HUNGARIAN GP: LANDO NORRIS’ MASTERCLASS

Sometimes, the greatest victories are born from the worst beginnings. And the Hungarian Grand Prix proved it once again. Lando Norris, starting from P3, saw everything slip away within seconds: a tricky launch off the line, a risky dive on Piastri, a sharp defense from his teammate, and suddenly he dropped from third to fifth as Russell and Alonso swept around the outside of Turn 1.

It looked like the start of another day to forget. But Lando isn’t one to lose his cool. His calm and calculated mindset made the difference. In constant dialogue with his race engineer, Will Joseph, the two came up with a bold alternative strategy: a one-stop race, kept completely under wraps. No clues over the radio, no hints in the broadcast. Just a perfectly measured race, lap after lap.

The plan came alive on lap 32, when Norris pitted for hard tires. Piastri, on the other hand, had stopped much earlier—on lap 19—and would be forced into a second stop on lap 46. That was the turning point. Norris found himself in the lead and, despite an early charge from Leclerc, held his ground. Ferrari, trying to protect the floor of the SF25, had raised tire pressures, ruining Leclerc’s pace entirely. While Charles faded, Lando extended his advantage.

With twenty laps to go, Piastri began his charge. His pace was electric—cutting a 12.4-second gap down to less than five in just a few laps. With seven laps remaining, the two McLarens were nearly bumper to bumper. Team orders? None. McLaren let them race.

On the penultimate lap, Oscar went for it. A desperate lunge down the inside of Turn 1—too late, too far. Norris didn’t even defend the line, but Piastri had to slam the brakes to avoid contact. His engineer, Tom Stallard, had warned him to keep it clean. But he went again on the final lap. Another move, another lock-up, another cloud of smoke—and almost a disaster. But in the end, Norris survived.

He crossed the line first. His fifth win of the season, McLaren’s 200th in Formula 1. A massive victory that cuts his gap to Piastri down to just nine points. The championship is wide open. Red Bull? Completely lost. Since Adrian Newey stepped back from technical leadership, the team seems directionless. Max Verstappen, a shadow of himself, finished ninth and is now nearly 100 points behind the McLaren driver.

George Russell, who finished third, joked with Piastri in the cooldown room: “Why did you brake?” He had clearly hoped the two McLarens would take each other out, handing him the win. Instead, he had to settle for his sixth podium of the season. His Mercedes W16 finished nearly 22 seconds behind—but after the disasters of Spa and Silverstone, it was still a welcome result.

Another encouraging sign came from Andrea Kimi Antonelli. A solid and composed drive from 15th to 10th brought him back into the points—his seventh top-10 finish in fourteen races. The potential is there, but there’s still a gap to Russell.

At Ferrari, the mood was bitter. Leclerc had controlled the race early on, holding Piastri at bay and flirting with a long-awaited first win of the year. But the second pit stop ruined everything. The setup collapsed, Leclerc tumbled down the order, furious and frustrated. He finished fourth, with a pointless penalty for a borderline move on Russell. Another strategic blunder. Another case of misjudged tire pressures.

Lewis Hamilton had a forgettable day. Starting 12th, finishing 12th, lapped by the winner. Mercedes had reverted some recent upgrades to rebalance the car, but in Hungary, it didn’t help.

On the flip side, Fernando Alonso delivered a brilliant race. Despite back pain that kept him out of FP1, he fought hard to finish fifth, outdueling Gabriel Bortoleto in a clever late-race scrap. The young Sauber driver, managed by Alonso himself, had impressed all weekend—seventh in qualifying and racing like a seasoned pro. But Alonso’s cunning showed. He held Bortoleto close just long enough to degrade the Sauber’s tires, then pulled away. A live masterclass in racecraft.

Stroll also scored (eighth), and Liam Lawson continued to impress with another top-ten finish. Just outside the points was Isack Hadjar, narrowly missing out in 11th. Meanwhile, it was a total disaster for Williams, Alpine, and Haas, who were all invisible this weekend. And Yuki Tsunoda? A disaster aboard a now equally disastrous Red Bull.

At Budapest, McLaren closed the loop. They are now the team to beat. And between Norris and Piastri, the real fight is just beginning.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.