Norris acting at the next stage than championship-winning marketing campaign
Lando Norris raised just a few eyebrows forward of Hungary by claiming “I’ve pushed higher on this half of the season than I in all probability did so far final 12 months”. In 2025, after all, he was deep in a title struggle in opposition to McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri however because of the change of laws, the Woking outfit simply hasn’t actually been within the struggle on the entrance.
So Norris’ performances have largely gone unnoticed, however Hungary proved that the reigning world champion continues to be on the stage he was final 12 months, if not increased. Extra leaning in the direction of the latter, as a result of he now has the arrogance of a world champion and that was on full show throughout his radio messages in Budapest.
“I’ll pull out a 10-second hole with no tyres,” is what he sharply stated to race engineer Will Joseph, when proper on the tail of then chief Piastri. The Briton was finally confirmed right as he jumped forward of his team-mate throughout the pit window, earlier than gaining not less than 10 seconds on the Australian – who finally retired.
It was nonetheless a formidable victory by Norris, the twelfth of his profession and first of 2026, which retains him fifth within the championship behind each Ferrari and Mercedes vehicles. So in different phrases, the 26-year-old is maximising that MCL40 which he arguably didn’t do with the MCL39, contemplating how Max Verstappen was in with a shot of the 2025 title on the ultimate day.
– Ed Hardy
A missed alternative for Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Photographs through Getty Photographs
Being labelled the pre-race favourites forward of the Hungarian GP as a result of nature of the observe, Ferrari did not ship on that promise. All of it went slightly properly on Friday, and nearly did on Saturday. Lewis Hamilton’s lap was simply 0.012s in need of taking pole – and Andrea Stella, whose driver went faster, stated that night it was extra a missed alternative for Ferrari than a sign of McLaren’s tempo. What made issues worse for Hamilton was that he then misplaced second place on the grid after receiving a penalty for impeding one other McLaren driver instantly after finishing his ultimate lap.
Ferrari might nonetheless have hoped to struggle for victory with Charles Leclerc, however the Monegasque was slightly cautious on the opening lap, permitting not solely Oscar Piastri, but additionally Max Verstappen and his team-mate to go.
So, regardless of all of the tempo Ferrari supposedly had in Hungary, it by no means managed to truly present or use it, with out making an attempt to invent one thing strategically to offset the implications of a disappointing Saturday.
– Oleg Karpov
It’s simply not occurring for Russell
George Russell, Mercedes
Picture by: Andy Hone/ LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
By our calculations, by no means has such a big deficit been overturned by a driver after the summer season break to change into world champion. We’re after all referring to George Russell, who holds a 59-point hole to his championship-leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli after but extra dangerous luck on the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Russell began the race in sixth however dropped to the again on lap one as a result of an anti-stall on the lights, earlier than finally performing a strong restoration to seventh – 4 positions behind Antonelli. It’s been the story of the Briton’s season, the place he takes one step ahead however then suffers two backward ones as he’d minimize 43 factors out of Antonell’s lead throughout Barcelona, Austria and Silverstone, just for that cost to be halted at Spa final weekend and now Budapest.
The pre-season favorite simply can’t maintain any momentum and with the season at its midway mark, time is operating out for him to take action. With 59 factors now between him and his Mercedes stablemate, it simply looks like that’s a deficit too massive for him to overturn.
– Ed Hardy
Aston Martin is not System 1’s slowest workforce
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Picture by: Alastair Staley / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
The times of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll appearing as transferring chicanes on F1 Sundays are lastly over. Adrian Newey’s long-awaited – and badly wanted – improve bundle paid instant dividends on the Hungaroring.
Only a week after qualifying two seconds slower than the slowest Cadillac at Spa, Alonso reached Q2 in a grand prix qualifying session for the primary time this season, a transparent signal that Aston Martin’s 16 new components launched on Friday have been working precisely as supposed.
Stroll could not fairly match the Spaniard’s tempo on Saturday, however each drivers lastly loved a aggressive race, instantly turning Aston Martin into a real risk for the midfield groups. Alpine, over to you.
They’re nonetheless a way off what you’d in the end anticipate from the Alonso-Newey-Honda mixture, after all, however this primary main improve has already delivered what the workforce’s chief trackside officer, Mike Krack, had been hoping for: the prospect to truly race different vehicles as a substitute of merely circulating behind them.
– Federico Faturos
The Hungarian GP was what F1 2026 must be each weekend
Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Lando Norris, McLaren
Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Photographs through Getty Photographs
After race weekends on the energy-starved circuits of Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, the Hungaroring delivered a way more pure image. In reality, it had all substances that ought to make an F1 race in 2026 attention-grabbing.
The opening section featured loads of motion, after which overtaking remained attainable with out changing into too simple. It was truly refreshing after all of the boost-assisted overtakes and the yo-yo racing we’ve seen far too typically this 12 months. Verstappen’s transfer on Hamilton was a textbook instance of the way it must be, similar to Hamilton’s around-the-outside passes on Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad.
Add to that the truth that the highest groups have been intently matched within the opening levels, whereas there was strategic variation as properly – one thing Pirelli has been trying for a very long time. All of these elements mixed made the Hungarian Grand Prix an entertaining race – possibly not within the sense of the TikTok technology, with 84 overtakes in 10 seconds, however with a correct steadiness as a substitute.
It’s a disgrace that this isn’t achievable with these energy items at circuits resembling Silverstone and Spa, however the ultimate race earlier than the summer season break not less than confirmed what F1 2026 must be, as a substitute of a race stuffed with overtakes that in the end imply little or no.
– Ronald Vording
Pictures from Hungarian GP – Sunday
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