Hungary played host to another enthralling weekend of F1 action before drivers and teams headed into the summer break, with Lando Norris and McLaren bagging their first win in 2026 to properly join the fight at the front.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen navigated a race of “survival” to earn another podium, Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead amid more pain for Mercedes team mate George Russell, and Ferrari’s early-weekend push faded.
Here are all the key moments from the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix…
McLaren and Norris get back to winning ways
After the first 10 rounds of the 2026 season, Mercedes and Ferrari were the two teams to have won Grands Prix – the Silver Arrows scoring eight victories and the Scuderia triumphing twice.
However, McLaren entered the chat at the Hungaroring as their upgraded MCL40 took the fight to the front-running group, particularly in the hands of Norris, who was on fine form all weekend.
A stunning lap at the end of Q3 – even if the Briton played it down – put Norris on pole, which he ultimately converted into victory, despite losing the lead to team mate Oscar Piastri on the opening lap and having to fight back.
It could have been even better for the Woking-based team had Piastri not clashed with Williams’ Carlos Sainz and then ground to a halt with an apparent gearbox issue, but a return to P1 gave plenty of cause for celebration.
“My pace today was probably some of the best pace I’ve ever had,” said Norris afterwards. “The car was beautiful to drive and I felt very confident, so a great race.
“I’m just happy to be back and see the number one again.”
Referencing McLaren’s development push, he added: “I owe the team a lot. They’ve done an amazing job to even get back to winning races at this point, so I’m proud.
“We need to enjoy a good break. We’re all going to enjoy a nice break and some time off, and hopefully we come back even stronger.”
Another podium for Red Bull despite early issues
Considering where they started, it was a surprisingly positive weekend for Red Bull, even though the final result didn’t necessarily reflect the expectations of their drivers when it came to how competitive they’d be.
Take Verstappen, who reported that his car was “completely broken” during Qualifying after struggling with balance in every session. He provisionally settled for P6 on the grid before gaining two places following penalties for Lewis Hamilton and Antonelli, promoting him to a somewhat fortuitous second row start.
As we’ve come to expect from the Dutchman, he made the most of it and snatched third place from Charles Leclerc on the opening lap, diving into a defensive masterclass against the two Ferraris.
He momentarily lost out to Hamilton in the first round of pit stops, but a clever move allowed him to take back the position whilst simultaneously passing midfield runner Liam Lawson into Turn 1, leaving him in an ideal spot to craftily manage the remaining laps.
Verstappen remained on increasingly worn soft tyres and capitalised further on Piastri’s retirement to cross the line in second place, marking a fantastic finish considering his multiple complaints about downshifts and Red Bull’s strategy.
He was also helped at one stage by his team mate Isack Hadjar, with the Frenchman developing a habit over the last two races of lending a hand.
Starting from eighth, he went on to bunch up the pack to benefit Verstappen – it didn’t last long, but it paid off as the team earned a valuable points haul. Hadjar could also enjoy a second consecutive P6 after his memorable recovery drive last time out in Belgium.
More mixed fortunes at Mercedes
Antonelli arrived into the weekend with a strengthened lead at the top of the Drivers’ standings after returning to the top step last weekend in Belgium – but the Italian’s prospects at the Hungaroring took a hit when he received a penalty for a yellow flag infringement, dropping him to P7 on the grid.
However, embarking on a different strategy to many of those around him – with the initial plan being a one-stop before a second stop was required in the latter stages – saw Antonelli make gains during the race, allowing him to climb up to P3.
On a weekend where Mercedes did not appear in contention for victory, the result was a positive one for Antonelli, who has now further extended his advantage at the head of the championship entering the summer break.
It was a tougher day for team mate Russell. The Briton fell towards the back of the field after a difficult start caused by anti-stall kicking in, leaving him with his work cut out to recover positions.
While he managed to do that and crossed the line in P7, it would not have been the outcome that Russell might have hoped for after the heartbreak of his Lap 1 exit one week ago at Spa.
The Silver Arrows racer will now have to wait until the resumption of the season next month to get another chance to bounce back.
What happened at Ferrari?
Ferrari had started the weekend well in Hungary, with the red cars topping the timesheets in Friday practice.
That form seemed to slip away from them as the days progressed, however. Hamilton had looked in the fight for pole on Saturday before ending up in P2 – which turned into P5 after a three-place grid penalty.
Leclerc was then promoted to second place, but a difficult start on Sunday saw him slip backwards.
Both cars embarked on a three-stop strategy and, while Hamilton emerged ahead of Antonelli after his final stop, a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane put the Briton back down to fifth, despite staying on the tail of the Mercedes.
Leclerc came home in fourth, in what was a disappointing end to an event that had hinted at promise for Ferrari earlier on.
Racing Bulls seize the ‘best of the rest’ crown
Away from the top-four teams, some incredible battles in the midfield have been unfolding over the first half of the season, with one of the closest taking place between Alpine and Racing Bulls.
The outfits arrived in Hungary level on 61 points, with the French team clinging on to the sought-after ‘best of the rest’ position of P5 in the Teams’ Championship.
However, it was likely that wouldn’t last for long – Racing Bulls had unlocked a new level of performance in recent rounds and undoubtedly had the upper hand.
Both Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were equipped with the most recent upgrades at the Hungaroring after the rookie ran them on his own in Belgium, and they proved their success with another double points finish, while Alpine failed to score.
Although the New Zealander endured a disappointing Q2 exit, he bounced back to secure P8, getting stuck into an exhilarating contest with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, who was seeking his first points of the season.
Lawson ultimately held him off and took the chequered flag ahead of the German and Lindblad, who achieved his sixth consecutive top-10 finish to round out an impressive first half of his maiden F1 campaign.
Wins for Leon in F2 and Slater in F3
Noel Leon won the F2 Feature Race for Campos Racing, with a fortuitous Virtual Safety Car (VSC) aiding his victory. He beat polesitter Kush Maini (ART Grand Prix) and Invicta Racing’s Rafael Camara, those two having shared the front row of the grid.
Leon picked off Camara on the run down to Turn 1 and was lying second until his one-and-only pit stop, where he returned to the track just as the VSC was deployed.
With the then race leader Maini pitting under racing conditions, Leon was able to jump ahead and take his maiden Feature Race win.
Leon’s team mate, Nikola Tsolov, remains in the championship lead, 20 points clear of Gabriele Mini.
Over in F3, the two championship leaders went head-to-head for the Feature Race win, with Freddie Slater coming out on top for TRIDENT.
He beat Ugo Ugochukwu (Campos Racing) by 1.4s and is eight points ahead of his rival in the standings.
Both F2 and F3 will return with more racing in Monza, while F1 Academy will be in action in Zandvoort.
