Norris wins in Hungary to trim Piastri lead as McLaren reel off another 1-2
Lando Norris trimmed McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri's lead in the drivers' world championship to just nine points on Sunday when he switched tactics to lead him home by just 0.698 seconds in a thrilling finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 25-year-old Briton, who moved from a two-stop strategy to one stop, held off series leader Piastri, on fresher tires, over the closing laps of a strategic contest to claim McLaren's 200th victory and their record 13th win in Hungary.
It was Norris's first win at the Hungaroring in the event's 40th race, avenging his 'team orders' defeat in 2024 when Piastri claimed his maiden success, his fifth victory of the season and the ninth of his career.
The dominant McLaren pair finished 22 seconds clear of third-placed George Russell of Mercedes with pole sitter Charles Leclerc of Ferrari fourth, grumbling at the Italian team's poor planning after he slipped out of the leading position.
"I wasn't planning to do a one-stop," said Norris. "But it was the only option to get back into things and it was tough. Oscar was pushing all the way."
Piastri said he had done all he could to triumph.
"It was great racing," he said. "Lando did a great job."
His drive brought McLaren their fourth consecutive 1-2 finish.
Two-time champion Fernando Alonso came home fifth for Aston Martin ahead of Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin, rookie Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and frustrated four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
Mercedes' rookie Kimi Antonelli was 10th ahead of Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton 12th in the second Ferrari, 24 hours after declaring himself undeserving of their race seat.
Heavy overnight rain had 're-set' the track on a breezy afternoon in front of a big crowd at the Hungaroring.
The track temperature was only 31 degrees, encouraging thoughts of a one-stop race as tire-wear decreased and Leclerc controlled the pace ahead of Piastri, Russell and Norris.
Piastri pitted on lap 18, seeking an undercut. He returned in fifth as Leclerc responded to stay ahead.
Norris inherited the lead and had a 10-second advantage, as the Monegasque regained second, with Piastri third.
He then chose to stay out until pitting, in just 1.9 seconds, for hards on lap 31, rejoining fourth and facing a long run home.
At the front, Leclerc responded to an apparent 'bluff' call from McLaren and pitted, falling to fourth and gifting Piastri the lead ahead of a rapid Norris as the race dissolved into a strategy and tire-management contest between the two McLarens.
Norris reveled in his delayed one-stop tactic as Piastri made a second pit on lap 45, the Briton leading with a frustrated Ferrari second, Leclerc blaming his team for bungling his plan before being passed by Piastri around Turn One on lap 51.
This left Norris, on aging tires, leading his teammate in a classic scrap to the flag, negotiating traffic and separated by half a second over the final laps.
On lap 68, the Australian went close to passing in Turn One and on lap 69, he locked up.
"Remember how we go racing," Piastri's engineer Tom Stallard reminded him.
For Leclerc, soon left a distant third by the two McLarens, it was another pole wasted – the 15th time he failed to convert pole into a win in 16 attempts – and it grew worse when Russell, after two attempts, passed him on lap 63.
© 2025 AFP
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Japan Times
13 hours ago
- Japan Times
Lando Norris enjoying battle with Oscar Piastri after winning Hungarian GP
Lando Norris said he was looking forward to "more of the same" thrilling wheel-to-wheel duels with teammate Oscar Piastri after leading a McLaren 1-2 in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. The 25-year-old Briton, who trimmed Piastri's lead in the title race to nine points, finished the race just 0.698 seconds ahead as they crossed the line to secure the team's 200th victory in Formula One and record 13th in Hungary. "I'm dead!" said Norris, who had switched to a one-stop strategy after a poor opening lap and then battled to resist Piastri's attacks in the closing laps. "It was tough, we weren't really planning on a one-stop at the beginning, but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things. "It was tough in the final stint, with Oscar catching. I was pushing flat out, you know, so my voice has gone a little bit!" Piastri stayed with his two-stop strategy and had a tire advantage, but on the tight and technical Hungaroring track he found it impossible to pass his teammate. "I didn't think it would probably get us to win," Norris said. "I thought it would get us into second, but I knew if I had some clean air, and I could push, I could maybe make things work and that's what we did. "It's always a bit of a gamble with these things, but it also requires no mistakes, good laps, good strategy — all these things — and that's what we had today so I'm very happy." He said his win, which moved him within reach of overhauling Piastri when the season resumes after F1's August break, had been fun, but was not in any way decisive. "We're so tightly fought, it's hard to say that momentum is on anyone's side, but we're fighting hard, both of us, and it's fun. It's tough, but fun racing with Oscar. "And it's great for us as a team, another 1-2 and our 200th win in Formula One. "Credit to Oscar, he put up a good charge, and I just about held on, so I look forward to many more of these." Piastri, was within a second of his teammate. "I pushed as hard as I could," he said. "I saw Lando going for a one (stop) so I knew I was going to have to overtake on track, which is easier said then done around here. "I tried a few things, but it was a gamble either way and, unfortunately, we were just on the other side of it. Piastri questioned his team's decision to try to 'undercut' pole^sitter and early leader Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in the early stages of the race. "I'm not sure that was the right call in the end," he said. That call ensured Piastri would be on a two-stop strategy while Norris kept his options open — and as Leclerc fell away from leading, Mercedes' George Russell stormed through to finish third ahead of him in a frustrating fourth-place finish for Ferrari. The outcome was McLaren's fourth consecutive 1-2 and Norris's fifth win this year and ninth of his career. McLaren now leads Ferrari by 299 points in the constructors' championship ahead of the final 10 races of the season starting at the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 31.
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Norris wins in Hungary to trim Piastri lead as McLaren reel off another 1-2
auto racing Lando Norris trimmed McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri's lead in the drivers' world championship to just nine points on Sunday when he switched tactics to lead him home by just 0.698 seconds in a thrilling finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 25-year-old Briton, who moved from a two-stop strategy to one stop, held off series leader Piastri, on fresher tires, over the closing laps of a strategic contest to claim McLaren's 200th victory and their record 13th win in Hungary. It was Norris's first win at the Hungaroring in the event's 40th race, avenging his 'team orders' defeat in 2024 when Piastri claimed his maiden success, his fifth victory of the season and the ninth of his career. The dominant McLaren pair finished 22 seconds clear of third-placed George Russell of Mercedes with pole sitter Charles Leclerc of Ferrari fourth, grumbling at the Italian team's poor planning after he slipped out of the leading position. "I wasn't planning to do a one-stop," said Norris. "But it was the only option to get back into things and it was tough. Oscar was pushing all the way." Piastri said he had done all he could to triumph. "It was great racing," he said. "Lando did a great job." His drive brought McLaren their fourth consecutive 1-2 finish. Two-time champion Fernando Alonso came home fifth for Aston Martin ahead of Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin, rookie Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and frustrated four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull. Mercedes' rookie Kimi Antonelli was 10th ahead of Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton 12th in the second Ferrari, 24 hours after declaring himself undeserving of their race seat. Heavy overnight rain had 're-set' the track on a breezy afternoon in front of a big crowd at the Hungaroring. The track temperature was only 31 degrees, encouraging thoughts of a one-stop race as tire-wear decreased and Leclerc controlled the pace ahead of Piastri, Russell and Norris. Piastri pitted on lap 18, seeking an undercut. He returned in fifth as Leclerc responded to stay ahead. Norris inherited the lead and had a 10-second advantage, as the Monegasque regained second, with Piastri third. He then chose to stay out until pitting, in just 1.9 seconds, for hards on lap 31, rejoining fourth and facing a long run home. At the front, Leclerc responded to an apparent 'bluff' call from McLaren and pitted, falling to fourth and gifting Piastri the lead ahead of a rapid Norris as the race dissolved into a strategy and tire-management contest between the two McLarens. Norris reveled in his delayed one-stop tactic as Piastri made a second pit on lap 45, the Briton leading with a frustrated Ferrari second, Leclerc blaming his team for bungling his plan before being passed by Piastri around Turn One on lap 51. This left Norris, on aging tires, leading his teammate in a classic scrap to the flag, negotiating traffic and separated by half a second over the final laps. On lap 68, the Australian went close to passing in Turn One and on lap 69, he locked up. "Remember how we go racing," Piastri's engineer Tom Stallard reminded him. For Leclerc, soon left a distant third by the two McLarens, it was another pole wasted – the 15th time he failed to convert pole into a win in 16 attempts – and it grew worse when Russell, after two attempts, passed him on lap 63. © 2025 AFP
Nikkei Asia
a day ago
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Japan golfer Yamashita keeps cool to win Women's Open for first major
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