Lando Norris claimed an impressive win in the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, beating his teammate Piastri. The British driver pulled out a one-stop race to claim an emphatic win in Hungary. With this victory, the lead to the championship is closed down to just 9 points heading into the summer break. This is McLaren’s 200^th win in Formula 1 and their 7^th 1-2 finish this year.

Charles Leclerc, who was on pole looked pretty solid and surprised plenty of people with the pace early on. However, everything went wrong for him in his second stint. The one-stop strategy, coupled with a change in his setup, completely hampered his race. Not only did he not finish 1^st, he couldn’t even end up in the podium places. Let’s look into some key takeaways from this weekend.

Norris Wins in Hungary

Norris pulled out a 1-stop race to claim victory from his teammate in the Hungarian GP. After a poor start, it looked like the best spot that he’d finish would be in 4th place. However, having nothing to lose, McLaren put him on a single stopper. It looked like a daunting challenge at the start; however, as the race progressed, he soon showed his true pace. Even though Oscar Piastri was close to taking the lead in the final laps, he held his own. He was aided by the Hungaroring circuit, which is difficult to overtake.

The question on my mind, as was the case in the Belgian GP, is whether Norris is the favorite of the McLaren team? Like last time, he was offered a different strategy, which he was able to capitalise and win the race. Would McLaren offer a similar strategy to Piastri is up for debate.

Leclerc’s Misery After Taking Pole Continues

Leclerc clinched his 27^th pole in qualifying yesterday. However, he has only won 8 races out of them. The first half of the Hungarian GP looked quite promising, and at times, he looked quite quick. But things started to change once he went onto the hard tires. He had some fiery messages on the radio, and it’s hard to find out what the real problem was.

The real issue arose when he stopped for the second time, and this time he lost all his pace. From the outside, it looked like the car was set up for the medium tires and was not that well-optimised for hards. The worst part in all of this was not only overtaken by the McLarens but also by Russell, who claimed the final spot on the podium. To make matters worse, he got a 5-second penalty due to dangerous driving during the battle with Russell.

Vintage Alonso Resurfaces in the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso has been one of the best drivers of the 20th century. The oldest driver on the grid pulled out an impressive showing in the Grand Prix, finishing 5th in the race. The Spaniard managed his race like olden times and only started speeding when he thought it was necessary. At the start of the race, where it looked like Verstappen could get 5th spot or higher, the 2-time champion completely schooled his peers. The race showed us a glimpse of his old self and a bright spark for next year.

2025 Hungarian Grand Prix Standings

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)  
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
6. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
9. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
10. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
12. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
13. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
14. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
15. Alex Albon (Williams)
16. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
18. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
19. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

DNF: Oliver Bearman (Haas)