Lando Norris wins Hungarian GP after furious Oscar Piastri backmarker incident

Lando Norris claimed his first victory of the 2026 season in the Hungarian GP, after team-mate Oscar Piastri was denied in an incident with Carlos Sainz. 

At the end of Lap 33 of 70, Piastri was leading on the road, and despite Norris's protests, the Australian pitted for the second time first, and emerged in fifth place as the leaders navigated back-marker traffic.

Norris, who felt Piastri was holding him up, stayed out, and at Turn 2 on Lap 39, Piastri came across the squabbling Oliver Bearman and Sainz, with the Williams then cutting across the path of the McLaren - in which Piastri nearly spun out. 

He reported over the radio "get out of the way, you f**king idiot", but the net result was that when Norris pitted at the end of that lap, he emerged from the pits just ahead of Piastri to assume the net lead of the grand prix.

Over the final stint, after passing off-sequence Kimi Antonelli, Norris, as he promised he could do pulled away from Piastri, who then retired on Lap 56 with a gearbox failure. 

It left Norris to ease to a simple win, with Max Verstappen taking second ahead of Kimi Antonelli, who engaged in a late duel with Lewis Hamilton, who dropped to fifth after a pit-lane speeding penalty.

George Russell, who bogged down at the start, recovered to seventh. 

At lights out, the Mercedes of Russell bogged down to 21st and last of the grid starters, as Norris led Piastri out of Turn 1 - but as Turn 2, a slide from the Briton allowed Piastri to sneak through to assume control of the grand prix. 

Over the opening stint, Hamilton, on the soft tyres, was tucked up behind Verstappen in fourth, with the leading McLarens able to break away until Hamilton triggered the pit-stops on Lap 13, successfully undercutting Verstappen. 

But after his stop, Verstappen scythed back past Hamilton, with the field bunching up as Isack Hadjar was then moved as a mobile chicane to back Piastri into Norris, Verstappen and Hamilton, before all four passed him by Turn 6 on Lap 19. 

After this, the leading McLarens then broke away from Verstappen and Hamilton, with Norris losing time at Turn 4 after going off on Lap 29, but quickly re-caught Piastri, and requested to be let through or stopped earlier than the leading Australian.

Piastri ultimately stopped on Lap 33 and emerged in P5 ahead of Hamilton, who again stopped early and looked set to inherit the lead agian once Norris had stopped for the second time.

However, on Lap 39, Piastri came across Sainz at Turn 2, with the Williams cutting across the McLaren, causing Piastri to nearly lose control - and crucially, time in the battle to Norris, who then immediately pitted and came out ahead of his team-mate.

Norris then passed Antonelli for the lead, as Piastri closed into second place but on Lap 56, his gearbox failed, putting Piastri out and triggering a final round of pit-stops under the VSC.

Norris pitted as did Hamilton and Leclerc, with the placings being Norris, Verstappen, Hamilton, Antonelli, Leclerc on the restart - although Hamilton gave third back to Antonelli after passing the Mercedes on pit-exit.

The squabble then made its way through backmarkers in the closing stages, with Hamilton earning a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit-lane. 

It meant Norris won from Verstappen, Antonelli, Leclerc, a penalised Hamilton, Hadjar, Russell, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, and Arvid Lindblad.

Hulkenberg's ninth was his first points of the season for Audi. 

Elsewhere, Gabriel Bortoleto was the first of the non-points scorers, with Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, Alex Albon, and Sainz the finishers.

There were three non-finishers, Piastri in the McLaren, and both Cadillacs, with Sergio Perez retiring with suspension issues whilst Valtteri Bottas's brakes caught fire early on.