Lando Norris emerged victorious at the Hungarian Grand Prix after a tense battle with title rival Oscar Piastri, cutting Piastri’s championship lead to just nine points. Starting third, Norris capitalized on a clever one-stop tyre strategy, pitting only once while his competitors made more stops. This strategic move helped him clinch his fifth win of the season, crossing the finish line a mere six-tenths ahead of Piastri.
The race was packed with drama, especially near the end. On the penultimate lap, Piastri nearly collided with Norris as he locked up a front-right tyre attempting an overtaking move at the opening corner. Norris’s race engineer, Tom Stallard, warned Piastri: “Remember how we go racing, Oscar,” underscoring the fierce rivalry.
George Russell secured the final podium spot by overtaking pole-sitter Charles Leclerc with eight laps remaining. Leclerc finished fourth, while Lewis Hamilton—who had expressed frustration after qualifying 12th—came in fifth, a lap behind the leaders.
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Norris’s win before the summer break reignites his pursuit of a maiden world championship. Despite a challenging start, where he failed an early pass attempt on Piastri and fell behind Russell and Fernando Alonso, Norris gradually reclaimed ground. By lap three, he had passed Alonso and was closing in on Russell, making steady progress.
Hamilton faced a tough race, dropping to 14th by the end of the first lap and struggling to keep pace throughout. Meanwhile, Piastri was the first of the frontrunners to pit on lap 18, followed by Leclerc and Russell, which briefly promoted Norris into the lead.
Later in the race, Norris’s team debated a one-stop strategy. He accepted the challenge, switching tires once on lap 31 and immediately setting the race’s fastest laps. Some minor mistakes, like sliding through the gravel at one point, tested his focus but did not derail his drive.
Leclerc and Piastri were forced into additional pit stops on laps 40 and 45, giving Norris a comfortable seven-second lead over Leclerc and a twelve-second buffer over Piastri with 25 laps remaining.
Piastri didn’t give up, overtaking Leclerc on lap 51 and chasing down Norris relentlessly. With just five laps left, he closed the gap to a single second and attempted a bold maneuver, but Norris held firm to claim a crucial victory.
Meanwhile, Alonso finished fifth, followed by rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in sixth. Max Verstappen, embroiled in a duel with Hamilton, finished ninth after a close on-track incident that is under post-race review. Hamilton managed to overtake a few rivals late but ultimately failed to score points on a difficult weekend.
Norris celebrated with relief and pride: “We weren’t planning the one stop, but it was our only chance after the first lap. I pushed hard all race. It was the perfect result. Racing against Oscar is challenging and fun—I look forward to more battles like this.”
Piastri reflected on his efforts: “I pushed as hard as I could. Once Lando took the one-stop strategy, I knew I had to overtake on track, which is easier said than done.”