Lando Norris Wins the 2025 Hungarian GP as Ferrari Struggle

FP1: Norris Leads a McLaren 1-2

Lando Norris topped the timesheets in the first practice session of the 2025 Hungarian GP. The McLaren driver set a lap time of 1:16.052, 0.019s ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri and seven-tenths clear of Charles Leclerc.

Earlier in the day, Aston Martin confirmed Fernando Alonso would sit out FP1 due to a back injury. Brazilian reserve Felipe Drugovich stepped in.

For Kick Sauber, Paul Aron made his second free practice appearance, though his session ended prematurely with a technical issue that brought out the Virtual Safety Car.

Lewis Hamilton was first out when the lights turned green. He quickly set the pace, but as the session wore on, he found himself struggling for grip and time, particularly through Turns 5, 8, and 9. He finished fifth.

Behind the McLarens and Leclerc, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar impressed in fourth, ahead of Hamilton and Haas’ Ollie Bearman.

Kimi Antonelli and George Russell followed, with Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll rounding out the top ten.

FP2: Norris Dominates Again

Norris topped the second practice session for the Hungarian GP. The McLaren driver set a 1:15.624, extending his advantage over the field.

Nico Hülkenbergran wide at Turn 12, flicking gravel across the track and prompting concern from Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto, who both ran through the debris and radioed for damage checks.

Elsewhere, George Russell and Ollie Bearman narrowly avoided contact through Turn 9, while Piastri had a moment at Turn 4.

Norris set the early benchmark on medium tyres before switching to softs for a flying lap that kept him ahead of the field. Piastri battled traffic to second, while Leclerc remained within striking distance in third.

Stroll and Alonso settled into fourth and fifth, a welcome result for Aston Martin, which hoped to keep it up across the weekend.

Verstappen, however, had a session to forget. Complaining of poor balance and lack of grip, the Dutchman ended the session P14. He was then summoned by the stewards after an incident at Turn 3, where he slowed and appeared to throw a towel from his cockpit.

FP3: Piastri On Top

Piastri led the charge in the final practice session ahead of qualifying for the Hungarian GP, outpacing Norris by 0.032s. Continuing his strong form, Leclerc took third.

With qualifying nearing, teams fine-tuned setups during FP3. McLaren were among the first out of the pit lane, but Piastri and Norris both aborted their opening laps. As the session approached its midpoint, the field began to heat up.

Yuki Tsunoda initially topped the timesheets on mediums, despite battling oversteer in his Red Bull. Verstappen followed, but was overtaken by Russell and Leclerc.

Leclerc went purple in the first two sectors on one push lap, but a moment through Turn 12, where his rear-left dipped into the gravel, ultimately cost him.

Hamilton enjoyed a stronger session in fourth, ahead of Antonelli. Bortoleto continued to impress for Sauber, ending up sixth, while Alex Albon experienced a frustrating hour. The Williams driver complained about potential floor damage after driving over the kerbs.

Late yellow flags, caused by Isack Hadjar’s spin, briefly disrupted the closing moments. Verstappen, still struggling with balance issues, ended 12th, summing up a challenging weekend so far.

Qualifying: Leclerc Takes Pole

Q1

Piastri led the way in qualifying despite bouncing over the gravel at Turn 12. Behind him, Russell and Antonelli showed early pace, while Norris, Hamilton, and Alonso slotted into the top six.

Further back, Verstappen was only 13th after his first run, as Red Bull’s balance woes continued.

The final minutes brought a wave of purple sectors. Alonso went top with a 1:15.281 before Piastri responded with a 1:15.211. Hadjar surprised in P3, while Leclerc climbed out of the drop zone to P5.

OUT: Tsunoda (P16), Gasly (P17), Ocon (P18), Hülkenberg (P19), Albon (P20)

Q2

Spots of rain arrived as Q2 began, adding tension to the already tight field. Verstappen’s engineer warned him that the best track conditions would come late, so most teams delayed their final runs.

Norris set a 1:14.890 early on, ahead of Piastri, Alonso, and Stroll. Russell and Verstappen slotted into the top ten, while Hamilton, Sainz, Bortoleto, Antonelli and Colapinto were left with work to do.

Traffic and timing were critical on the final runs. While most improved, Hamilton missed out on a Q3 spot in P12. Antonelli initially went 11th but was bumped to 15th due to track limits.

OUT: Bearman (P11), Hamilton (P12), Sainz (P13), Colapinto (P14), Antonelli (P15)

Q3

Cooler air and rising winds arrived in time for Q3. Piastri initially set provisional pole, ahead of Norris. Russell briefly claimed third, but Alonso slotted into P2 with a strong early run. Stroll also featured before losing time to track limits.

Then came the final laps. Leclerc, sitting sixth, took pole with a 1:15.372.

Piastri and Norris ended just 0.026s and 0.041s back, locking out P2 and P3. Russell, Alonso, and Stroll followed, while Bortoleto outpaced Verstappen once again. Racing Bulls’ Lawson and Hadjar completed the top ten.

TOP 10: Leclerc (P1), Piastri (P2), Norris (P3), Russell (P4), Alonso (P5), Stroll (P6), Bortoleto (P7), Verstappen (P8), Lawson (P9), Hadjar (P10).

Hungarian GP: It’s a McLaren 1-2

Norris wins the 2025 Hungarian GP, fending off Piastri on the final lap to tighten the championship fight between the two McLaren drivers. It marked another dominant 1-2 result for the team, while Russell completed the podium after overtaking Leclerc.

From the outset, the race appeared to be Leclerc’s to lose. Starting from pole, he managed to keep the McLarens at bay and gradually opened a gap. However, by Lap 30, cracks began to show. The Ferrari driver reported concerns over the car’s performance, and after pitting on Lap 41, he rejoined behind both Norris and Piastri.

While Leclerc’s race unravelled, the battle up front intensified. Piastri closed the gap to under a second as the laps ticked down, but Norris, on a one-stop strategy, held firm.

Behind them, Russell made the most of Leclerc’s fading pace. After several laps of pressure, he finally made the decisive move inside the final 10 laps, claiming the final podium. It was a disappointing end to what had started as a promising day for Leclerc, who continues to search for his first win of the season.

Verstappen endured another lacklustre outing. Starting eighth, he never looked like a threat and eventually crossed the line ninth. An incident with Hamilton brought drama in a largely incident-free race, as Verstappen forced his former rival wide. He remains under investigation.

With the summer break now underway, the grid turns its focus to Zandvoort at the end of the month.