2026 Hungarian Grand Prix: Lando Norris wins as Ferrari stumbles
Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli in Budapest, while McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all carried fresh questions into F1’s break.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Lando Norris won the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, taking his first victory of his title-defense season ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli, according to ESPN’s Nate Saunders.
The podium packed plenty into one Sunday afternoon: the reigning champion on top, a four-time champion in second for Red Bull, and the runaway points leader in third for Mercedes. The race also sent Formula 1 into its summer break at the season’s midpoint with McLaren smiling, Ferrari fuming and George Russell left to count another painful weekend.
Who won the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix?
Norris won for McLaren after a race that briefly looked as if teammate Oscar Piastri might control it. ESPN reported that Piastri made an early move into the lead, but the contest turned after the pit stops and a messy moment with Carlos Sainz’s Williams.
Piastri came out of his stop behind Norris by 0.7 seconds after contact with Sainz, who was racing Fernando Alonso. Piastri later said being hit by a lapped car was not something he expected to derail his race, and he blamed a lack of awareness for costing him the lead fight.
Once Norris had clean air, the gap grew fast. ESPN reported that Norris’ engineer Will Joseph told him he was clearly in the quickest car and had nothing to prove. Piastri later retired when his gearbox failed, ending what had started as a strong McLaren afternoon.
How did Verstappen get on the podium?
Verstappen’s second place was a surprise even to him. After qualifying, ESPN reported that the Red Bull driver had complained about the car’s falling performance, calling the drop-off “a joke.”
The race told a different story. Verstappen’s key moment came on lap 16, when he passed Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1 after losing a place to his 2021 title rival during the first pit-stop sequence. Verstappen said afterward that he saw his chance and took it.
His race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was more direct on the radio, calling the move “quite special,” according to ESPN.
Antonelli finished third and headed into the break with a commanding championship cushion. ESPN reported that he leads Hamilton by 50 points and Russell by 59, though Antonelli played down comparisons with Norris and Verstappen, saying he still has a long way to go before reaching their level.
What happened to Ferrari in Hungary?
Ferrari’s weekend promised more than it delivered. ESPN reported that the team had shown strong practice pace and had saved extra soft tyres for Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, but its race unraveled through strategy calls, penalties and fading performance.
Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Piastri in qualifying after poor communication with Ferrari, according to ESPN. He also took a five-second penalty late in the race for a minor pit-lane speeding violation.
Hamilton questioned the late stop, saying he got the call just before pit entry and would not have chosen it if he had known it would cost track position. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said the team made two strategic bets and admitted they did not pay off.
Russell’s weekend was no cleaner. ESPN reported that a water leak hurt his qualifying, then anti-stall kicked in at the start and left him fighting from the back. Hamilton still sits second in the drivers’ standings, with Ferrari second in the constructors’ championship, but the break arrives with plenty for the red cars to fix before Zandvoort and Monza.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.