Lando Norris secured his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, July 26, marking a significant breakthrough for McLaren. The reigning world champion delivered a strong performance at the Hungaroring circuit.
The race weekend was notable for a series of grid penalties that reshaped the starting order. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, initially qualified second but received a three-place penalty.
Hamilton’s penalty was issued for impeding Oscar Piastri during the Q3 session of qualifying, dropping him to fifth on the grid. This incident contributed to an unusual grid formation for the Budapest event.
Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc moved up to the front row, starting alongside pole-sitter Norris. Piastri began the race from third position.
Further complicating the grid, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli also incurred a three-place penalty. He was penalised for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags.
These yellow flags were triggered by a spin from Max Verstappen during Q3. Antonelli’s penalty saw him drop to seventh on the grid, behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Adding to the grid complexities, Cadillac’s Sergio Perez was required to start the Grand Prix from the pit lane. This was due to set-up changes made to his car under Parc Ferme conditions.
During the race, Piastri, who had been running strongly, retired mid-race due to an apparent gearbox problem. This incident prompted the deployment of a Virtual Safety Car.
The VSC period led to further strategic decisions in the pit lane. Hamilton initially gained a position over Antonelli after his final stop.
However, replays indicated Hamilton had reached the VSC white line at the end of the start/finish straight just behind Antonelli’s Mercedes. Consequently, Hamilton ceded the position back.
Norris ultimately crossed the finish line ahead of Verstappen, who secured second place for Red Bull. Antonelli completed the podium in third for Mercedes.
Hamilton finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in fourth position, with his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc taking fifth. George Russell recovered from an anti-stall issue at the start of the race.
Earlier in the 2026 season, Hamilton achieved his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on June 14. This marked his first F1 win in nearly two years.
At 41 years old, Hamilton’s win in Barcelona also made him F1’s oldest race winner since Jack Brabham in 1970. He is currently second in the driver standings, trailing Antonelli.
