while changes to the order unfolded behind him.
Norris lost two spots to George Russell and Fernando Alonso after a failed attempt to challenge Piastri off the line.
His McLaren team-mate slotted into second with Russell close behind, as Gabriel Bortoleto overtook Lance Stroll on the opening lap. Max Verstappen dropped a place to Liam Lawson, while Oliver Bearman climbed into the top 10 by dispatching Isack Hadjar.
Verstappen quickly responded, reclaiming eighth from Lawson just a few laps later. Norris moved up to fourth past Alonso on Lap 3.
The Dutchman made swift work of Stroll on the next lap as he quickly reached the battle for fifth.
Hamilton, on the Hard tyres, had a poor start and dropped to 14th whilst Andrea Kimi Antonelli moved up to 13th place.
Both Saubers were noted for potential false starts, with race control reviewing the footage for any possible infringements.
Leclerc had built a near three-second lead over Piastri and Hulkenberg pitted early from the Hard tyre to the Medium tyre.
Norris gapped Alonso and set about catching Russell as Bortoleto escaped punishment from the stewards with no further investigation.
However, his team-mate did not and received a five-second time penalty for the infringement. On Lap 10, Norris set the fastest lap as he got within DRS range of the Mercedes ahead.
Leclerc survives undercut threat from Piastri
Stuck behind Bortoleto’s Sauber, Verstappen pitted on Lap 18 and rejoined down in 16th. McLaren called Piastri in on the next lap in an attempt to undercut Leclerc. The Ferrari stayed out, while Piastri rejoined behind Alonso.
Ferrari brought Leclerc in one lap later, and he re-emerged still in the lead. Russell also pitted, while Norris extended his stint.
The race leaders immediately showcased the pace of the fresh Hard tyres by setting personal best sectors, while Norris pressed on with his worn Mediums.
Russell made his way past Alonso, the Aston Martin driver yet to pit, for fourth place on Lap 26. Verstappen made his way into 12th place after pitting, with Hamilton just up ahead on the Hard tyres.
On Lap 30, Verstappen found a way past Hamilton at Turn 4 whilst the Briton ran wide. He then made quick work of Hadjar before taking ninth when Bearman pitted.
Norris ended his first stint a lap later, switching to Hard tyres in a bid to make the one-stop strategy work and gain a tyre offset. Hadjar quickly followed suit, leaving Alonso, Bortoleto, Stroll, and Lawson as the only drivers yet to pit by the halfway point of the race.
The gap at the front between Leclerc and Piastri hovered around 1.5 seconds throughout the second stint, while Norris began reeling in Russell in the fight for third.
Leclerc blinked first, pitting on Lap 41 for his second and final stop to cover off the undercut threat from Piastri.
At the same time, Bortoleto and Lawson made their first pit stops, with the Brazilian rejoining behind Stroll, who had pitted for fresh tyres a few laps earlier.
Norris attempts the one-stop as Piastri gets past Leclerc
Hamilton finally pitted after 41 laps on the Hard tyres, rejoining down in 16th on a set of Mediums. Russell followed suit on Lap 44 for his second stop.
Piastri made his stop on Lap 46, returning to the track more than five seconds back from Leclerc and 12 seconds off the race lead.
However, the McLaren driver quickly reined in Leclerc for second place and swiftly made the pass stick at Turn 1 on Lap 51 – the gap to his team-mate stood at eight seconds with 20 laps to go.
Bearman came into the pits on the same lap to become the first retirement of the Hungarian GP. Verstappen had pitted again and found himself down in ninth whilst Hamilton climbed back up the order to 12th.
Leclerc voiced his frustration over team radio, complaining about “issues” he had been managing and insisting Ferrari should have listened to him.
Meanwhile, Russell was rapidly closing in, with Leclerc’s fading pace putting even a podium finish in doubt.
The gap between the McLarens stood at five seconds with 15 laps to go as Russell got within DRS range of Leclerc on Lap 58. On Lap 61, Piastri trailed Norris by three seconds as Russell began to show his nose into Turn 1, threatening a move for third.
He complained about moving under braking from Leclerc but took the place on the next lap, 20 seconds off the runaway McLarens.
Norris rolls the dice to take Hungarian GP victory
The pair almost made contact as the Ferrari driver made a late move to defend, showcasing his frustration. Meanwhile, Norris struggled with the traffic as Piastri brought the gap down under two seconds on Lap 63.
Piastri edged into DRS range of Norris two laps later, setting up a tense McLaren duel for victory in the final laps.
Norris held firm as his team-mate continued to hassle him but not close enough to complete an overtake.
Onto the penultimate lap, Piastri got a good exit and got close enough, but locked up with a late lunge to give Norris some breathing space before the final lap.
Into Turn 1, Norris was comfortably ahead, allowing the Briton to cruise to victory and cut his championship deficit to Piastri heading into the summer break.
Piastri closed the gap but couldn’t find a way through, settling for second as Russell completed the podium.
A frustrated Leclerc crossed the line in fourth after his chances of victory faded away in the latter stages of the race.
Alonso secured fifth ahead of Bortoleto, with Stroll, Lawson, Verstappen, and Antonelli rounding out the top 10 — the Mercedes rookie claiming the final point of the Hungarian GP.
READ MORE – F1 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix – Race Results
