Lando Norris secured his and McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Hungaroring on Sunday, July 26. The reigning World Champion delivered a commanding performance from pole position, finishing 15 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen.
Norris stated his belief in being ‘unstoppable’ if McLaren maintains the form demonstrated in Budapest. This victory marks McLaren’s 14th win at the Hungarian circuit.
The McLaren MCL40 featured a significant upgrade package for the Hungarian Grand Prix, described as the largest of the year. These developments included a new floor and a revised rear wing, which had been seen in Austria but raced for the first time in Hungary.
Revisions to the bargeboards and a tidied cooling exit were also part of the package, contributing to the car’s improved efficiency. Team Principal Andrea Stella indicated the team is ‘correcting the course’ with its 2026 car development.
Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri, started the race from third position following grid penalties for Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. Piastri overtook Norris at Turn 2 on the opening lap to take the lead, maintaining it for the first half of the race.
However, Piastri’s race was compromised during the pit stop phase when he encountered lapped traffic. He made contact with Carlos Sainz’s Williams on lap 39, losing critical time to Norris.
Sainz received a five-second penalty for the incident, having ignored seven blue-flag warnings prior to the collision. Piastri expressed significant frustration over team radio regarding the incident.
Piastri’s race concluded prematurely on lap 56 due to a gearbox failure, preventing a potential McLaren one-two finish. He currently sits seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 92 points.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff acknowledged McLaren’s step forward but downplayed the overall significance, citing McLaren’s historical strength at the Hungaroring. Wolff noted Mercedes had not introduced recent upgrades.
Wolff also expressed frustration with rival engineers for failing to react to blue flags, which impacted Kimi Antonelli’s race. Antonelli finished third, extending his lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
George Russell, the other Mercedes driver, recovered to seventh place after an anti-stall issue at the start dropped him to 18th. Wolff described Mercedes’ weekend as ‘underwhelming’ due to setup issues and Russell’s problems.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Kimi Antonelli leads with 219 points. Lewis Hamilton is second with 169 points, followed by George Russell with 160. Norris is fifth with 128 points.
McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella confirmed the team is in a ‘comfortable position to invest in development’ for the MCL40, with budget not being the primary constraint. Norris believes there is still untapped potential in the car.
