Norris wins Hungarian GP; Antonelli extends 50-point championship lead

Lando Norris claimed his first Formula 1 victory of 2026 at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26, ending an eight-month win drought. The defending champion started from pole position but lost the lead to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri on the opening lap after running wide at Turn 3. McLaren's pit strategy shifted advantage back to Norris during the second round of stops when Piastri was delayed while lapping Carlos Sainz's Williams. Norris then pulled away decisively, finishing 15 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

Piastri's race ended prematurely on lap 56 with a gearbox failure while running second, triggering a virtual safety car that reshaped the fight for third place. Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes completed the podium in third position despite starting seventh due to a three-place grid penalty. The Italian extended his championship lead to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton and 59 over teammate George Russell.

Lewis Hamilton crossed the line fourth but was penalised five seconds for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him to fifth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The penalty capped a difficult afternoon for Ferrari, which had arrived as one of the race favourites but neither Hamilton nor Leclerc could challenge the McLarens or Verstappen. George Russell recovered from a disastrous opening lap—during which he dropped to the back of the field—to finish seventh.

Verstappen secured second place despite complaining early in the race about handling problems and gearbox shifts. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar finished sixth. Racing Bulls celebrated its fifth double points finish of the season with Liam Lawson in eighth and Arvid Lindblad in tenth. Audi's Nico Hulkenberg scored his first points of the campaign in ninth.

Formula 1 now enters a four-week summer break. The next race is the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 23. Gabriel Bortoleto finished 11th for Audi, while both Cadillac drivers—Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas—retired.