Lando Norris took victory at the Hungarian GP after utilising a one stop strategy following a poor start.
Rain showers overnight reset circuit grip at the Hungarian GP, with anticipation in the air as to how the conditions would affect the competitive order.
After Charles Leclerc’s surprise pole position on Saturday, all eyes were on Ferrari as the Scuderia attempted win its first Grand Prix of 2025.
Leclerc would have a battle on his hands to stay at the front, as McLaren aimed to continue their domination this season. While Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris would not work together at the Hungarian GP, the MCL39 would be hard to beat.
Aston Martin enjoyed the best qualifying performance of the season to line up fifth and sixth. If converted into similar positions at the chequered flag, this would transform the Silverstone based team’s season.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, by comparison, endured challenging sessions. Both had work to do to salvage their afternoons.
Lights out a
At lights out at the Hungarian GP, Leclerc got away well, leading the field into Turn 1, while Lando Norris attempted a move on the inside after a good initial launch. but lost out to George Russell and Fernando Alonso. Gabriel Bortoleto jumped ahead of Lance Stroll, the Sauber now in sixth. Lewis Hamilton dropped to P14.
Verstappen passed Liam Lawson on lap 2, having lost out his pace at the start. Norris passed Alonso’s Aston Martin on lap 3, now two seconds behind Russell.
Verstappen dived down the inside of Stroll to take seventh as his charge through the field continued. He closed instantly on Bortoleto, but the Sauber was now engaged in a duel with Alonso. His pace faded away as he got stuck in the DRS train headed by the Aston Martin.
Back at the front, Leclerc continued to pull away from Piastri and Russell. Norris had closed on Russell and moved to within striking distance on lap 11. But the Mercedes proved hard to pass, and Norris dropped back to save his tyres.
Concerns from Leclerc over his power unit cutting out proved to be a false alarm as the gap extended to three seconds.
Tyre strategy began to play out as the lower order pitted for more mediums. Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto committed to a one-stop, pitting for hard. Carlos Sainz pitted on lap 16 for the same.
A game of strategy at the Hungarian GP
Lap 17 saw drivers start to push. Piastri was instructed to use his pace, obliging by taking six tenths of a second out of Leclerc’s lead. Verstappen pitted on lap 18, rejoining the circuit on hard tyres in an attempt to undercut Bortoleto.
Piastri pitted on lap 19 in an attempt to undercut Leclerc, rejoining ahead of Bortoleto. Mercedes and Ferrari reacted immediately, bringing in Russell and Leclerc. Leclerc rejoined ahead of Piastri, the gap reduced. Norris continued, fourth, his new target.
Further back, Max Verstappen struggled to move up through the field. 12th on lap 25, his next target was Lewis Hamilton. After growing frustrated, the move came on lap 30. Performing an unconventional move, Hamilton ran wide, the Red Bull now through.
Not until lap 31 did Norris pit, now committed to a one stop strategy. Rejoining in fourth, he had significant ground to make up, running almost a pit stop behind Leclerc.
Lance Stroll pitted on lap 37 for hard tyres, emerging ahead of Alex Albon. With Alonso running in fifth, Aston Martin was on course for a double points finish. The Spainard pitted on lap 40, rejoining eighth.
McLaren performed a dummy on Ferrari, asking for Piastri to come in, forcing Ferrari into the pit lane for Leclerc to stop on lap 42. Piastri continued on, aiming to increase the on track between himself and the Ferrari. Piastri pitted on lap 46, surrendering track position to Leclerc as Norris took the lead.
The race was now dependent on tyre degradation. Norris, although flying, had tyres that were considerably older than Leclerc and Piastri. Leclerc and Piastri had their own battle on tyres, with Piastri having a six lap advantage over Leclerc.
Closing stages of the Hungarian GP
Further back, Verstappen pitted from seventh on lap 50, rejoining in ninth. He immediately found pace and started catching those in front.
After closing on Leclerc, Piastri passed the Ferrari on lap 51, and set off after his team-mate. The Australian made his intentions clear by taking 1.2 seconds out of his title rival.
Oliver Bearman become the first retirement of the race after incurring significant damage to the rear of his car.
Leclerc’s race was now rapidly unravelling. Labelling his car undriveable on the radio, Russell started to close dramatically on the Ferrari.
By lap 61, Russell was on the back of the Ferrari’s gearbox. He attempted a divebomb move into Turn 1, but abandoned it as Leclerc firmly shut the door. He perfected the move one lap later, with Leclerc moving under braking.
Piastri had caught Norris on lap 64, as the battling McLarens encountered traffic. The first move came on lap 68, with a dive-bomb move from Piastri. Locking up, the only chance for the Australian was gone.
Leclerc was given a 5 place time penalty for his erratic defensive move on Russell, compounding a miserable afternoon.
Norris held on to win the Hungarian GP, taking McLaren’s 200th win.
Session Classification
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- George Russell
- Charles Leclerc
- Fernando Alonso
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Lance Stroll
- Liam Lawson
- Max Verstappen
- Kimi Antonelli
- Isack Hadjar
- Lewis Hamilton
- Nico Hulkenberg
- Carlos Sainz
- Alex Albon
- Esteban Ocon
- Yuki Tsuonda
- Franco Colapinto
- Pierre Gasly
- Oliver Bearman – not classified
