Race Highlights | 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix

Five red lights in Budapest and the Hungarian Grand Prix is underway. Off the line we go, poor start for George Russell, he's fading back. Out front, McLaren versus McLaren. Lando Norris versus Oskar Piastri. Charles Leclerc has not got the good getaway. Lewis Hamilton trying to go around the outside, but is Max Verstappen to P3? Can he put pressure on P2? It's Lando Norris who has the lead. Piastri climbs up to second and they go side by side. They're racing each other once again. Lando Norris is wide. Oskar Piastri is going through to take the lead. Piastri improves from third on the grid. What intent. Norris got wide onto the dust. It's still a McLaren 1-2, but it's the Australian driver who leads. Yeah, and there was some contact there between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Once again, Lewis risking all. He's now going to leave his inside orphan to Charles Leclerc. Charles Leclerc will have to be to the inside. He knows he's racing his teammate. Oh, they're fighting each other really hard as well with Antonelli just behind. But Hamilton's made that move on the fresh tyres, the new tyres there. So Leclerc has lost out a lot. And Ferrari generally not making anything work on that softer rubber. You can see Hajar taking avoiding action in the middle of the pack. And then poor launch off the line for Charles Leclerc. Yeah, and he was already having to swerve around trying to keep Verstappen at bay who started from fourth on the dirty side of the grid. So the Ferraris get very close there. Hamilton's around the outside and it allows Verstappen to just sneak up the inside as the red cars are racing each other. So right now you've got Norris in the lead of the race still, but he doesn't decelerate in towards turn two. Piastri does a lovely dummy. Goes to the outside, has the grip from the racing line and gets the car turned at that point, leaving Lando going wide as we get George Russell's anti-stool and then just a load of hope that you don't get clattered from those behind. Look how dirty it is though on the inside. That's what Leclerc and co on that inside line were combating. Lewis Hamilton comes into the pits. He can wait no longer behind the red bull and he will go on to fresh rubber. He comes in, gets the hard tyres and this is a critical outlap for him. Hamilton trying to go around the outside and he gets the move done at turn number five. Doing it old school, using the fresh rubber. Hamilton knows he needed to get that done. In comes Verstappen. It's got to be a slick stop then from Red Bull. This is huge for Lewis Hamilton's chances of contending for victory and putting pressure on McLaren. Verstappen on the left-hand side in the navy red bull. The Scarlet Ferrari is approaching. Hamilton's got the speed. Hamilton gets the apex first and takes the position. And the key was passing Lindblad where he did at turn five. That was Hamilton's best middle sector of the race. Going round a racing bull on the outside line there at turn five. Verstappen! From nowhere! From miles back! What a move from the four-time champ! Hamilton cleared Lawson. Verstappen cleared Lawson and then Hamilton. All of the great work on that outlap is undone. How did he stop that car? Well, that was quite special. I don't want to complain, but once again, moving on to braking. I mean, it's a nice action, but it's not right. It looks like another set of hards from what I can see from the comm box. Brand new, but yeah, it is. So it's not that he's not happy with that particular compound, but did they do an offset in the front wing? I didn't see an adjustment. I'm miles faster. I'll pull out at 10 seconds if it looks hard. Crucial moment of the race for McLaren. They need a clean stop with Piastri, who was brought in. And now, Philando Norris, it's time to prove what you told the team you could do and open up the gap. Piastri in a nightmare of traffic. He's got a battle ahead of him and they're not looking at the blue flags. And look at how much contact! Unbelievable! Oscar Piastri has contact with the Williams and Oscar Piastri was impeded there. Look at what that's done to his race. Get out of the way, Carlos Sainz! What's he doing? What is he doing? Hey, that was a f****** digital loss! Get out of the f****** way, idiots! Oh my God! There are blue flags there. That is not good enough. Oh, and he nearly dropped it by being forced on the curve as well. Look at this moment! Being put into the pack has hurt Piastri. He's lucky to still be in the Grand Prix after contact with a back marker. Lando Norris looking for that clean stop. It will be track position for the world champion. And that will be the move that Norris wanted. And it will be plain fury for Oscar Piastri, who's behind his teammate. It's the first time I can remember a back marker intervening with the result of a race since Ocon hitting Verstappen. And before that, Jos Verstappen hit Juan Pablo Montoya. That's a late lunge from a decisive driver. The world champion tries to go through. Antonelli's trying to join that club this year. And the 19-year-old goes, OK, I'm going to carry on with it. Norris wants that Grand Prix victory. And he has the race lead on lap 46 of 70. But can't we go until the end? We don't think we have the tyre life. He goes for the hard tyres. And Antonelli was pleading to go long on his favourite compounded tyre. Mercedes don't believe they'd have any rubber left. He's stopping. Oscar Piastri is slowing from second place. Hamilton goes through. Verstappen goes through. And a day that looked like it might bring home victory ends on lap 56. Yeah, this will be a virtual at the very minimum. Here's the race leader onto the soft tyres. The virtual safety car is out. So it's the chance for Hamilton to put on a new set of tyres, go to the end and be aggressive. Will Antonelli get ahead of the Ferrari? He will. Look at that timing, though, at the mini sector. 0.0. Hamilton now goes ahead. We need to see that replay because it's decided by the white line across the racetrack on pit exit. Come on, I think I was ahead. Yeah, we're just talking it through. We think we were. And he chooses to give back the place. Final race before the summer break. A mandated two-week shutdown. Still, the lap traffic is struggling to get out of the way. It brings Hamilton and Antonelli together. And for those who say get rid of the blue flags, welcome to what it would look like. Hamilton is trying to get past Antonelli, but he's got a five second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. He's had to deal this year with so much unreliability, but the updated McLaren is going to get there. They are already mighty around this racetrack. They're going to win here for the 14th time. And Lando Norris wins the Hungarian Grand Prix for his first Grand Prix victory of the season and his first Grand Prix victory as world champion. And if you ever need an instruction, a race to show you not to give up in Formula 1, here's second place for Max Verstappen, who just refused to leave the fight. Kimi Antonelli completes the podium to extend his lead in the World Championship. And with the penalty applied for Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc managed to stay within five seconds. He finishes in fourth place. Lewis Hamilton drops down to fifth after a five second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Car was unbelievable today. Well done, guys. Incredible. I love you all. His first victory since Sao Paulo at the back end of last season. And that is a while to wait. It was the 9th of November the last time he stood on the top step. It's a great Lando Norris circuit. He's always gone really well in Budapest. And he takes another win. Back-to-back wins here.