#F1: @LandoNorris fends-off team-mate @OscarPiastri to take victory in thrilling #HungarianGP.
Lando Norris, #4, McLaren Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL39, celebrates on the podium after taking his ninth-career victory at the Formula 1 Lenovo Hungarian Grand Prix 2025, Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary. Image credit to Clive Rose/Getty Images. Norris Hungarian GP Victory, 2025 Hungarian GP, 2025 Hungarian GP Results, Hungarian GP Race Result, F1 Hungary 2025 Results. 2025 Dutch GP Preview, Dutch Grand Prix Preview, Cadillac F1 Driver Lineup, F1 Zandvoort GP Preview, Formula 1 Dutch Preview.
Norris Hungarian GP Victory – Lando Norris survived a late charge from team-mate Oscar Piastri to make an alternate strategy work and clinched victory in a thrilling Hungarian GP as Mercedes’ George Russell rounded out the top three.
Norris’s victory sees the Briton bring the gap down to his team-mate Piastri in the World Driver’s Championship standings to just nine points as the sport enters its traditional summer break.
In the World Constructor’s Championship, McLaren’s lead extended to a massive 339 points over nearest rivals Ferrari.
When the 70-lap Hungarian GP began, pole-sitter Leclerc got a good start as the Ferrari covered the McLaren’s into turn one as Russell ran wheel-to-wheel with Norris into turn one and jumped into third and then into the second corner Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso pushed his way past Norris to move up into fourth place.
At the beginning of the second tour, Leclerc held a 0.418 second lead over Piastri with Russell third, Alonso fourth, Norris down in fifth, Bortoleto up into sixth, Stroll seventh, Verstappen up into eighth, Lawson ninth as Bearman rounded out the top ten.
On lap three with DRS assistance, Norris with DRS assistance made a move around the inside of Alonso down the main-straight to take fourth place as further back – Verstappen passed Stroll for seventh place making the dive up the inside of the Aston Martin into the turns six and seven chicane.
Lap five saw Leclerc’s lead over Piastri at 2.271 seconds with Russell third, Norris fourth, Alonso fifth, Bortoleto sixth, Verstappen seventh, Stroll eighth, Lawson ninth as Bearman completed the top ten runners.
Race control noted both Sauber’s of Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg for false-jump starts.
Hulkenberg came in to switch his softs for the C4 yellow-marked mediums and dropped to the rear.
Out-front – race leader Leclerc’s gap over Piastri was sitting at 2.7 seconds and with the undercut the powerful option at the Hungaroring, the Australian would need to keep as close to the Ferrari as possible to keep that potential undercut on hand.
On the eighth lap – Alonso was the cork in the bottle at the moment in fifth place – his young protege Bortoleto was in DRS range, along with Verstappen, Stroll, Lawson – Also everyone down to Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in P18 as the DRS train forms.
No further investigation for Bortoleto in terms of the false start.
Leclerc’s lead on lap ten over Piastri was at 2.9 seconds with Russell third, Norris fourth, Alonso fifth, Bortoleto sixth, Verstappen seventh, Stroll eighth, Lawson ninth whilst Bearman rounded out the top ten.
Hulkenberg was hit with a five-second-timed-penalty by the race stewards for his false jump start.
In the fight for third place – Norris was pushing hard – he was stuck behind Russell’s Silver Arrow, who in turn is 1.9 seconds off the back of Piastri’s MCL39 entry. In the cooler conditions, Russell’s Mercedes is right in this race, and so is the Ferrari whilst the McLaren dominates more so in the heat.
On the 11th tour – Piastri had just lapped three tenths faster than Leclerc as he posted a new personal best lap. Russell dropped back as he started to defend from the McLaren as Norris was told that “we need to get past Russell.”
Lap 12 saw Alonso’s DRS train not far off creating a pit stop window for the leaders at this stage of proceedings. They are all content to push harder, and the decision has yet to be made as to whether to jump early for the undercut or remain out and bring the one-stopper into the equation.
On the 14th lap – Leclerc lead was almost three seconds, and Piastri had a similar margin to Russell in third. Norris had dropped out of DRS range in fourth place, to cool his tyres.
Colapinto was next to pit from 18th to switch his mediums for a fresh set of hards and emerged at the back of the field.
Lap 15 saw Aston Martin have two cars in the points at this stage of proceedings, and they could well split strategies. As could Racing Bulls, with Isack Hadjar in P11 with nothing to lose.
A couple more cars came in for their first stops – Williams’ Alexander Albon and Haas’s Esteban Ocon. Mediums for Albon who began on the softs, hards for Ocon who started on the medium compounds.
On the 16th tour – Norris was complaining about his tyres – that is why he fell back from Russell, although he was now back in DRS range.
Sainz had just pitted, removing his softs and grabbing some hards.
Lap 17 saw Piastri starting to push again. The gap had come down to 2.6s and he had indeed been told to push.
The next tour – Leclerc responded to Piastri out-front – using that fresh air to his advantage.
Behind them, Verstappen pitted from P7. He was trying to undercut Bortoleto and Alonso. Hards for the reigning world champion. A handy 2.3 seconds stop there from the Red Bull crew, and he emerged behind Hulkenberg, who had already stopped.
On the 19th lap, Norris reported that his tyres were gone as his second placed team-mate Piastri pitted for a fresh set of hards to try and undercut Leclerc.
Lap 20 – race leader Leclerc was told to box and done so along with Russell and both put on the hards and the former managed to come out in-front of Piastri and Russell in sixth and behind Bortoleto.
A tour later with DRS assistance on the main-straight – Leclerc passed Alonso to move up into second place.
On lap 22 – Norris was now in trouble. Pitting, and the Briton would be a distant fourth. Behind him – Russell was flying, he swept past Bortoleto as Piastri gets Alonso on the main-straight.
Antonelli came in for Mercedes as well, the pit window was well and truly open.
Lao 23 the situation up-front was Leclerc sitting 11.5 seconds behind Norris, and Piastri is a further two seconds back with Alonso fourth in-front of Russell.
On lap 24 – in the battle four fourth, Alonso remained ahead of Russell, who was 1.5 seconds behind the Spaniard right now. Hamilton was up to P11 on those hard tyres, but the seven-time world champion had yet to pit.
Lap 25 – Norris remained out on his original medium tyres, whilst team-mate Piastri is in third having pitted for some C3 hards. Behind them – Verstappen was unhappy behind in 12th place after being stuck in traffic from the start.
On the 26th tour – Piastri was starting to ask the question about a one-stop strategy. Which the Australian was told looked a difficult option today.
Russell behind finally got Alonso on the inside into the opening corner. Back up to fourth for the Mercedes driver, but he is now 7.3 seconds behind Piastri.
Lap 27 – the situation was Norris remained out on his original C4 yellow-branded medium tyres. But he was lapping a second slower than both Leclerc and Piastri.
The 28th tour – With Norris staying out and still having a lead at 5.5 seconds, with both Leclerc and Piastri asking questions behind about their strategy. But on paper, the two-stop remained the faster option.
Meanwhile, Norris was asked by his team about a one-stop – “40 laps on a hard tyre.”
“Yeah, why not,” Norris responded.
Verstappen had made a move on Hamilton, and it was an aggressive move into turn 4. So aggressive it sent Hamilton wide. Verstappen was up into 11th at this stage.
On the 30th lap – Norris’s lead was at four seconds over Leclerc with Piastri third, Russell fourth, Alonso fifth, Bortoleto sixth, Stroll seventh, Lawson eighth, Bearman ninth as Verstappen completed the top ten.
Lap 31 saw Norris leading by 3.4 seconds from Leclerc, with Piastri closing in behind and just 1.4 seconds back. Those two still lapping a second faster than race leader Norris.
Russell was not closing up to the back of Piastri though and was over eight seconds back.
On lap 32 – Norris finally pitted from the lead and emerged in fourth place behind Russell and crucially ahead of Alonso who was still yet-to-stop.
The incident involving Verstappen and Hamilton was under investigation by the stewards.
Lap 33 saw Leclerc back in the lead of the race – the Monegasque driver was 1.4 seconds ahead of Piastri, with those two likely to stop again. Russell in third was also on a two-stopper, but Norris in fourth had already done his only pit stop for the race.
At half race distance (lap 35) – Leclerc lead by 1.8 seconds as he built a gap to Piastri. Both are on the harder tyres. Russell was not closing in on them, he was third and held a lead of 8.4 seconds over Norris.
Hadjar pitted from tenth and came back out in P19 after his pit stop.
On lap 37, Stroll pitted from seventh for his fresh set of hards and came out in 12th place behind Sainz. Further up – Norris was flying, the Briton posted a new fastest lap and had taken a second out of Russell’s lead in the battle for third place.
In the battle for the lead – Leclerc’s gap tipped over the two second barrier in the battle with championship leader Piastri.
On lap 39 – the situation was Leclerc’s gap was 1.8 seconds with Piastri comfortably 7.9 seconds clear of Russell. Norris was closing fast though, just 5.7 seconds back from the Mercedes and the McLaren driver 15.4 seconds off the lead, with a pit stop here being 18-20 seconds.
So, as it stood, Leclerc and Piastri will be overtaking Norris late on.
Lap 40 – Piastri was asked whether his priority is tyre delta to Norris or undercutting Leclerc for the victory. He very much says Norris, with his focus on his championship aspirations.
On lap 41, Leclerc pitted for a fresh set of hards and came out in fourth place and over seven second down on third-placed Norris.
The 42nd tour – Piastri was told to push. He led the race by 9.2 seconds from Russell.
The incident involving Hamilton and Verstappen would be investigated after the race.
On the 43rd tour – Piastri was still out there in the lead, Russell was second but had Norris for company in his DRS zone.
Leclerc was seven seconds behind Norris and needed to overtake him on track to win today.
And Hamilton finally pitted for his fresh set of mediums and dropped to 15th.
Lap 44 – Russell pitted, and that promoted Norris to second. So Piastri was leading by 10.7 seconds, and Leclerc was a further 6.4 seconds back.
On the 45th tour – Norris had found plenty of speed. He was almost two seconds quicker than Piastri on that last lap.
On lap 46, Piastri pitted from the lead with a fresh set of hards and came out in third place behind Leclerc.
The 47th tour – the situation was Norris leading by 7.3 seconds from Leclerc, and Piastri was a further 4.8 seconds back. Norris needed to push, and he was asking for blue flags as he was coming right up behind lots of traffic ahead.
On lap 49 – Leclerc was not closing in, but Piastri was. With the Australian now just 2.9 seconds behind the Ferrari driver.
Lap 50 – Verstappen pitted from fifth for another set of hards and came out in ninth place behind Lawson.
The 51st tour – with DRS assistance and on the main-straight Piastri made a move around the outside of Leclerc at turn one to jump into second place.
On lap 52 – Bearman was carrying damage, and he came into the garage and parked it as the Briton was the first retiree of the day.
Up-front, Piastri was 8.2 seconds behind his team-mate, and already 2.2 seconds in-front of Leclerc. But the top three were still all stuck in traffic.
On the 53rd tour – Norris was past Gasly and needed to pick off Ocon, before he gets a bit of clear air. Piastri still needs to get past Albon and Gasly.
And in third, Leclerc was very, very frustrated. calling his car “undriveable” and said it will be a “miracle” if he finished on the podium.
On the 55th lap – Norris’s lead was at six seconds. the Briton was told if a Safety Car came out, they would pit as they’d only fall to second behind team-mate Piastri. “Soft,” he said. There were small drops of rain at turn 13.
The 56th tour – The two McLaren’s of Norris and Piastri had cleared a lot of traffic and a little gap to Hamilton ahead.
Norris was leading by 5.5 seconds, whilst Piastri was lapping six tenths faster.
On lap 58 – the gap out-front between Norris and Piastri was at 4.3 seconds with the latter rapidly catching his team-mate.
Some other news – an overtake between Hulkenberg and Tsunoda few laps ago was under investigation, but no further action was decided by the stewards.
Lap 59 – the situation was Piastri sitting 3.6 seconds back from Norris in the battle for the win, but behind, the final podium place was up for grabs.
A struggling Leclerc was just 0.5 seconds in-front of Russell, who had DRS and is filling the Ferrari’s mirrors. Russell was chasing his first podium since the Canadian Grand Prix.
With ten laps remaining – Piastri was still lapping faster, but not by as much – the gap was down to 3.4 seconds.
With nine laps left, Russell had a look at Leclerc almost into turn one – but the latter covered the former.
“That was moving under braking,” fumed Russell over the radio about the move on the previous tour. But he calmed himself down, dived down the inside into the opening corner and got the move done to take the final podium place.
The incident involving Leclerc and Russell was noted by the race stewards as Norris was coming up behind Hamilton, Hadjar and Antonelli – all of whom are fighting for the final points position.
With five laps remaining – Piastri was right in DRS range of race leader Norris with the gap at 0.624 seconds, Russell was a further 21.032 seconds off in third, Leclerc fourth, Alonso fifth, Bortoleto sixth, Stroll seventh, Lawson eighth, Verstappen ninth as Antonelli completed the top ten.
Both McLaren cars cleared Hadjar, another one to jump out of the way and perhaps in his own way, wrecked the Frenchman’s chance of fighting for tenth.
But this is about the win today. And Piastri had DRS.
Antonelli was the next to get blue flags, and they both get past into turn 13.
On lap 67 – Norris lead by nine tenths of a second over team-mate Piastri. He held his team mate at bay that time round. The Briton needed to save his battery, and use it down the main straight on each and every lap here to offset that DRS.
On lap 68, It was closer, but Piastri was not close enough. The Australian came from a long way back and tried the late braking manoeuvre but it was not to be.
On the penultimate tour – Piastri made a very late lunge, he suffered a locked up and just missed Norris.
On the final lap – The last time on the main straight. “Same reminder Oscar,” Piastri was told about the late lunge. Piastri was just too far back and could not make a move.
Norris had this, as Leclerc received a five second time penalty for erratic driving.
Norris crossed the line to take the Hungarian GP 0.698 seconds over team-mate Piastri as Mercedes Russell completed the top three.
Leclerc finished fourth and in-front of Alonso who placed fifth and Bortoleto who took an impressive sixth for Sauber.
Stroll followed in seventh and ahead of Lawson who took eighth whilst Verstappen and Antonelli rounded out the top ten.
2025 Hungarian GP – The Top Three
2025 Hungarian GP Winner – Lando Norris, #4, McLaren Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL39 – (25 Points):
“I’m dead, I’m dead! It was tough, we weren’t planning on the one-stop at the beginning but after the first lap it was our only chance to get back into things. I was pushing flat out, the perfect result today. I didn’t think it would get us the win; I thought it would get us into second as I knew the pace was good. It’s always a bit of a gamble; it requires good laps and no mistakes. We are fighting hard, both of us. It is tough but fun racing with Oscar.”
2nd Place – Oscar Piastri, #81, McLaren Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL39 – +0.698s – (18 Points):
“I pushed as hard as I could. When I saw Lando going for a one, I knew I’d have to overtake on track, which is easier said than done around here. Today, we were just on the wrong side of it. He didn’t have much to lose so it wasn’t a huge surprise, I don’t know if trying to undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end.”
3rd Place – George Russell, #63, Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, F1 W16 – +21.916s – (15 Points):
“Really happy with the race today. So happy to be back on the podium, as it was a bit dicey with Charles at some points. If you commit to a divebomb and the driver in front moves, there’s not much grip. I think we made slight contact but pleased to make the move.”
Formula 1 Lenovo Hungarian Grand Prix 2025 Race Results Classification (70 Laps)
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | LAPS | TIME / RETIRED | PTS. |
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 70 | 1:35:21.231 | 25 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 70 | +0.698s | 18 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 70 | +21.916s | 15 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 70 | +42.560s | 12 |
| 5 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 70 | +59.040s | 10 |
| 6 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 70 | +66.169s | 8 |
| 7 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 70 | +68.174s | 6 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 70 | +69.451s | 4 |
| 9 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 70 | +72.645s | 2 |
| 10 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 69 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 69 | +1 lap | |
| 12 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | |
| 13 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 69 | +1 lap | |
| 14 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 69 | +1 lap | |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 69 | +1 lap | |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 69 | +1 lap | |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 69 | +1 lap | |
| 18 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 69 | +1 lap | |
| 19 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 69 | +1 lap | |
| NC | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 48 | DNF | |
| * Provisional results. | ||||||
FORMULA 1 LENOVO HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX 2025 – RACE RESULT
Click here for the 2025 Formula 1 World Driver’s (Top 10) and Constructor’s Championship Standings
Round 15 of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship returns to famous Zandvoort Circuit in Zandvoort, Netherlands for the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix from Friday August 29-Sunday August 31.
