2026 Hungarian Grand Prix: Recap
The Hungarian Grand Prix, known for its tight, twisty layout, makes reaching top speeds difficult and overtaking challenging. Going into the race weekend, a driver’s Qualifying position is crucial to secure a chance of taking home the win.
Starting off the Grand Prix, both Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) were docked three positions for penalties they received in Qualifying. This led to the starting line-up being Lando Norris (McLaren) in P1, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in P2, and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) in P3. Lap 1 began, and Piastri swiftly took the lead, with Norris remaining just behind. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) moved into P3. George Russell (Mercedes), who started in P6, rapidly dropped to P21 after a glitch triggered the anti-stall system.
The Ferraris had more pace than Red Bull, so Leclerc and Hamilton were fighting against each other and Verstappen to get back into the top 3. However, Verstappen struggled with tire degradation and had to fight to maintain his position. At that point, most teams were going for a two-stop race. Hamilton pit early on lap 14 and switched to hard tires. Verstappen pit after, but Hamilton came out ahead of him.
On lap 15, Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) reported smoke from a brake failure. He managed to get off the track safely. After multiple drivers had pitted, Antonelli became the race leader, hoping his extra time out would increase his lead that much more. Piastri, who was in P2, was told that he needed to maintain a strong pace so the Mercedes one-stop strategy wouldn’t work. The Hungarian Grand Prix in 2024 was Piastri’s maiden victory, and with McLaren needing a win this season, he was fighting hard.
Piastri went into the pit lane on lap 34 and came out behind slower traffic. As he was trying to pass, Carlos Sainz (Williams) missed the blue flags, which indicate a driver must let the faster car pass. Instead, he drove into Piastri, and at the time, they both continued the race, with Piastri obviously upset. Sainz was given a 5-second penalty for the incident, noting in the post-race interview that it could have been avoided with more communication.
Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) retired on lap 38 due to a suspension failure. Norris, in a much better situation than his teammate, was now leading the race. His team told him, “You’re clearly the fastest car, and you have nothing to prove,” AKA don’t push too hard, but keep it up. The Mercedes team informed Antonelli he had potential for P2.
On lap 56, Piastri retired his car due to a sudden gearbox failure. This issued a virtual safety car, and most drivers took the opportunity to pit again. As Hamilton exited the pit lane, he raced past Antonelli, but Antonelli swore he was ahead. To avoid a penalty, Hamilton gave Antonelli the position back. Even so, he was later hit with a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The McLaren team also informed Norris to avoid the curbs because the combination with the incident with Pérez may have caused Piastri’s car to fail.
Going into the final laps, everyone was running into slower traffic. At this point, everyone P8 and below was lapped at least once. Verstappen, who had not pit during the virtual safety car, maintained P2, and Norris was leading by 11 seconds. In the final lap, Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix, his and the McLaren team’s first win this season! “The car was unbelievable today, well done guys. Nice to finally be able to do it all for you guys again,” Norris exclaimed. The 2025 World Champion has been struggling with his car and pace all season, so it must have felt good to win once again.
Verstappen finished in P2 and Antonelli in P3. Hamilton dropped from P4 to P5 and Leclerc took P4. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) and Russell, who had worked hard to get back in the top 10, followed just behind. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) ended out the points.
In the post-race interview, Antonelli noted that the track was very hot and slippery, so it was easy to go over the limits. These conditions made it a difficult race for many. Russell was visibly upset with his race outcome and his struggle at the start: “The engine had a mind of its own.” He also said that the break could not come at a better time. Piastri noted that he would reset and find some pace during the summer after everything that could go wrong did for him this race.
The summer break will provide everyone with a much-needed reset and allow teams to reassess the first half of the season. Going into the second half of the season, the pressure will continue to build as the Driver’s Championship becomes increasingly competitive. Tune into the next race, the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, Sunday, August 23 with East Bay F1! More details are available here.
