2026 Hungarian Grand Prix Review: Norris Ends Mercedes Run
By Alexis PratsidesShare
Lando Norris ended Mercedes' run of ten consecutive poles with a 1:17.207 at the Hungaroring, then converted it into McLaren's first win of the season. It was the team's first pole of 2026 and it could hardly have come at a better circuit.
Max Verstappen finished second and Kimi Antonelli third, the championship leader taking third from a three-place grid penalty for a yellow-flag infringement.
A Circuit That Rewards Pole
The Hungaroring is notoriously difficult to overtake on, which made Saturday decisive. Lewis Hamilton also carried a three-place penalty, his for impeding Oscar Piastri, which promoted Charles Leclerc alongside Norris on the front row.
From there Norris did what the circuit demands: control the first corner, then control the gap. Verstappen closed but never quite arrived.
Ferrari Undone by Small Margins
Leclerc took fourth and Hamilton fifth, the latter dropping a place after exceeding the pit lane speed limit by one tenth of a kilometre per hour. A five-second penalty for a rounding error is the sort of thing that decides fourth from fifth.
Oliver Bearman also took five seconds, his for ignoring blue flags, and Carlos Sainz was penalised the same amount after contact with Piastri while being lapped.
McLaren's Mixed Afternoon
Piastri's race ended on lap 55 with a gearbox failure, bringing out a virtual safety car and denying McLaren a double points finish on their strongest weekend of the year.
Sergio Perez retired with suspension trouble on lap 48 and Valtteri Bottas stopped on lap 13 with brake overheating.
Championship Standings After Round 11
- Kimi Antonelli, 219 points
- Lewis Hamilton, 169
- George Russell, 160
- Charles Leclerc, 138
- Lando Norris, 128
In the constructors' championship Mercedes led on 379 points, from Ferrari on 307, McLaren on 222, Red Bull on 180 and Racing Bulls on 70. Antonelli went into the summer break 50 points clear.
Looking Ahead: Zandvoort
After the break came Zandvoort, where Norris would arrive with genuine momentum for the first time in the season.
Carry the Grid With You
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