Norris Wins Hungarian GP as Antonelli Extends Title Lead to 50 Points

Lando Norris won the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, claiming his first victory of the season. Five different drivers have now won the first five races—a snapshot of just how unpredictable 2026 has become.

Max Verstappen came home second, matching his best finish so far this year. Kimi Antonelli rounded out the podium in third, yet even that result strengthened his grip on the championship—he now leads by 50 points. Charles Leclerc took fourth.

The race didn’t go smoothly for everyone. Oscar Piastri, starting from pole, saw his day end early when his gearbox failed. George Russell faced a power unit change before the race after a water leak cropped up during qualifying; he lined up sixth and finished seventh, leaving him 59 points back from Antonelli.

Reliability issues spread across the grid. Valtteri Bottas’s brakes gave out, and Sergio Perez managed only 48 laps before his suspension failed. Cadillac took the worst hit—this marked their second double mechanical failure in four races, a repeat of the double brake problem they faced at Austria just weeks before.

“The car was very strong today. I was very happy with a lot of things, the car was horrible to drive at times but quick, and I’d rather a horrible but quick car than anything else!”

Norris reflected on his drive after the chequered flag. Russell, by contrast, was running his fourth engine of the season—a telling sign of the power unit durability struggles Mercedes has battled all year.