McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has commented on the team’s performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, describing it as a ‘bittersweet’ outcome. Lando Norris secured his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season, while teammate Oscar Piastri was forced to retire from the race.
Norris, the reigning world champion, converted his pole position into a commanding win at the Hungaroring. This marked McLaren’s 14th victory at the circuit.
Brown was not present in Budapest for the Grand Prix weekend. His absence was due to commitments at the BRDC Classic Sports Car Championship held at Silverstone.
At Silverstone, Brown competed in the GT2 class, securing a victory alongside his son, Max Brown. They drove a Ferrari 458 GT2 in the Endurance Icons event.
Piastri’s race began strongly, as he overtook Norris on the opening lap at Turn 2 to take the lead. He maintained this position for the first half of the Grand Prix.
However, Piastri’s race was compromised when he made contact with Carlos Sainz’s Williams while attempting to lap the backmarker. This incident cost Piastri crucial time and track position.
The Australian driver later retired on lap 56 due to a gearbox failure. This marked McLaren’s second gearbox-related retirement of the current season.
Piastri expressed significant frustration regarding the collision with Sainz and his subsequent retirement. He stated that ‘everything that could have gone wrong did’ during the race.
McLaren introduced a substantial upgrade package for their MCL40 car at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The updates primarily focused on a new floor and other aerodynamic components.
These upgrades were designed to enhance low-speed cornering performance and address previous load distribution issues, a known weakness of the car’s short wheelbase design.
The team also utilized the Friday practice session to test a new ‘Macarena’ rear wing concept. This was part of a wider aerodynamic development program.
Following the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren holds third place in the Constructors’ Championship with 220 points. Mercedes leads the standings with 379 points, followed by Ferrari with 307 points.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes extended his lead, now holding 219 points after securing his maiden F1 podium in Hungary.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, finished fifth in Hungary after receiving two penalties during the weekend. He incurred a three-place grid penalty for impeding Piastri in qualifying and a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane during the race.
Hamilton openly questioned Ferrari’s decision to pit him under the Virtual Safety Car, a move he believed cost him track position and a potential podium finish.
Adrian Newey, Aston Martin team principal, was observed inspecting both Hamilton’s Ferrari SF-26 and Piastri’s McLaren MCL40 on the grid before the race.
‘WINNERS in Hungary! Bittersweet day for the team. Mega result for Lando taking our first win of the season and his first as LN1. Tough end to the weekend for Oscar after a great drive, being forced to retire from P3 due to gearbox issues and from what could’ve at least been a double podium for the team. This weekend has shown we’ve made a step in the right direction right before the summer break. Thanks to the team for all their hard work and dedication so far this season, we’ll keep on pushing.’
