The Hungaroring always has a knack for drama, and the 2025 Hungarian GP delivered a strategic masterclass, heartbreaks, and standout performances.
As the grid heads into the summer break, here are the three biggest winners and losers from Budapest.
Winners
Lando Norris – Master of the one-stop gamble
Lando Norris isn’t just a rising star anymore—he’s a multiple GP winner with poise under pressure. After dropping from P3 to P5 in the opening corners of the Hungarian GP, Norris pivoted to a daring one-stop strategy that caught Ferrari and Mercedes napping. The call was bold. The execution? Flawless.
While others two-stopped and struggled with degradation, Norris preserved his tyres with clinical precision. Despite intense late-race pressure from his team-mate, Norris held his nerve to take his fifth win of the season. He’s now only nine points behind Oscar Piastri in the title race. Don’t blink; this intra-team battle is heating up fast.
Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber’s bright spot
Quietly and consistently, Gabriel Bortoleto is crafting one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in recent memory. At a circuit where experience usually rules, Bortoleto qualified a sensational seventh and backed it up with a composed drive to P6; splitting the two Aston Martins on pure merit.
This was no fluke. It marked Bortoleto’s third points finish in four races and extended Sauber’s scoring streak to six events. For a team still building toward the future, Bortoleto is already delivering today.
Aston Martin – Surprise surge from the shadows
Hungary is often called a “driver’s track,” but in Aston Martin’s case, the car finally showed up too. After a dismal showing in Belgium, Aston Martin bounced back with their best weekend of 2025.
Fernando Alonso was sublime from lights to flag, qualifying and finishing P5, while Lance Stroll added to the haul in P7. A 16-point day vaulted them up the standings and injected fresh life into a season that was threatening to spiral. The only mystery? Even the team isn’t quite sure what triggered the sudden turnaround.
Losers
Charles Leclerc – From pole to penalty
It was supposed to be Ferrari’s revival. Charles Leclerc stunned the paddock with a pole position lap for the ages—his first at the Hungaroring. For the first 20 laps, he looked in control. Then the race fell apart.
First, Leclerc was undercut. Then, his pace mysteriously evaporated. Then came the radio complaints, defensive desperation, and eventually, a time penalty for erratic driving against George Russell. From first on Saturday to fourth on Sunday (later sixth with the penalty), it was another classic case of promise turning to pain for Leclerc. One win from his last 16 poles tells a worrying story.
Max Verstappen – From untouchable to invisible
Another weekend, another anonymous race for Max Verstappen. A season-worst qualifying in P8, no real threat in the race, and a lonely finish in ninth. At one point, he was 72 seconds behind the leader—words you’d never expect to read about the reigning World Champion.
Whether it’s the rear-end instability or the team’s strategic missteps, Red Bull look lost, and Verstappen’s podium-less streak now stands at four races. He may not be in a title fight this year, but the frustration is starting to boil over.
Ferrari – Fast on Saturday, flawed on Sunday
Pole position. Leading the opening stint. The chance to take the fight to McLaren. And yet, Ferrari leave Hungary licking their wounds… again.
McLaren’s aggressive calls outmanoeuvred their strategy. Their chassis gremlins robbed Leclerc of pace. And Lewis Hamilton? Completely anonymous in P12. For a team that sits second in the standings, it doesn’t feel like it. The Scuderia are at risk of being remembered not for their moments of brilliance, but their consistent inability to convert them.
Final thoughts
The Hungarian GP was another reminder that strategy and tyre management are as crucial as raw pace. McLaren’s calculated gamble with Norris paid off. Ferrari’s rigid thinking didn’t. And in a season increasingly defined by tight margins and team-mate rivalries, the Hungarian GP gave us a tantalising glimpse of what’s to come after the break.
For Norris, the title dream is alive and well. For Verstappen and Leclerc, it’s looking like a summer break of soul-searching.
