Lando Norris won a riveting Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, cutting fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s lead in the championship standings to 9 points in the last Formula 1 race before the summer break.
The race delivered a tense final few laps, with the two title rivals fighting neck and neck for victory until the very last corner of the final lap. Wading through traffic and back markers, Norris fended off a charging Piastri despite having older and worn tires.
“I’m dead. I’m dead! That was tough,” Norris said in a postrace interview broadcast on ESPN. “That was tough, the final stint with Oscar catching — I was pushing flat out,” he added, calling the result more “rewarding” after that intense fight.
The victory was a statement from Norris, a sign that he isn’t ready to loosen his grip on the championship trophy. It was also a confidence boost after an often-troubled season: Norris, who entered the season as the favorite, has often proved himself to be the faster driver, but he’s been prone to errors that have cost him valuable points against the steely and more consistent Piastri.
“We’re so tightly fought, it’s hard to say the momentum’s on anyone’s side,” he said. “It’s tough but fun racing against Oscar.”
The Formula 1 world championship battle has solidified into a one-on-one showdown between the two McLaren rivals. Heading into the nearly monthlong summer break, Piastri has 284 points to Norris’ 275.
Reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull sits in a distant third with 187 points; his hopes for a fifth title are all but finished. He finished a lowly ninth place in Hungary.
Piastri made an ambitious lunge on Norris in the penultimate lap, but overdid it and locked his front wheel, nearly crashing into his teammate. He was given a gentle reprimand by his team on the radio: “Remember how we go racing.”
“I pushed as hard as I could,” Piastri said after the race. “The car really came alive in the second half of the race.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella discussed the radio message to Piastri in an interview with F1TV after the race.
“The reminder was for both: one, make sure you don’t dive into the inside too aggressively. The other one, don’t move under braking,” Stella said, adding that he understands both are fighting for the title. “It’s fair that they try their best, but all these should happen within our principles.”
It was the fourth consecutive race where the McLaren drivers finished first and second, showing the dominance of the papaya-colored team this year, which scored its 200th victory in F1 on Sunday. Mercedes’ George Russell finished in third place after a feisty battle for the final podium position.
Leclerc wins pole but loses it in the race
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc captured a shock pole position on Saturday and comfortably led away from Piastri and Norris at the start, after they qualified in second and third place.
Norris got a decent start and pulled to the inside of Piastri before his teammate moved to cut him off, compromising Norris and costing him two positions in the opening corners.
Piastri’s move kept him ahead of his rival at the start and gave him preferential treatment for the first pit stop. But Norris’ camp spiced things up by gambling on a one-stop strategy, pitting him later, on lap 31. When Piastri pitted again, on lap 46, he came out about 12 seconds behind Norris — but carrying tires that were 14 laps younger to fight with.
Piastri then overtook Leclerc, making it a two-person race at the front between the championship rivals. He closed up behind Norris and attacked him, but failed to get past.
“After I saw Lando going for a one [stop], I knew I was going to have to overtake on track, which is must easier said than done around here,” Piastri said. “I tried a few things. It was a gamble either way. And today unfortunately we were just on the wrong side of it.”
Hungary was the race that foreshadowed their rivalry one year ago. Piastri pulled ahead at the start, but Norris took the position back at the pit stops due to strategic decisions by McLaren. Then the team ordered Norris to slow down and let Piastri overtake him for the win — which he did after resisting it for many laps. It was a dramatic and controversial sequence that led to Piastri’s first Grand Prix victory in Formula 1. Overall, Norris comfortably beat the younger Piastri throughout the 2024 season, but fell short to Verstappen in his bid for the championship.
This year, the McLaren drivers have been more evenly matched. A series of midrace radio messages between the McLaren drivers and their race engineers crystallized the battle.
After dipping a wheel into the gravel, Lando was told to “just keep the focus — you don’t want those mistakes.” It came one race after Norris was similarly put on a different tire strategy but made a few crucial errors that prevented him from challenging Piastri.
Piastri, meanwhile, was asked midrace whether he wants the strategy to focus on challenging Leclerc for the win or fending off Norris for second place. Piastri’s response was telling: “If you still think beating Lando is realistic, then: doing that.”
“I don’t really care about Leclerc,” Piastri added on team radio a few laps later. “I just want the best chance to try and beat Lando. That’s the important thing at the moment.”
It’s all about the world championship.
Verstappen says he’s staying at Red Bull
The race weekend also put an end to two of the biggest open questions in the sport.
Verstappen, the reigning four-time world champion, told reporters he will stay with the embattled Red Bull team next season, finally settling persistent questions about whether he will jump ship to Mercedes.
Ferrari announced it is re-signing team principal Frédéric Vasseur to a “multiple-year contract,” ending some recent speculation about the Italian team’s leadership.
But all was not well with the team this weekend. Leclerc voiced his frustration with the team’s decision-making midrace as his hopes of victory faded. Leclerc ultimately lost third place on lap 62, when Russell overtook him.
And Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, qualified 12th in Hungary before calling himself “useless” while speaking to reporters. Hamilton finished in 12th place.
The next F1 race is on Aug. 31 in the Netherlands.
