Lando Norris scored his first race victory as a Formula 1 world champion, winning the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli — but the 70-lap contest at the Hungaroring was anything but straightforward.

Norris versus Piastri: Round three in Hungary

For the third year in a row, the battle for victory in Hungary was between the two McLaren drivers. And for the third year in a row, it descended into drama.

Pole-sitter Norris ran wide at Turn 2 on the opening lap, allowing teammate Oscar Piastri to snatch the lead. Norris immediately began insisting he was the quicker of the two McLarens, growing increasingly frustrated over team radio when informed that Piastri, as the leader, would receive priority in the pits.

"I'm miles faster!" Norris cried at one stage. He would get his chance to prove it. When Piastri pitted for a second time on Lap 33, Norris stayed out for six more laps. During this phase, Piastri lost critical time lapping traffic — and then disaster struck.

The Sainz-Piastri collision and the blue flag farce

Williams driver Carlos Sainz, being lapped by Piastri, clattered into the McLaren at the exit of Turn 2 on Lap 38, seemingly unaware the race leader was so close. Piastri was furious. "That's got to be one of the dumbest things I've seen on a race track," he told Dutch broadcaster ViaPlay.

The incident was compounded by a malfunctioning blue flag warning system. The automated system, which displays blue lights on drivers' steering wheels to warn them of approaching leaders, went haywire early in the race. Even the leaders were randomly shown blue flag lights, and the information boards did not display driver numbers as they normally do.

Sainz was handed a five-second time penalty — reduced from the standard 10 seconds for causing a collision due to "mitigating circumstances" that included "limited visibility" and the malfunctioning blue flag system. The leniency raised eyebrows, with many noting that Ollie Bearman received the same five-second penalty for far less consequential blue flag infringements.

"Even if Sainz had limited visibility of Piastri in his blind spot because of the car's position on the outside of Turn 2 — which is down to Sainz alone, surely? — he was being lapped," wrote The Athletic's Luke Smith. "It is absolutely the responsibility of the driver and his team to be aware of the lead traffic coming through."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was similarly furious about backmarkers holding up Antonelli late in the race, telling Sky Sports: "'Teletubbies' engineers sit on the pit walls of these teams, not telling the drivers what's happening behind."

Russell's start nightmare

While Norris celebrated, George Russell endured another miserable afternoon. His car went into anti-stall mode at the start, and he plummeted from sixth to 21st — losing 15 places before the field even reached the first corner properly.

"All of a sudden, about four seconds before the lights went out, the engine just started revving all over the place," Russell explained. "I was reacting with my throttle, and it was doing nothing. The engine wasn't reacting to the throttle."

Wolff offered a technical explanation: "It looks like that he gave about 10 percent throttle, and the whole thing revved maximum. He went off the throttle, and it bogged down. So I'm really not happy about too many mistakes that happen."

Russell battled back to seventh, but the damage was done. "The race was totally ruined," he said. "I usually don't feel like I need a break. This year, I definitely feel like I need one."

Ferrari's missed opportunity

Ferrari looked capable of challenging for the win after leading both Friday practice sessions, but a series of errors cost them dearly. Hamilton qualified second but received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Piastri during Q3. He then started on soft tires while those around him opted for mediums, a strategy that never paid off.

Hamilton's race was further compromised by a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane during a virtual safety car stop — his fourth penalty in three race weekends. He finished fifth, behind teammate Charles Leclerc in fourth. "Everything went wrong," said Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur. "But we have to do a much better job."

Piastri's race ends in heartbreak

The Sainz incident was costly, but it was not what ended Piastri's race. On Lap 56, with 15 laps remaining, he slowed and parked with a suspected gearbox problem. What had 20 laps earlier been a possible first victory of 2026 ended in zero points and yet more questions about his 2026 fortunes.

Verstappen, meanwhile, finished second despite being furious with his car throughout the weekend. "When instead of the tire degrading, the car is degrading, then you have a big problem," he said. Antonelli completed the podium for Mercedes, extending his championship lead.

Full results

1. Lando Norris, McLaren
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
6. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull
7. George Russell, Mercedes
8. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
9. Nico Hülkenberg, Audi
10. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) and Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) all failed to finish.