If you thought the current Formula One season couldn’t get more exciting, well, the Hungarian Grand Prix delivered everything we could have wanted before the summer break: A championship battle, on-track drama, driver penalties, somewhat planned strategy, and more.
Since the start of the weekend, we knew the McLarens were fast and were fighting for the top step of the podium. Many expected a bit too much of Ferrari, especially after Charles Leclerc’s exceptional lap in qualifying.
Now, time to talk about what happened on Sunday. Lando Norris clinched a victory at Hungaroring, fighting his teammate Oscar Piastri in a tense final-lap duel to secure McLaren’s 200th Formula 1 win. Norris adopted a bold one-stop strategy on hard tires, while Piastri opted for a two-stop, fresher‑tyre approach, finishing just 0.698 seconds behind
Now, Norris managed to beat a poor start that made him drop to P5, and then shuttled into traffic; however, this setback made McLaren switch his strategy to a one-stop, which worked and gave him the win in the end. On the other hand, we have Piastri, who had an amazing start and managed to undercut Leclerc in the Ferrari, but then closed in on Norris late and couldn’t find a clean way past. Now tensions are rising between them, and one radio exchange caught attention where Piastri recognised Norris as his ultimate competition, asking for the strategy to focus on beating his teammate rather than Leclerc.
We have to take some space to talk about Ferrari. What a weekend of carnage they served up! Lewis Hamilton experienced his worst Ferrari weekend so far, qualifying and finishing 12th, blaming himself harshly and speculating about his future. His team-mate, Charles Leclerc, was frustrated by a late drop-off and a chassis problem. He criticised his team over the radio, venting his frustrations with the pit wall, but afterwards clarified the issue was technical, not strategic. A new chassis problem may have been a contributing factor to the loss. Pole and initial race lead, but fell away in the last stint and received a five-second penalty for erratic defense
Gabriel Bortoleto gave a brilliant performance in his rookie race in Budapest! He delivered a career-best P6, while Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin managed to score a P5, marking the team’s season highlight.
We had a very interesting race with some small milestones and fun stats! McLaren took their 200th Formula 1 victory, becoming only the second team in history to reach that milestone. McLaren also got its Fourth consecutive 1‑2 finish for McLaren, only previously achieved in the Senna‑Prost era in 1988.
Piastri retains the Drivers’ Championship lead with 284 points, Norris now at 275, closing the gap to just nine points as Formula One heads into its summer break. McLaren leads the Constructors’ Championship by a huge margin of 299 points ahead of Ferrari.
The 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix was a perfect showcase of strategy, nerve, and team cohesion. McLaren’s decision to roll the dice with Norris paid dividends, while Piastri’s consistent pace and Leclerc’s early dominance fell short. With the championship drama heating up and McLaren’s performance dominant, the summer break couldn’t come at a more exciting moment.
Now, with a month break, we have time to reflect on the first half of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Silly season is about to start, and it comes stronger than ever with a new team joining the grid next season, new regulations and who knows we might get some unexpected driver moves if there’s one thing we are sure the breaks are never as boring as we might think.
Written by Marcia.
Edited by Alexandra.
Featured image credit: GETTY IMAGES via bbc.co.uk
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