As F1 prepares for its annual summer time shutdown, the 2026 season noticed a brand new winner as McLaren joined Mercedes and Ferrari within the victor column off the again of a powerful automobile improve. The marketing campaign appears set to be determined by which prime crew has essentially the most bullets left in its chamber as the event battle rages on. However some drivers and groups will head to the seashore with a greater feeling than others.
There was little doubt over who the quickest man was on Sunday afternoon. However Lando Norris virtually did not get an opportunity to point out it after a slip up in Flip 2, on which team-mate Oscar Piastri deftly capitalised by snatching the lead.
At a circuit the place overtaking is troublesome when on the identical tyre technique, Norris was successfully caught, at the same time as Piastri struggled for tempo on the arduous tyre. Passing him was extraordinarily troublesome and dangerous, whereas exploring an alternate technique left Norris susceptible to strain from behind.
The one factor Norris may do was making an attempt to strain Piastri right into a mistake, whereas additionally making it clear to the crew each via his driving and on the crew radio who the faster of the 2 drivers on the day was. Some would name it traditional racing driver petulance, some would name it racing. In any case, Norris’ impatience wasn’t notably effectively obtained by his crew, which tried to get him to cool down reasonably than take undue danger, as he went off the highway in Flip 4.
Because it occurred, Norris obtained a serving to hand from lapped visitors, as Williams’ Carlos Sainz veered into Piastri after the Australian’s pitstop, costing him sufficient time to permit Norris to make a uncommon overcut work.
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Photograph by: Alastair Staley / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Loser: Oscar Piastri
It was desperately unfortunate for Piastri, however issues would get even worse when the Australian retired with a gearbox failure.
A few of Piastri’s frustration seemed to be directed at his crew for its technique selections, however he was large enough after the race to acknowledge that this had been heat-of-the-moment frustration, triggered by the sight of Norris rising from the pitlane forward of him via no fault of his personal.
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If something, McLaren had adopted the traditional plan of giving its lead driver the precedence to pit first, which has been a staple lately due to how highly effective the undercut is, particularly in Hungary the place contemporary tyres make an enormous distinction.
Piastri’s cease on lap 34 – earlier than Norris – subsequently seemed to cement his lead reasonably than threaten it, if it hadn’t been for the uncommon incidence of a lapped automobile inflicting a collision that price him essential time.
However on the similar time Norris’ McLaren was simply the quickest car-driver mixture on Sunday, and it confirmed a latest pattern of Norris having a greater deal with on the 2026 automobile than Piastri.
There have been mitigating circumstances, although, with Piastri sitting out FP1 for Leonardo Fornaroli after which not getting the most recent ground specification till Saturday morning’s FP3, which notably affected a driver that tends to take a bit longer over a race weekend to construct up his tempo and get into the groove.
McLaren’s newest improve was a vital step ahead. After the summer time break, Piastri will nonetheless must observe go well with.
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Loser: Ferrari
Given the innate tempo of Ferrari’s automobile, particularly its cornering speeds and rear-end stability that has been the envy of the F1 paddock, the Hungaroring appeared like the proper location for Ferrari to pile additional strain on an unreliable Mercedes crew. The Budapest circuit’s many twists and turns additionally performed within the Scuderia’s favour, masking its energy unit deficit.
So, for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to come back away with out a podium, and end behind a automobile from every of its three prime crew rivals? That can result in some head scratching in Maranello.
Ferrari is not normally making an attempt to be the hero of Friday follow, however its encouraging tempo appeared to legitimately put it in rivalry. However a alternative to begin on mushy tyres did not pan out for both driver, having been caught behind the medium runners over the primary stint. When Hamilton did handle an undercut on Max Verstappen, he was instantly handed with a courageous lunge into Flip 1.
Ferrari may by no means actually overcome its disadvantageous monitor place from there, with Hamilton’s early pitstops not serving to because the SF-26’s tempo on arduous tyres wasn’t notably spectacular. A pitlane dashing penalty for the Briton capped off a irritating weekend.
“It is not a superb Sunday as a result of when you find yourself 1-2 on Friday, you anticipate way more than fourth and fifth,” Vasseur admitted. “We made too many errors as we speak, beginning with the beginning, with the penalty, with the truth that Max overtook us on monitor, that every time that we had been doing a pitstop, we had been dropping a place for 0.2 or 0.3 seconds, and then you definately spend your life behind the [other] automobiles. Every part went flawed, however for certain we have now to do a a lot better job on Sunday.”
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Photograph by: Alastair Staley / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Winner: Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen is not one to endure fools gladly at the perfect of instances, however in the event you had informed him on Saturday he would go on to complete on the rostrum, he would have flatly laughed you out of the room.
His frustration with the misbehaving RB22 reached a brand new low as even with its fastened rotating rear wing, the automobile’s inherent flaws induced a mysterious change in aero steadiness which led to Verstappen’s newest qualifying spin.
That Verstappen nonetheless managed to come back via on Sunday with a bulletproof efficiency, together with a hair-raising lunge in Flip 1 on Lewis Hamilton, regardless of affected by the identical ails spoke volumes on the Dutchman’s expertise.
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Purple Bull then caught out Ferrari by staying out for a protracted remaining stint on softs, which Verstappen executed effectively.
“It was nonetheless a really powerful race. I used to be nonetheless fighting the identical issues as in qualifying, the place the automobile is admittedly, actually oversteery at instances and in numerous phases. So for a lot of the race, simply making an attempt to battle that,” he informed Sky. “However I believe we made a whole lot of good strikes.”
Photograph by: Clive Rose / Method 1 by way of Getty Pictures
George Russell stated he was numb to the frustration of one other bout of unhealthy luck in Belgium, then his botched Hungary begin that dropped him to nineteenth moved him “past” that.
This could have been his yr, however having been challenged by a speedy and carefree Kimi Antonelli, Russell has wanted all the things to go his technique to match the Italian. That hasn’t occurred. Whereas Antonelli has additionally partook in Mercedes’ worrying reliability issues, Russell has confronted much more points and driving smart he nonetheless hasn’t been capable of hit his stride.
Getting into the summer time shutdown over two wins’ value of factors behind Antonelli, and likewise behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton within the standings, was not speculated to be a part of the script. He’ll have to search out contemporary inspiration over the summer time break to put in writing a extra compelling situation.
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Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Winner: Kimi Antonelli
However weekends the place part of Mercedes’s highly effective but frail energy unit discombobulated, Antonelli has been a grasp of injury limitation and has discovered a constantly excessive stage of efficiency that belies his tender years.
“Kimi is the one which’s simply all the time there each single session,” Norris stated after the race as Antonelli rallied to complete third forward of the 2 Ferrari automobiles. That regular hand is the form of trait you’ll affiliate with a seasoned veteran, not with a 19-year-old in his sophomore marketing campaign.
Hungary was one other piece of injury limitation when Mercedes did not execute a clear weekend at numerous ranges. However Antonelli nonetheless leaves Budapest in a stronger championship place than he arrived.
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Winner: Aston Martin
Ending thirteenth and 14th is the epitome of a “small win”, nevertheless it’s a victory nonetheless for the beleaguered Aston Martin outfit after a nightmare of a season to date. Aston Martin’s B-spec is not the completed article but, and there can be additional tempo to take advantage of along with Honda’s new energy unit within the Netherlands.
Nevertheless it has not less than delivered what Aston Martin needed and badly wanted. Respectability, a re-entry into 2026’s midfield and a basis to maintain constructing from. Designing and producing a totally new aero bundle round a lighter chassis is not any small feat.
Aston continues to be falling effectively in need of Lawrence Stroll’s lofty ambitions, however Hungary has given the Silverstone crew a way of path for 2027 and given its hard-working staff one thing to smile about.
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Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing
Photograph by: Michael Potts / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Loser: Williams, Haas, Cadillac
It is powerful, and subsequently considerably unfair, to single out one of many above groups above its friends, however Aston Martin’s restoration is just placing additional the highlight on different midfield squads that at the moment are at risk of being left behind.
Regardless of becoming new elements, Cadillac’s crippling brake fires from Austria returned with a vengeance in Budapest, knocking each Valtteri Bottas and an more and more pissed off Sergio Perez out of the race early.
Williams’ automobile has been a catastrophe, and past missing downforce it’s also affected by the crew’s long-standing wind sensitivity that’s knocking the aero steadiness for six.
“I can not even drive actually,” Alex Albon stated. “The crew’s not getting the perfect from me as a result of I’ve to under-drive a lot.” Carlos Sainz, who additionally completed two laps down, additionally had a day to overlook as he veered into Piastri below blue flags.
Haas is one other crew that has merely been out-developed, and following an admirable begin to 2026, F1’s smallest crew is going through the truth of combating with one hand tied behind its again.
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