Lando Norris remains confident that his thrilling championship battle with teammate Oscar Piastri will come down to the wire after his dramatic victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Starting third on the grid, Norris dropped to fifth following a tricky first corner at the Hungaroring. However, a bold strategy call—opting for one fewer pit stop than his rivals—catapulted him into the lead. In an intense final stint, Norris held off a relentless charge from Piastri, securing his fifth win of the season and narrowing the championship gap to just nine points with 10 races remaining.
Piastri nearly forced a collision on the penultimate lap with a daring overtaking attempt that momentarily unsettled his McLaren. Yet, Norris maintained his composure and crossed the finish line six-tenths of a second ahead, marking his third victory in the last four races.
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“It’s been a tough battle with Oscar and it will remain close,” Norris said post-race. “The margins between us are small. I know there are areas where I can improve—and I’m sure he feels the same. This fight will likely go all the way.”
Despite the impressive results, Norris admitted the season hasn’t been smooth. “I’m not making my life very easy at the moment,” he said. “But if I can work on those things, I’ll be better prepared for what’s ahead.”
Norris faced early challenges in Budapest. Although he got off to a solid start, an aborted overtaking move on Piastri in the first corner left him vulnerable, allowing George Russell and Fernando Alonso to slip past. After battling through traffic, Norris found himself stuck behind Russell until strategic pit stops reshuffled the field.
With Piastri and key rivals making two stops, Norris’s team gambled on a one-stop strategy, asking him to complete 40 laps on a single set of hard tires. Norris embraced the challenge, delivering blistering lap times after his solitary pit stop. A minor slip into the gravel briefly tested his focus, but he quickly regained momentum.
When the dust settled, Norris held a commanding lead, though Piastri was closing rapidly. The Australian swept past Charles Leclerc on lap 51 and relentlessly chipped away at Norris’s advantage, setting up a nail-biting finale. But Norris’s calm under pressure proved decisive.
Russell rounded out the podium with Leclerc finishing fourth. With the championship chase now heating up, the next showdown is set for August 31 in the Netherlands.