Lando Norris powered to a hard-fought victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, edging out McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by just six-tenths of a second in a dramatic finale that reignited the Briton’s bid for a maiden world championship.
The 24-year-old Bristol native executed a bold one-stop tyre strategy to secure his fifth win of the season, cutting his deficit to the championship leader to just nine points as Formula 1 heads into the summer break.
Norris had started the race from third but quickly lost ground in a chaotic opening phase. A failed attempt to overtake Piastri on the inside of Turn 1 saw him fall behind both George Russell and Fernando Alonso. He recovered swiftly, passing Alonso on lap three and rejoining the lead battle after his sole pit stop on lap 31.
“Lando, 40 laps on the hard tyre, you up for it?” asked his engineer, Will Joseph. The response was confident: “Yeah, why not?”
From there, Norris lit up the track with a series of fast laps, and as his rivals pitted a second time, he surged into the lead. Charles Leclerc and Piastri, forced into two-stop strategies, both fell back, allowing Norris to build a commanding advantage.
But Piastri wasn’t done. The Australian clawed back a nine-second gap to his teammate in the closing stages, making a daring move at Turn 1 on the penultimate lap. He locked up heavily, coming within inches of contact with Norris, prompting a warning from his engineer: “Remember how we go racing, Oscar.”
Ultimately, Norris held on to take the chequered flag, with Piastri second and George Russell completing the podium after passing pole-sitter Leclerc with eight laps remaining.
It was another frustrating outing for Lewis Hamilton, who started 12th and finished outside the points in 11th. The seven-time world champion was involved in a flashpoint with Max Verstappen, running wide after a wheel-to-wheel duel that is now under stewards’ review.
Fernando Alonso finished fifth, followed by rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in sixth. Verstappen ended a difficult weekend in ninth, with Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly also finishing ahead of Hamilton.
With just nine points now separating the top two in the standings, Norris’ Hungarian triumph could prove decisive as the season enters its second half.
The Hungarian Grand Prix closes the curtain on the first leg of the 2025 F1 season, with action set to resume after the summer break.
