Former IndyCar Collection driver and F1 TV pundit James Hinchcliffe believes Lando Norris would have comfortably defeated his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri on the Hungarian Grand Prix, whatever the Australian’s contact with backmarker Carlos Sainz.
The reigning Formulation 1 champion delivered a commanding drive on the Hungaroring to say his first victory of the 2026 season. Whereas Norris began from pole place, his team-mate took the lead early on.
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Because the Briton closed in and argued that he had extra tempo than his team-mate forward of him, McLaren gave Piastri pitstop precedence on lap 33. “We won’t, I am afraid,” McLaren instructed Norris when he requested a pitstop, to which he responded: “You imply you will not let me? I am miles sooner.”
However whereas Piastri made his means by means of the backmarkers, Williams driver Sainz made contact with him and was penalised for the collision. Norris went on to win the race, and Piastri finally retired on lap 56 on account of a technical failure.
“He was unstoppable right now, wasn’t he? I imply, such a dominant efficiency,” Hinchcliffe stated through the F1 TV post-race debrief present.
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“Even when he misplaced the lead, he had a lot extra tempo than Oscar had even earlier than Oscar’s issues; he had the tempo to do the undercut. He had the tempo to do the overcut. He actually had all the discipline lined. Sure, the automotive was nice. The driving force right now was distinctive as properly.”
Lando Norris, McLaren
Hinchcliffe argued that Norris would have received the race even when Piastri had not had the collision with Sainz or retired.
“The foundations are the foundations, proper? The contact right here with Sainz was a really weird scenario, and Jolyon [Palmer] stated it within the broadcast: Sainz is a brilliant man. He is aware of the foundations. He is aware of what’s up. One thing went flawed there. One thing within the communication, the system, no matter.”
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He added: “However I believe my level is that after you noticed the tempo benefit that Lando had, I believe he’d have been ready with a bit little bit of a tyre offset to execute a really protected overtake properly throughout the team-mate pointers. And I actually do assume that it was going to be onerous for him to lose this race.”
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