Norris edges Piastri to win F1 Hungarian GP
Norris began the race at the Hungaroring from third on the grid, but dropped to fifth at the start after being squeezed by George Russell and Fernando Alonso, with surprise polesitter Charles Leclerc leading the field ahead of Piastri in second.
Faced with losing more ground to Piastri in the Drivers' Championship standings, Norris pivoted from a planned two-stop strategy to just one stop on lap 31. That move proved decisive, as it saw him emerge at the head of the field once the other frontrunners on more conventional strategies had made their second stops.
Piastri then swept around the outside of a fading Leclerc on Lap 51, and set about closing the nine-second gap to Norris, whose tyres were 14 laps older than the Australian's.
Piastri got within DRS range of Norris with five laps to go, and attempted an inside move on Norris at Turn 1 on the penultimate lap, locking up his tyres and narrowly avoiding contact.
Despite heavy pressure from his teammate, Norris kept his head to keep Piastri at bay on a circuit where overtaking is difficult, and ultimately saw out his fifth win of the season, and his third in the last four races.
"I'm dead," Norris said afterwards. "It was tough. We weren't really planning on the one-stop at the beginning, but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into [contention for victory].
"The final stint with Oscar catching I was pushing flat out. Rewarding for that and the perfect result today."
Behind the dominant McLarens, Russell rounded out the podium for Mercedes some 20 seconds down the road, ahead of an unhappy Leclerc in fourth. The Ferrari driver had led the opening stages from pole position, and appeared to have the pace to keep Piastri at bay, but his race unraveled in the second half as balance issues slowed him significantly.
Alonso took Aston Martin's best result of the season so far with fifth, while Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto scored his best ever finish with an impressive drive to sixth.
Alonso's teammate Lance Stroll took seventh on a good day for Aston Martin, while Liam Lawson took his second consecutive eighth-place finish for Racing Bulls.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who looked off the pace all weekend, finished ninth after an investigation into an incident where he appeared to force Lewis Hamilton off the track yielded no penalty, while Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top ten for Mercedes.
UNI XINHUA RKM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Ferrari boss backs Lewis Hamilton to make a comeback after miserable Hungarian GP
Lewis Hamilton received support from his Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur on Sunday just hours after the Briton cut a dejected figure following a lacklustre drive to 12th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. While team-mate Charles Leclerc proved unable to convert Ferrari's first pole position of the season into victory due to unexplained mechanical problems during the race, seven-time champion Hamilton was battling to escape midfield and finished where he started. As on Saturday, when he was dumped out of Q2 and appeared miserable, claiming he was 'completely useless' and saying the team should 'bring in another driver', Hamilton seemed utterly deflated. To most observers, it appeared as if the pressures of living up to the hype of his spectacular marquee move from Mercedes, where he won six titles, and adjusting to the culture, car and expectations at Ferrari were overwhelming him. At 40, talk of imminent retirement circled around him. But Vasseur was swift to defend Hamilton, who has always been prone to impulsive heart-on-sleeve reactions. 'I don't need to motivate him,' said Vasseur. 'Honestly, he's frustrated, but not demotivated. 'He's demanding, but I think it's also why he's (a) seven-time world champion. I can perfectly understand this situation. 'Sometimes, you are making comments on what the driver is saying (in) the car, but if you put the microphone on some other sportsmen, in football and so on, I'm not sure that it would be much better. 'Sometimes, just after the race or just after qualifying, you are very disappointed and the first reaction is harsh. I can understand the frustration, but we are all frustrated.' 'He will be back' Vasseur added Hamilton's weekend appeared worse than it really was because of the tight and competitive times that led him to miss out on reaching Q3 on Saturday. 'For sure, when you are a seven-time world champion, your team-mate is on pole position and you are out in Q2, it's a tough situation,' he said. 'But overall, we can also have a deep look that he was in front of Charles in Q1 and with the first set that he was one-tenth off in Q2. We were not far away from having the two cars out in Q2. 'I can understand the frustration from Lewis. That's normal and he will come back. He was stuck in a DRS train, but when he was alone, the pace was good. 'I'm sure that he will be back and he will perform.' Fourth-placed Leclerc backed his team-mate. 'At the end, we are one team and as much as I want to finish in front of Lewis, I want both of us to be successful and for Ferrari to be successful, and obviously this weekend has been a tough one for Lewis,' Leclerc said. 'But I have no doubt that it's a one-off and I'm sure the second part of the season will be a lot more positive.' Hamilton, sixth in the drivers' standings, but without a podium for Ferrari this year, said he was looking forward to a much-needed 'break from work' during F1's August holiday before the Dutch Grand Prix on the final weekend of this month.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Taylor Fritz Battles Past Jiri Lehecka To Enter Toronto Masters Quarters
Taylor Fritz beat Jiri Lehecka in a three-hour match to reach the ATP Toronto Masters quarterfinals. Taylor Fritz battled into Monday morning before finally getting past Czech Jiri Lehecka with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5) victory in three hours to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Toronto Masters. The US second seed finished off a complete matched set of Masters 1000 quarterfinals as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place in Canada. The late-night marathon lasted 39 games without a break of serve, with 15 aggregate break points going begging. Fritz delivered two aces in the final-set tiebreaker on his way to the narrow win, moving into the last eight as Lehecka drove long. 'Making all the Masters quarters is really cool," Fritz said. 'It shows consistency. Today I had to accept that parts of my game were just not there. I was bailed out by a lot of first serves, but I was making too many mistakes." Fellow American Ben Shelton earned a second chance after Flavio Cobillo failed to serve out their match, with the fourth seed finally securing a somewhat contentious 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1) win. The pair had words after the match, which Shelton characterised as nothing serious. '(In the tiebreaker) he made a gesture (he said) it was not directed at me so we are cool," Shelton said. The winner, who now plays Alex de Minaur, earned his 100th ATP-level win after nearly two and a half hours, firing an ace on his second match point to wrap up a place in the last eight for a third straight tournament after Wimbledon and Washington. 'It was a difficult match, I was down and out a break in the third set. But I gave myself a second chance. It was an absolute war — not an easy one," Shelton said. 'I was not hitting my spots on serve that well. I would do things differently. But coming through at the end speaks to my mental toughness and being scrappy." De Minaur pushed his ATP winning streak to seven matches as he fended off Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. The Australian won the Washington title on Sunday before plunging into the chaotic schedule at Toronto, where play began on the weekend and will continue through Thursday. De Minaur added his voice to the growing chorus of player complaints about the new 12-day Masters calendar, which will see play start in Cincinnati this week before Canada completes its unorthodox Thursday night final. The Australian said he wasn't helped by a third-round walkover — which gave him three straight days off in the middle of the tournament. 'I didn't enjoy having so much time. The body is used to going and going (during tournaments)," he said after ousting Tiafoe in just under two and a half hours. 'It was almost like it switched off, I had to focus to switch it back on. I had to tell myself I was still playing a tournament — still competing. 'I'm proud of the effort today." De Minaur has now beaten Tiafoe in three of four meetings. He profited from nearly 50 unforced errors off the American's racquet while overcoming a serving slump in the second set and early into the third. 'It was never going to be easy. He has got the ability to switch it on whenever he wants. It was tricky to put him away," De Minaur said, adding that the hot, windy conditions made it even trickier. 'I was just happy to sneak away with this win," he said after booking a seventh quarter-final of the season. Sixth seed Andrey Rublev, runner-up last year when the tournament was held in Montreal, reached his 14th Masters quarter-final 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2), 3-0 when Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was forced to retire with possible cramping. Both men ended the battle with 37 unforced errors, with sixth seed Rublev to play Fritz for a semi-final spot. About the Author Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in More News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Ben Shelton Jiri Lehecka Taylor Fritz toronto masters view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
F1 silly season puts Red Bull, Mercedes and Cadillac on the spot
Agency: PTI Last Updated: London, Aug 4 (AP) It's time for Formula 1's risk-taking drivers, overworked engineers and harried team principals to relax. At least in theory. With four weeks until the next race, including a mandatory 14-day shutdown of all racing operations from next week, the F1 season is on hold. It's what F1 calls 'silly season," the time when contract talks — and rumors — fill the vacuum. It often seemed like silly season started early amid feverish speculation about a move from Red Bull to Mercedes for four-time champion Max Verstappen. Now that Verstappen has confirmed he's staying with Red Bull, other decisions — such as contract renewals at Mercedes — could speed up. Russell at Mercedes ============ Most F1 teams saw the sweeping rule changes coming for 2026 and tied down key drivers to long contract extensions last year, or even the year before. The idea was to lock in experienced drivers who could help with development throughout 2025, so the very different 2026 cars wouldn't come as a surprise. Mercedes does things a little differently. As well as checking out a potential Verstappen move, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has waited on contract extensions for George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, who aren't confirmed beyond 2025. Both went through Mercedes' young driver program, which helped them through the junior series and seemingly gives the team more control over their careers. 'Mercedes manage me as well, so it's not really a deadline in my hands as such," four-time GP winner Russell said last month, adding he'd had no talks with other teams. Antonelli started his debut F1 season strongly but the 18-year-old driver's performances have dipped in recent months. Red Bull's other seats ============== Verstappen's decision has taken a lot of pressure off, but the broader Red Bull organization still has three seats to fill — one at Red Bull and two at Racing Bulls. It's not clear who will take the final decision, and when, after longtime team principal Christian Horner was fired. If the logic behind dropping the underperforming Sergio Perez last year was that any Red Bull replacement would do better, it's been proved wrong. Liam Lawson lasted two races as Verstappen's teammate and Yuki Tsunoda has only scored points in three of 12 race weekends since his promotion. The team's engine partnership with Honda ends this year, which could affect Honda-backed Tsunoda's place. French rookie Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls has outscored both Tsunoda and Lawson this season and might be the frontrunner for the Red Bull seat. F1's governing body, the FIA, made an exception to grant Red Bull-backed Formula 2 driver Arvid Lindblad its super license in June before his 18th birthday. Cadillac is coming =========== 'That's actually a nice seat… I wouldn't mind." Valtteri Bottas' comments in a social media skit in June fawning over a Cadillac road car went viral and cemented him in many fans' minds as the front-runner to join the new General Motors-backed team for 2026. Bottas and Perez are both F1 race winners, popular with fans, who had underwhelming seasons in 2024 and aren't racing in 2025. Their experience might be a boost to a new team, though other reported options include Ferrari reserve Zhou Guanyu, an ex-Sauber driver who could unlock big sponsor backing from China, or ex-Haas driver Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher. The Alpine carousel ============= Ruthless? Yes. Successful? No. Alpine benched the departing Esteban Ocon for Jack Doohan for the last race of 2024, then dropped Doohan for Franco Colapinto six races into 2025. Given that neither Doohan nor Colapinto has scored a point for Alpine, it's perhaps no wonder the team hasn't confirmed who'll partner Pierre Gasly next year. One option is Alpine reserve Paul Aron, who'd be the first Estonian in F1. He's had two practice drives with Sauber this year but was unlucky last week when his car broke down Friday after just eight laps. (AP) APA APA (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 04, 2025, 13:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
