Lando Norris expressed his joy at returning to victory, having secured the first win of his world championship defence at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Starting from pole position, Norris initially lost the lead to his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri following a less-than-ideal start. However, events took a dramatic turn when Piastri collided with backmarker Carlos Sainz midway through the race, enabling Norris to regain the lead and eventually finish well clear as the winner.
This triumph marked Norris’s first race win since November’s São Paulo Grand Prix. Reflecting on his performance, Norris said, “My pace today was probably some of the best I’ve ever had. The car was beautiful to drive and I felt very confident. I’m just happy to be back and see the number one again. I want to believe we can carry this form forward and we can win more races.”
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After initially surrendering the lead, Norris, who was clearly the faster McLaren driver during the race, pursued Piastri eagerly and even urged his team to instruct Piastri to let him pass. Ultimately, no team order was required. Piastri’s race took a downturn on lap 38 of 70 when Sainz, engaged in a battle with Fernando Alonso for 15th place, inadvertently rammed Piastri off the track.
Piastri reacted in disbelief, loudly expressing his frustration. For Norris, this incident provided the perfect opportunity to overtake. He promptly pitted for fresh tyres and rejoined the race ahead of his teammate.
Tom Stallard, Piastri’s race engineer, commented, “Oscar, that’s Sainz that cost us that.” Piastri’s response underscored his disappointment in the unfortunate episode.
Piastri’s struggles continued as his gearbox failed with 14 laps remaining. This was followed by the deployment of a Virtual Safety Car, allowing Norris to make a third pit stop and maintain his lead.
Norris crossed the finish line 15 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after a commanding drive. Despite the victory, Norris remains 91 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, with 12 races remaining this season.
Meanwhile, George Russell experienced another disappointing race. His new Mercedes engine encountered an anti-stall issue at the start, resulting in a 19th place position at the end of the first lap. Although he recovered to finish seventh, Russell is now 59 points adrift in the title race.
Reflecting on his misfortunes, Russell said, “I am past the point of disappointment now. If I continue to be disappointed with everything that goes on, I will just be disappointed every day of the week. I’ve got to stay positive. Another technical issue which completely ruined the race, but my pace was as strong as anyone out there. It is unbelievable the list of things that have gone wrong for me this season.
“We are not the only ones, but it feels like it is happening substantially more to me than others. Hopefully it swings round. I don’t wish any bad luck on anyone but I haven’t had a season like this in my entire career. The pace was fine but the result was poor. I usually don’t feel like I need the summer break but this year I definitely do.”