Norris Delivers McLaren’s 200th F1 Victory After Strategic Masterclass in Hungary

Lando Norris pulled off a strategic masterstroke to win a dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix, fending off late pressure from team-mate Oscar Piastri to seal McLaren’s 200th Formula 1 race victory. The Briton’s decision to commit to a one-stop strategy paid off brilliantly at the end of 70 high-pressure laps around the Hungaroring.

At the start, it was Charles Leclerc who got the perfect launch from pole position, surging ahead into Turn 1. Behind him, Piastri and Norris tussled for position, but it was George Russell and Fernando Alonso who made the most of the chaos, sweeping past Norris and dropping the McLaren driver to fifth.

Max Verstappen’s rough weekend continued with a poor getaway from eighth on the grid, allowing Racing Bulls rookie Liam Lawson to nip ahead. The Dutchman soon reclaimed the place and picked off Lance Stroll to settle into seventh, but he found himself stuck behind Gabriel Bortoleto, who was cleverly sitting in DRS range of Alonso ahead.

Red Bull responded early, bringing Verstappen in on lap 18 for an undercut attempt, but Bortoleto refused to bite, staying out on track and sticking to his one-stop plan. When Verstappen rejoined in 16th, it was clear his race would be harder than expected.

Up front, McLaren gambled first, calling Piastri in on lap 19 to try to undercut Leclerc. Ferrari, however, was alert. Leclerc boxed one lap later and maintained the net race lead. With both rivals having made their stops, Norris opted to run long and took over the race lead.

Norris pitted for Hard tyres on lap 32 and rejoined in fourth behind Russell, setting up a thrilling second half. Leclerc, now back in front, couldn’t stretch a gap. Meanwhile, Verstappen was struggling to make further headway, locked in a midfield fight and involved in a controversial clash with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 5. The stewards announced they would review the incident after the race.

Ferrari brought Leclerc in for his final stop on lap 41, and while Piastri extended his stint, Russell dived into the pits, too. Piastri finally pitted on lap 46, bolting on a fresh set of Hard tyres and rejoining 12 seconds behind Norris and 4.8 seconds off Leclerc.

The final phase was a tense McLaren showdown. On lap 52, Piastri stormed past Leclerc on the main straight to snatch P2, setting his sights on Norris ahead. With ten laps to go, the gap was just 2.8 seconds, and the younger McLaren driver was lapping half a second quicker.

But Norris, running on much older rubber, had just enough in reserve. Using his battery deployment tactically in the DRS zones, he kept Piastri at bay despite the Australian getting within a second in the closing laps.

Behind the leading duo, George Russell made the most of Mercedes’ strategy to pass Leclerc and secure third. The Ferrari driver was later handed a penalty for moving under braking during Russell’s overtake, compounding a disappointing end to his race.

Fernando Alonso drove a clean, consistent race to finish fifth for Aston Martin, just ahead of Bortoleto, who once again impressed with a calm and clever sixth-place finish for Sauber. Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Verstappen, and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli completed the top ten.

For Norris, it was his second win of the season—and possibly the most meaningful yet—as he etched his name into the history books by delivering McLaren’s milestone 200th victory in Formula 1. In doing so, he also reignited a thrilling intra-team rivalry with Piastri, which now looks set to define the second half of the season.