Lando Norris just snagged his first Grand Prix win of the year at the Hungarian Grand Prix, calling it “one of my best performances.” It’s been a tough start to the season for the reigning world champion and his McLaren team, but when they finally delivered a car up to his usual performance level, he absolutely lit up the track. Meanwhile, Ferrari, who were the pre-race favorites, totally floundered, with their team boss Frederic Vasseur admitting they made “too many mistakes.”
Norris Stays Ice-Cold After Early Slip-Up
Norris started on pole position, converting it into a lead right away at the first corner. But then, he misjudged the grip at Turn Two, sliding wide and gifting the lead to his teammate, Oscar Piastri. On a track where passing is next to impossible between evenly matched cars, that looked like a fatal error. But Norris stayed calm. He saw he could easily keep pace with Piastri, even in the dirty air, and that’s when he knew the win was still on. “It wasn’t my finest Turn Two,” Norris admitted, “but after that, seeing what my pace was like and I was just better in every sense, in terms of degradation and pace, I was convinced I could still win the race.”
Strategy Pays Off As Ferrari Stumbles
Trapped behind Piastri, Norris pushed for a different strategy, and circumstances eventually gave him the opening. Around half-distance, McLaren pitted Piastri to cover off Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, who had just stopped for fresh tires. This gave Norris clean air, and he unleashed a blistering pace. Piastri might have held on, but a collision with Carlos Sainz as he lapped the Williams driver opened the door completely. Norris came out ahead after his own stop a few laps later. Piastri was fuming, but his anger was directed at Sainz, not McLaren, which tells you everything about McLaren’s almost perfect run versus Ferrari’s “too many mistakes.” Norris was within 0.8 seconds of Piastri for almost 40 laps, a feat that reinforced his belief in his pace advantage.
A Driver Evolving To The Challenge
Norris believes he’s driving better this season than he did in the first half of his championship year in 2025. He’s been “feeling very strong lately” and has worked on many areas from last year to improve. He’s gelled with this new generation of cars, which he, like his rivals, doesn’t love as much as the last generation due to engine changes and energy management compromising the driving experience. But he’s worked hard with his engineers to understand this “certainly not an easy car.” His hard work is paying off, showing in his current fifth place in the drivers’ standings, with Piastri in seventh. Norris’s performance in Hungary isn’t just a win; it’s a statement about his growth as a driver and what McLaren can achieve when the car is there.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
Leave a Reply