Norris wins Hungarian GP after Piastri-Sainz collision
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Lando Norris surrendered the lead to teammate Oscar Piastri after a sloppy start from pole, but retook it when Piastri's front-right tire contacted the rear-left of Williams driver Carlos Sainz — who was ignoring blue flags while dueling Fernando Alonso for 15th — sending Piastri off the road and costing him roughly two seconds; Norris then pitted and emerged in the net lead
- Oscar Piastri saw his afternoon unravel further when his gearbox expired with 14 laps remaining, triggering a virtual safety car under which Norris dived in for a third stop and kept the lead; on team radio Piastri told engineer Tom Stallard "don't even f---ing talk to me" after Stallard said "that's Sainz that cost us that"
- Kimi Antonelli finished third behind Max Verstappen, extending his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton from 45 points to 50, while Verstappen held second after fending off a charging Hamilton on soft tires and contact between the two at the third bend
- Lewis Hamilton crossed the line only 4.3 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc but a five-second pit-lane speeding penalty from his third stop dropped him to fifth — his fourth stewards' sanction in three rounds; he heads into the summer break 50 points behind Antonelli with 12 rounds remaining, starting at the Dutch GP on Aug. 23
- George Russell suffered an anti-stall failure on his new Mercedes engine as the lights went out, leaving him 19th at the end of Lap 1; he recovered to seventh but now sits 59 points off the championship pace
- Norris passed Antonelli on Lap 46 after his final stop and cantered to the checkered flag, with the McLaren team later revealing Norris had challenged the garage to order Piastri aside before the pit-stop sequence played out naturally
Why it matters: Antonelli, still a teenager, now holds a 50-point lead over seven-time champion Hamilton with 12 races left, meaning Hamilton's hopes of an eighth title require a swing starting at the Dutch GP on Aug. 23. For Norris, the win is the first of his title defense and reignites a McLaren intra-team fight in which both drivers are openly frustrated on the radio.
