Hungaroring sees Lando Norris win Hungarian Grand Prix
Norris secures first win of the year
Lando Norris achieved his and McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory of the year at the Hungaroring in Hungary. The win came after a compelling race where Norris demonstrated strong pace, ultimately beating Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli to the top step of the podium. Norris started from pole position, but the journey to victory was not without its challenges, including an early battle with his teammate.
Norris praised the upgrades to his McLaren car, stating that the vehicle was “beautiful to drive” and allowed him to achieve “some of the best pace I’ve ever had.” He reflected on the opening lap where he lost the lead to Oscar Piastri, attributing it to losing the rear of the car and going wide. However, Norris pushed hard, and McLaren eventually called Piastri into the pits, giving Norris clear track ahead.
This strategic move allowed Norris to execute much faster laps and maintain his advantage. Piastri, who had led for much of the first half of the race, later retired from second place due to a suspected gearbox issue. Norris’s victory marks a significant turnaround for McLaren, especially as he now sits just 10 points behind Charles Leclerc in the standings.
Race developments and penalties
While Norris secured a comfortable victory, a tense battle unfolded for the remaining podium positions in the closing laps. Max Verstappen managed to hold on to second place, with Kimi Antonelli taking third. Antonelli’s third-place finish extended his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who finished seventh after a difficult start.
Hamilton finished the Grand Prix in fourth place, closely behind Antonelli, but received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. This penalty dropped him to fifth position, behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. Earlier in the weekend, both Hamilton and Antonelli had received grid penalties that shuffled the starting order for the race.
Hamilton was initially handed a three-place demotion from second place after qualifying for impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. This penalty moved him behind Antonelli. Subsequently, Antonelli himself received a three-place demotion for failing to slow down sufficiently for yellow flags when Max Verstappen spun. Hamilton started the race in fifth, and Antonelli in seventh, behind George Russell.
Hamilton expressed frustration with the penalties, noting that he had received three stewards’ penalties in the last three race weekends. He had previously incurred five-second in-race sanctions for a false start and a first-lap collision. Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remained hopeful about the team’s progress and the car’s performance, stating that the car felt competitive throughout the weekend.
McLaren’s Lando Norris had claimed pole position after topping qualifying. Hamilton’s penalty promoted Charles Leclerc to the front row in second place, with Piastri moving up to third. Max Verstappen started in fourth after originally qualifying sixth. The stewards’ investigation into Antonelli’s yellow flag incident concluded that while he did lift off the throttle, his speed was “slightly higher than that on the previous push lap,” leading to an “insufficient and unsustained” reduction in speed.
Norris is optimistic about carrying the momentum forward into the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix, acknowledging that while some tracks might be more challenging, the team’s current performance suggests they can continue to contend for wins. He expressed gratitude to the team for their efforts in making the car competitive again.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Reuben Castle is the Sports News Writer at News GB, covering rugby union, golf and boxing with six years of reporting experience. He moved from print into digital sport news. He holds a degree in Journalism from Coventry University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Coventry, he follows the Open Championship and amateur boxing. “Accuracy first; the analysis can follow.”
