Formula 1: World champion Lando Norris storms to first win of 2026 season at Hungarian Grand Prix

World champion Lando Norris claimed his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season with a commanding drive at the Hungarian Grand Prix, leading McLaren to a third consecutive triumph at the Hungaroring. Starting from pole position, the 26-year-old Briton recovered brilliantly after a difficult opening lap to finish 15 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Mercedes' championship leader Kimi Antonelli completed the podium after another impressive performance.

The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth respectively, followed by Isack Hadjar, George Russell and Liam Lawson. Audi's Nico Huelkenberg secured his first points of the season by finishing ninth, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten. The victory marked Norris' 12th Formula 1 career win and a successful title defence at the Hungaroring, where he also triumphed last season.

Antonelli's podium further strengthened his lead in the drivers' championship, extending his advantage over Hamilton to 50 points heading into the summer break. "Beautiful," said Norris on team radio. "The car was unbelievable today! Flying! "It's probably the best pace I've ever had," he said. “This track is good for us.” Verstappen admitted Red Bull had exceeded expectations despite lacking outright pace. "I didn't expect it today, we had to work very hard for this," he said.

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Antonelli was pleased to finish on the podium after an intense race. “It was so tough to overtake, but it is the best result for me to go into the break and now we can keep pushing.” The race started in scorching conditions with air temperatures reaching 31 degrees Celsius and track temperatures climbing to 51 degrees. Ferrari opted for soft tyres at the start while the rest of the leading contenders chose medium compounds.

Oscar Piastri made a lightning getaway to move ahead of Charles Leclerc, while Norris ran wide at Turn Two, allowing Piastri into the lead. Lewis Hamilton also overtook Leclerc to move into fourth behind Verstappen. George Russell endured a nightmare start after his Mercedes went into anti-stall mode on the grid, dropping him from sixth to last as Antonelli moved up the order.

Hamilton briefly challenged Verstappen before suffering tyre degradation and pitted early in an attempt to undercut the Red Bull driver. "Max is slow," reported Hamilton before diving into the pits on lap 14.

Verstappen responded one lap later and reclaimed position from Hamilton with a decisive move at Turn One. As the race unfolded, varying tyre strategies reshuffled the order, with Antonelli briefly leading before Norris regained control after making full use of fresher tyres. McLaren's hopes of a one-two finish ended when Piastri retired with gearbox problems, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Norris immediately pitted for soft tyres, maintaining track position over Verstappen.

In the closing laps, Norris comfortably controlled the race to secure a dominant victory, while Verstappen held off Antonelli for second place. Hamilton crossed the line fourth on the road but dropped behind Leclerc after receiving a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.