Norris wins Hungarian GP for McLaren's 1st victory of 2026

Lando Norris delivered McLaren's first victory of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

McLaren appeared on course for a 1-2 finish before Oscar Piastri retired in the closing stages of the race due to a gearbox problem. Piastri, who took the lead on Lap 1, lost ground to his teammate after Carlos Sainz made contact with him, giving Norris the time needed to emerge ahead of him following a pit stop.

Piastri criticized Sainz after the race, saying he "couldn't believe what happened," according to Filip Cleeren and Stuart Codling of Motorsport.

"Getting crashed into by a lapped car is never one of the things you expect that can go wrong in your race," Piastri said. "I don't really care if he didn't see me. The fact that he didn't and no one told him, or there was a lack of complete awareness, is unacceptable."

He added: "He was fighting Fernando (Alonso) for last place like it was the world championship. It cost me the lead of the race."

Meanwhile, Norris, the reigning world champion, suggested the victory in Hungary might not be a one-off for McLaren.

"I want to believe so, considering how good it felt today, I certainly want to believe that we can continue it," Norris said.

Max Verstappen finished second behind Norris, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli rounded out the podium in third. Verstappen has now stood on the podium in back-to-back races after he finished third in Spa.

The four-time world champion's overtake on Lewis Hamilton on Lap 16 proved pivotal to his podium result.

"I saw the opportunity as my only one, and I just went for it," Verstappen said.

Charles Leclerc inherited a fourth-place finish after Hamilton received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him to fifth.

Antonelli increased his championship lead over Hamilton and teammate George Russell, who finished seventh after an issue at the start dropped him to the rear of the field. The Italian teenager is 50 points clear of Hamilton and holds a 59-point advantage over Russell.

Nico Hulkenberg also scored his first points of the season for Audi, finishing ninth.

The Hungarian GP was Formula 1's last race before the summer break. The season resumes with the Dutch GP on Aug. 23.