Half a season had to pass for Lando Norris and McLaren to bring out the version that last year led the Woking team and its driver to be crowned world champions again almost two decades after the last time. It finally happened this Sunday, in Budapest, in a Grand Prix that suggests the rivalry among the World Championship’s big fish has intensified with a view to the second half of the season. Norris’s victory was only challenged by Oscar Piastri, his garage neighbor, disguised as The Unlucky One at Hungaroring, where everything went wrong for him: a touch with Carlos Sainz, who was lapped, put the Australian in a most vulnerable situation against Norris, who overtook him during the second tire change. As if that direct blow to the face wasn’t enough of a setback, the gearbox of the Melbourne boy’s prototype gave up 14 laps from the end, certifying a day to forget.
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Max Verstappen’s second place is one of those that can only be explained by the Dutchman’s magic. A gift that allows him to perform PlayStation-style maneuvers, such as the double overtake on Liam Lawson and Lewis Hamilton, to regain the position that the Ferrari multi-champion had snatched from him on his first pit stop. Kimi Antonelli completed a podium from which both Ferraris were left out, and which showcased three different teams, the best news to go on vacation with the hope that Mercedes’ dominance is a thing of the past.
If it’s hard to understand how Mad Max managed to get his Red Bull so high up, it’s even more incomprehensible that none of the red cars participated in the champagne ceremony, given the level of competitiveness they displayed at all times, except when it mattered most. Fernando Alonso crossed the finish line 14th and Sainz was last.
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Norris won again, something he hadn’t achieved since last year’s race in Brazil, demonstrating the character he showed then to overcome Verstappen. And it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Briton, who couldn’t defend his pole position after Piastri attacked him and the scare led him to the outside of the second corner, into the dusty area, where he started to skid and couldn’t avoid being overtaken by his teammate. With both leaders driving the same car, the only way to reshuffle things was through an external element, and that came with Sainz. The Madrilenian and Alonso were battling, already a lap down, and Piastri appeared there, touching the Williams driver, an incident that foreshadowed something unheard of: the driver from Victoria losing his temper and dedicating a compliment to the Spaniard. “Get out of my way, idiot!” exclaimed the McLaren driver, who lost two seconds in that bump, a gift Norris appreciated as he emerged from the garages back in the lead.
Sepang returns to the calendar
Shortly before the start of the event, Formula 1’s promoter confirmed that the Bahrain Grand Prix, initially scheduled for April and suspended due to the war between the United States and Iran, will be held on October 4 at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, where the championship will return nine years later.
| posdriver |
|---|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
| 5 |
6 |
| 7 |
8 |
9 |
| 10 |
| posdriver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | – |
| 2 |  | +15.080 |
| 3 |  | +18.728 |
| 4 |  | +23.840 |
| 5 | | +24.540 |
| 6 | | +55.480 |
| 7 | | +57.503 |
| 8 |  | 1 lap |
| 9 |  | 1 lap |
| 10 | | 1 lap |
| posdriver |
|---|
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| 7 |
| 8 |
| 9 |
| 10 |
| posdriver | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 25 |
| 2 | | 18 |
| 3 | | 15 |
| 4 | | 12 |
| 5 | | 10 |
| 6 | | 8 |
| 7 | | 6 |
| 8 | | 4 |
| 9 | | 2 |
| 10 | | 1 |
| posdriver |
|---|
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| 7 |
| 8 |
| 9 |
| 10 |
| posdriver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | | – |
| 2 | | +15.080 |
| 3 | | +18.728 |
| 4 | | +23.840 |
| 5 | | +24.540 |
| 6 | | +55.480 |
| 7 | | +57.503 |
| 8 | | 1 lap |
| 9 | | 1 lap |
| 10 | | 1 lap |
| posdriver |
|---|
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6 |
7 |
| 8 |
| 9 |
| 10 |
| posdriver | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 219 |
| 2 | | 169 |
| 3 | | 160 |
| 4 | | 138 |
| 5 | | 128 |
| 6 | | 109 |
| 7 | | 92 |
| 8 | | 68 |
| 9 | | 43 |
| 10 |  | 42 |
| posteam |
|---|
| 1 Mercedes |
| 2 Ferrari |
| 3 McLaren |
| 4 Red Bull |
| 5 RACING BULLS |
| 6 Alpine |
| 7 Haas F1 Team |
| 8 Audi |
| 9 Williams |
| 10 Aston Martin |
| 11 Cadillac |
| posteam | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Mercedes | | 379 |
| 2 Ferrari | | 307 |
| 3 McLaren | | 220 |
| 4 Red Bull | | 177 |
| 5 RACING BULLS | | 66 |
| 6 Alpine | | 61 |
| 7 Haas F1 Team |  | 21 |
| 8 Audi | | 12 |
| 9 Williams |  | 11 |
| 10 Aston Martin |  | 1 |
| 11 Cadillac |  | 0 |
| posdriver |
|---|
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| 7 |
| 8 |
| 9 |
| 10 |
| posdriver | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 219 |
| 2 | | 169 |
| 3 | | 160 |
| 4 | | 138 |
| 5 | | 128 |
| 6 | | 109 |
| 7 | | 92 |
| 8 | | 68 |
| 9 | | 43 |
| 10 | | 42 |
