Lando Norris held off a thrilling late charge from Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix and reduce his F1 world championship rival’s lead to nine points ahead of the summer break.
Norris was running in fourth place but benefited from stopping for tyres one fewer time than his rivals to land his fifth victory of the season.
The British driver took the chequered flag just six tenths ahead of Piastri, who went within centimetres of colliding with Norris on the last-but-one lap when he locked up his front-right tyre at the opening corner.
George Russell passed Charles Leclerc with eight laps to go to take the final spot on the podium. Pole-sitter Leclerc had to settle for fourth. Lewis Hamilton, who urged Ferrari to replace him after he qualified only 12th, finished in the same position, a lap down.
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F1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Lando Norris wins the Hungarian GP; Piastri 2nd; Russell 3rd
- Click HERE for the top-10 in Budapest
- START! Hamilton drops to 14th at the start
- START! Norris loses two spots at the start
- Lewis Hamilton appalled at his F1 qualifying display in Hungary: ‘I’m useless’
Oscar Piastri on one-stop strategy:
18:17
,
Kieran Jackson
“We thought a two-stop was the best thing to do and in clean air it potentially was, but vs dirty air it’s a different story. It’s easy now to say a one-stop was the way to go but a second difference, we’d be saying something different.”
Ollie Bearman on race retirement:
17:50
,
Kieran Jackson
“We managed to run in P10 for the first stint, but I was really clinging on the whole way. I was really struggling with the feeling of the car, and I had massive oversteer throughout.
“It progressed in the second stint, picking up some damage somewhere because we saw a big drop in loads, and by that point, it was clear that we couldn’t finish the race. It’s disappointing as we had a decent qualifying and opening lap today, but from there I wasn’t looking forward, I was looking behind.
“We need to understand why that was the case because in the last few races I’ve been feeling really good in race trim, but this weekend it hasn’t been the case.”
Leclerc was given a five-second penalty for moving under braking here
17:30
,
Kieran Jackson
The five-second penalty didn’t have any impact on Leclerc finishing fourth...
George Russell is into P3!
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 3, 2025
Charles Leclerc is out of the podium positions after starting on pole pic.twitter.com/FnxtTbkT4v
RACE REPORT: Lando Norris holds off Oscar Piastri in thrilling finale to Hungarian Grand Prix
17:15
,
Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris held off a thrilling late charge from Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix and reduce his F1 world championship rival’s lead to nine points.
Norris was running in fourth place but benefited from stopping for tyres one fewer time than his rivals to land his fifth victory of the season.
The British driver took the chequered flag just six tenths ahead of Piastri, who went within centimetres of colliding with Norris on the last-but-one lap when he locked up his front-right tyre at the opening corner.
George Russell passed Charles Leclerc with eight laps to go to take the final spot on the podium.
Full report below:
George Russell on finishing on the podium:
16:59
,
Kieran Jackson
"This whole weekend has been a bit surprising for everyone!"
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 3, 2025
George on P3 in Hungary pic.twitter.com/fETdSbZ7mF
Lewis Hamilton after finishing 12th:
16:50
,
Kieran Jackson
On Verstappen incident: “I don’t really remember it to be honest.
On his comments after qualifying, asked to expand: “Not particularly.
“When you have a feeling, you have a feeling. there’s a lot going on in the background which is not great.
Does he love racing anymore? “No, I still love racing.”
Charles Leclerc after a frustrating 4th-place finish from pole:
16:35
,
Kieran Jackson
“I spoke too quickly, I had a bit more details, I thought it was about something else. It was a problem on the chassis, there was an issue on that side... it doesn’t make me feel any better, when we’re fighting for a win, we need to make sure it never happens again, car is just undrivable.
“It’s something we need to look into.
“It’s very frustrating to have everything under control, to know the pace is in the car to win, and you end up being nowhere - even lost the podium so very disappointing.”
Russell on Piastri's-Norris' move!
16:20
,
Kieran Jackson
"Why didn't you just T-bone him?! That would have been great"
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 3, 2025
George pic.twitter.com/KzyD985FMz
Time for the podium in Hungary!
15:59
,
Kieran Jackson
McLaren’s 200th win in Formula 1 - and Lando Norris takes it ahead of Oscar Piastri!
Norris looks knackered up on the podium as he celebrates his ninth grand prix victory!
14 races down, 10 to go in this fascinating title race.
Oscar Piastri after finishing second:
15:59
,
Kieran Jackson
“I pushed as hard as I could. After Lando went for a one, I had to go for an overtake on track, much easier said then done. It was a gamble and we were on the wrong side of it, car has been great all weekend.
“He didn’t have much to lose, it wasn’t a huge surprise.”
Lando Norris after his victory:
15:53
,
Kieran Jackson
“I’m dead! It was tough, we weren’t really planning on the one-stop, but it was our only option. The final stint with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat out! The perfect result today.
“I thought the one-stop might get us into second, not the win. The pace was strong. It’s always a bit of a gamble but it also requires no mistakes, good laps, good strategy, that’s what we have today.
“We’re so tight, it’s hard to say momentum is on either side. Tough but fun racing with Oscar.”
TOP-10 IN HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
15:48
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Lando Norris
2. Oscar Piastri
3. George Russell
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Gabriel Bortoleto
7. Lance Stroll
8. Liam Lawson
9. Max Verstappen
10. Kimi Antonelli
Piastri's lead to Norris
15:41
,
Kieran Jackson
The gap is now nine points between Piastri and Norris.
If he’d caught Norris, it would have been 23.
Key points swing back in Norris’ favour!
Lando Norris wins the Hungarian Grand Prix!
15:39
,
Kieran Jackson
What a drive from Lando Norris - he makes the one-stop strategy stick and wins in Budapest!
He holds off Oscar Piastri, who has to settle for second, with George Russell in third.
4-10: Leclerc, Alonso, Bortoleto, Stroll, Lawson, Verstappen, Antonelli
Lando Norris holds lead on last turn 1 (Lap 70/70)
15:38
,
Kieran Jackson
Final lap - and Norris holds the lead at turn 1!
It’s edging closer for the Brit...
Piastri:
15:37
,
Kieran Jackson
Piastri’s engineer: “Reminder how we go racing, same reminder Oscar.”
Piastri locks up at turn 1 (Lap 69/70)
15:37
,
Kieran Jackson
Piastri dives down the inside and locks up!
Did he almost hit Norris?! Anyhow, Norris holds the lead with one more chance down into turn 1!
Piastri makes a move! (Lap 68/70)
15:35
,
Kieran Jackson
A late lunge from Piastri but Norris is JUST ahead enough to kepe the lead!
It’s so tight now! Three laps left...
Norris and Norris fighting for lead (Lap 67/70)
15:35
,
Kieran Jackson
Just 0.6 seconds now between Norris in first and Piastri in second!
How much will Piastri’s DRS extra speed benefit him? No more traffic now, so it’s just these two racing...
Top-10 with five laps to go (Lap 66/70)
15:33
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Norris
2. Piastri
3. Russell
4. Leclerc
5. Alonso
6. Bortoleto
7. Stroll
8. Lawson
9. Verstappen
10. Antonelli
Piastri within DRS range of Norris (Lap 65/70)
15:32
,
Kieran Jackson
Here we go then!
Can Norris hold on here? He may get some DRS from backmarkers down the main straight, but he’ll do well to hold him off here!
A big points swing depends on this...
Piastri now 1.5 seconds behind Norris (Lap 63/70)
15:30
,
Kieran Jackson
This is going to be tough for Norris to hold on here, as he has Piastri breathing down his neck and he’s catching a gaggle of cars, who’re racing for 10th!
Norris: “The traffic is going to ruin my race.”
Gripping stuff this...
George Russell:
15:29
,
Kieran Jackson
“That’s a penalty. Turned in on me on braking.”
It was a late defence under braking from Leclerc. Hhhmmm..
Russell takes third place (Lap 62/70)
15:28
,
Kieran Jackson
This time, Russell gets it done!
It was a very late defence from Leclerc at the inside of turn 1, but Russell gets it done nonetheless and holds the lead at turn 2!
Russell up to the podium places...
Piastri within three seconds of Norris (Lap 61/70)
15:27
,
Kieran Jackson
Piastri now trails by around 2.8 seconds, with the estimations showing that the McLaren pair will converge in the next five laps.
Meanwhile, Russell goes for a move on Leclerc at turn 1 but the Ferrari gets his elbows out!
Russell complains of “moving under braking.”
McLaren CEO Zak Brown:
15:25
,
Kieran Jackson
“We’re about to see a lot of excitement, these guys will converge shortly - we’ll see a bit of a race.
“They can race hard, race clean, go for it boys.”
Russell catching Leclerc (Lap 58/70)
15:23
,
Kieran Jackson
Trouble for Leclerc, as Russell closes in to within DRS-range of Leclerc in third.
Can the Ferrari hold him off?
All the frontrunners catching a lot of traffic now too, so having to negotiate that too...
Piastri chasing Norris (Lap 56/70)
15:20
,
Kieran Jackson
By around half-a-second a lap, Piastri is catching Norris and with 14 laps left, the gap is 5.5 seconds.
This will be such an interesting finale!
Top-10: Norris, Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, Alonso, Bortoleto, Stroll, Lawson, Verstappen, Antonelli
Charles Leclerc on team radio: (Lap 53/70)
15:16
,
Kieran Jackson
“This is so incredibly frustrating. We’ve lost all competitiveness. It will be a miracle if we finish on the podium.”
Ah dear. Russell is making time on Leclerc in third...
Piastri overtakes Leclerc (Lap 51/70)
15:13
,
Kieran Jackson
Terrific move from Piastri!
The Aussie takes second place, lurching down the outside of Leclerc at turn 1 and making it stick!
McLaren’s pace now coming to the fore! Down the road, 8.3 seconds, is his teammate Lando Norris....
Further back, Ollie Bearman has become the first car to retire from this race.
Max Verstappen pits (Lap 49/70)
15:12
,
Kieran Jackson
Verstappen comes in for his second stop and drops from fifth to ninth.
Out in front, Norris’ lead is now 8.8 seconds, with Piastri right on tail of Leclerc....
Oscar Piastri pits (Lap 46/70)
15:07
,
Kieran Jackson
Another 1.9-second stop for McLaren, and Piastri rejoins in third.
OK, so Norris is now out in front with a seven-second lead - can he keep the lead until the end of the race?!
Top-5: Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Verstappen
Don’t go anywhere here!
Russell pits (Lap 44/70)
15:04
,
Kieran Jackson
Russell is not overtaken by Norris as Mercedes pit their driver. Russell comes out in fourth, 14 seconds off Leclerc in third.
Further down, Lewis Hamilton has come in for his first pit-stop and comes out in 16th.
Top-10: Piastri, Norris, Leclerc, Russell, Verstappen, Alonso, Bortoleto, Stroll, Lawson, Sainz
Norris right on Russell's tail (Lap 43/70)
15:02
,
Kieran Jackson
Norris is within DRS of Russell in second, can the McLaren overtake him?
Charles Leclerc pits (Lap 40/70)
15:00
,
Kieran Jackson
Leclerc pits, Piastri stays out!
Leclerc now in fourth, six seconds off Norris. Have Ferrari made the right call there?!
Lando Norris pits (Lap 31/70)
14:47
,
Kieran Jackson
Here we go then!
Norris pits onto hards, with a speedy 1.9-second stop, and comes out in fourth!
He will go to the end of the 70 laps then... and currently trails Russell in third by eight seconds...
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in combat! (Lap 30/70)
14:45
,
Kieran Jackson
In a fight for 11th, Verstappen was right on the tail of Hamilton and the Ferrari went off-track, with the Dutchman taking the position!
Not proving to be a fruitful weekend for the seven-time world champion, it has to be said...
Lando Norris on one-stop (Lap 29/70)
14:42
,
Kieran Jackson
“Why not,” says Norris, when asked about the one-stop.
Nothing to lose for the Brit! His lead has now dropped to 5.6 seconds...
Top-10: Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Alonso, Bortoleto, Stroll, Lawson, Bearman, Hadjar
Piastri asking about one-stop (Lap 27/70)
14:40
,
Kieran Jackson
Piastri: “Do you think a one-stop could work?”
Engineer: “Difficult, Oscar.”
Piastri trails Leclerc by 1.9 seconds, with Norris out in front by eight seconds but losing a lot of lap time.
Meanwhile, Russell has finally got past Alonso for fourth place.
Norris stays out (Lap 22/70)
14:35
,
Kieran Jackson
Is Norris looking at doing a one-stop?!
Norris keeps the lead, with Leclerc and Piastri behind him. Alonso, in fourth, also yet to pit.
5-10: Russell, Bortoleto, Stroll, Lawson, Bearman, Hadjar
Charles Leclerc pits (Lap 19/70)
14:31
,
Kieran Jackson
A solid stop for Leclerc and the Ferrari driver keeps the lead!
Russell also pits, and drops five seconds off Piastri.
Norris now takes the lead, but will surely come in to the pits soon...
Oscar Piastri pits (Lap 18/70)
14:29
,
Kieran Jackson
Piastri is boxing “to overtake Leclerc”, hard tyres go on and it’s a quick 2-second stop.
Surely Leclerc will respond straight away?
Charles Leclerc has a three-second lead (Lap 14/70)
14:23
,
Kieran Jackson
This is looking really good for Ferrari, as they hunt their first win of the season.
Leclerc has a three-second lead to Piastri, who is now three seconds ahead of Russell.
Meanwhile, Norris has dropped outside of DRS range to Russell. Not good for the McLaren driver.
5-10: Alonso, Bortoleto, Verstappen, Stroll, Lawson, Bearman
Leclerc moaning about 'cuts' (Lap 11/70)
14:19
,
Kieran Jackson
Leclerc: “What’s going on with these cuts?”
Unclear what that’s about. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious, given the Ferrari has a healthy 2.7-second lead at the moment.
Meanwhile, Norris is being told: “We need to get past Russell.” He’s within DRS...
Piastri in second (Lap 9/70)
14:16
,
Kieran Jackson
Piastri’s engineer: “Do you think a one-stop is possible?”
Piastri: “Tyres feel OK but it’s difficult to know, there’s so many laps left.”
The McLaren driver not making any inroads on Leclerc right now, with the gap now 2.8 seconds.
Top-10: Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Norris, Alonso, Bortoleto, Verstappen, Stroll, Lawson, Bearman
Isack Hadjar in pain (Lap 7/70)
14:12
,
Kieran Jackson
The RB driver, in 11th, complaining of hand pain caused by gravel.
Not ideal for the Frenchman...
Gabriel Bortoleto noted for potential false start (Lap 5/70)
14:10
,
Kieran Jackson
Nightmare for the Brazilian in sixth, who may well have jumped the start.
If proven, it’ll be a penalty. And his teammate Nico Hulkenberg is also under investigation too!
Out in front, Leclerc already has a healthy 2.5-second lead to Piastri! Could Ferrari be on for a race win here?!
Norris takes fourth place back (Lap 3/70)
14:08
,
Kieran Jackson
Norris needed that!
More speed and a slipstream down the main straight makes it an easy move for the Brit, past the Aston Martin of Alonso!
Norris back up to fourth - but Russell is already two seconds down the road.
Top-10: Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Norris, Alonso, Bortoleto, Verstappen, Stroll, Lawson, Bearman
Lewis Hamilton down two places (Lap 2/70)
14:06
,
Kieran Jackson
Not a good start for Hamilton - he’s dropped from 12th to 14th with Sainz and Antonelli getting ahead.
Verstappen also lost eighth to Liam Lawson but has since taken it back...
Lights out!
14:05
,
Kieran Jackson
Good start from Charles Leclerc who keeps first place at the start - but Lando Norris has dropped from third to fifth!
Norris got away well, swooped to the inside, but Piastri blocked him off and Russell and Alonso had superior speed to get ahead!
Russell right on the tail of Piastri in second!
Formation lap!
14:01
,
Kieran Jackson
Charles Leclerc leads the pack away then for the formation lap
The top-11 all start on medium tyres, with Lewis Hamilton in 12th on hard tyres.
Who will lead coming up to turn one now then?!
Time for the Hungarian Grand Prix!
13:56
,
Kieran Jackson
Here we go then - it’s round 14 of the 2025 season!
Charles Leclerc is a surprise pole-sitter but it’s a long run down to turn one at the Hungaroring, with Oscar Piastri in second and Lando Norris in third!
But with the likes of Max Verstappen down in 8th and Lewis Hamilton in 12th, it should be a fascinating race down the order too!
Oscar Piastri, who starts P2:
13:54
,
Kieran Jackson
“It should be a good day for us today, we'll see what we can do.
“If I can get the lead at turn one, that'd make my life significantly easier, but if not, strategy."
Odds for the Hungarian GP:
13:52
,
Kieran Jackson
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali on Hungarian GP:
13:50
,
Kieran Jackson
“It’s going to be a good race, different grid to what we were expecting.
“Lewis is a jewel, no matter this difficult moment he will react...”
George Russell, who starts in fourth:
13:48
,
Kieran Jackson
“The start is also important but race-pace tends to favour the winner, it’s difficult to overtake, a lot of work in strategy.
“Sneak in there...”
Time for the Hungarian national anthem on the grid!
13:45
,
Kieran Jackson
Performed by Veca Janicsak in Budapest...
Brundle on Hamilton's reaction to qualifying:
13:43
,
Kieran Jackson
"He wears his heart on his sleeve" ❤️
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 3, 2025
Martin Brundle and Jamie Chadwick reflect on Lewis Hamilton's difficult qualifying in Hungary pic.twitter.com/1XBOB4jheu
How Lewis Hamilton is trying to revive Ferrari
13:40
,
Kieran Jackson
Prior to a Belgian Grand Prix weekend to forget for Lewis Hamilton, whose last F1 win came here a year ago with Mercedes, the question posed to the Ferrari driver without a podium to his name this year was an innocuous one. His answer, however, was an unyielding message to his beleaguered Ferrari team.
Asked whether he’d been at the Maranello factory in the last few weeks, Hamilton replied that he had. A “couple of days each week”, he detailed. Then, untriggered, the British driver, often so reluctant to reveal the inner workings of his mind, went into full disclosure mode.
HUNGARORING FACTFILE
13:34
,
Kieran Jackson
The Hungaroring is a 4.381 km circuit that lies around 45 minutes away from Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
The track has hosted the Hungarian Grand Prix since 1986, and has proved popular among fans. It is known for its tight, winding nature and is both the second shortest and second slowest circuit in F1, having been compared to Monaco in the past.
Turn 1 is the main overtaking spot – although Turn 2 and the hill towards Turn 4 often throw together overtaking battles – while the middle sector focuses on grip and keeping the tyres alive.
While overtaking is notoriously difficult, there have been notable highlights over the years including Jenson Button's maiden victory in 2006, a superb strategic win from Michael Schumacher in 1998 and Esteban Ocon's victory for Alpine in 2021.
F1 constructor standings
13:30
,
Kieran Jackson
1. McLaren - 516 points
2. Ferrari - 248 points
3. Mercedes - 220 points
4. Red Bull - 192 points
5. Williams - 70 points
6. Sauber - 43 points
7. Racing Bulls - 41 points
8. Aston Martin - 36 points
9. Haas - 35 points
10. Alpine - 20 points
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko on chance meeting with Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli
13:27
,
Jack Rathborn
“I don’t want to make any outside comments on how things work for any other team. Antonelli is certainly very fast, but also a very young driver,” Helmut Marko said.
“Strangely enough, we spoke briefly in the hotel at Spa, and he said that he has no confidence in the car. As soon as he pushes, he no longer has control.
“It’s more of a mental thing, and it seems that [with] his car, like ours, it’s very critical to be in the working window. When it does work, it’s much more potent, and of course a driver like Russell does it much more easily. Mercedes, thank goodness, don’t have the luxury of a second team.”
Lewis Hamilton labels 12th place in qualifying 'useless'
13:22
,
Kieran Jackson
Hamilton said on the radio “every time, every time” after he was knocked out in Q2, and did not mince his words in the media pen afterwards.
“It’s just me every time – I’m useless, absolutely useless,” a downbeat Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“The team has no problem, we’re on pole. They probably need to change driver.”
F1 driver standings
13:15
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 266 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 185 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 157 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 139 points
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 63 points
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 54 points
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 37 points
10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 27 points
12. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 22 points
12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 20 points
13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 20 points
14. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 16 points
15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 16 points
16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 16 points
17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 10 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 6 points
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points
Fernando Alonso after qualifying P5:
13:12
,
Kieran Jackson
“The car is much better this weekend. In Spa we were 19th and 20th, now fifth and sixth. This layout is better for our package, we need to maximise these weekends.
“This is down to the team and effort everyone’s doing. The front-wing is giving us that extra load in the corners, I think we are trying to understand all the tools.
“The car is better than my back!”
PREVIEW: F1’s return to Hungary serves as reminder of McLaren quarrel on the horizon
13:07
,
Kieran Jackson
The Hungaroring, Budapest. Twelve months ago, as it became apparent that McLaren’s 2024 mid-season renaissance was more than just a temporary spike on the performance graph, this is where the first banging of heads occurred between the papaya drivers out on track. Two drivers desperate for victory, which made a quarrel, with neither defined as team No 1, quite the inevitability.
Eventually, Oscar Piastri claimed his first F1 race victory and almost looked embarrassed to celebrate. It only came after Lando Norrisreluctantly conceded the lead, as his engineer Will Joseph pleaded with the Brit to follow team orders.
“I know you’ll do the right thing,” Joseph told his driver. “Just remember every single Sunday morning meeting we have… I’m trying to protect you, mate… please do it now.” Eventually, the series of orders – teetering on the edge of successive guilt trips – triggered the most reluctant of acquiesces from Norris.
