The 2025 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix delivered one of the season’s most intense and strategic showdowns so far. From blistering qualifying laps to a tactical race-day duel between McLaren teammates, Budapest once again proved why it’s a mid-season classic.
Charles Leclerc shocked the field with a pole position, but Sunday belonged to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. With changing track conditions, divergent tyre strategies, and tight battles across the grid, the Hungaroring kept everyone guessing to the very last lap.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Norris executed a perfect one-stop to win in Budapest – tactical masterclass edged out Piastri by under a second in a tense finish.
- Piastri pushed to the limit, but fell short – The Australian’s late charge ended just 0.698s behind his teammate in a dramatic showdown.
- Leclerc stunned McLaren with pole, faded in the race – A Saturday high followed by Sunday frustration as Ferrari slipped out of contention.
- Russell was back on the podium – Mercedes driver claimed third after strong pace and decisive moves in the final stint.
- Bortoleto impressed again – The Sauber rookie finished sixth, beating both Red Bulls on merit in one of his best F1 drives yet.
- Verstappen struggles continued – Red Bull’s title hopes faltered as Max ended ninth, calling the RB20 “undrivable” throughout the weekend.
- McLaren entered summer break in control – With five wins in the last six races, the team now leads both championships heading into the summer pause.
FP1 – McLaren Set the Pace, While the Grid Shuffles Below
McLaren opened the weekend with authority. Lando Norris set the pace in FP1 with a 1:16.052, just 0.019s ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. Piastri struggled early but closed the gap in his final attempt. He went purple in Sector 1 but faded slightly by the line.
Ferrari looked solid, with Charles Leclerc finishing third, two-tenths off the top. Lewis Hamilton was fifth, despite braking issues and time lost in sectors. Isack Hadjar continued to impress for Racing Bulls, splitting the Ferraris to claim P4. Liam Lawson ended further down the order in P14.
Haas rookie Oliver Bearman was sixth, ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who looked more comfortable after Mercedes reverted to a pre-Imola suspension. George Russell followed in P8, with Max Verstappen only ninth. Red Bull debuted a new front wing, but it didn’t shift their form at least for now.
Lance Stroll rounded out the top ten. Fernando Alonso sat out due to a back issue, with reserve Felipe Drugovich stepping in and finishing 16th. Sauber fielded rookie Paul Aron in place of Nico Hülkenberg, but his run was cut short by a “systems critical” alarm that forced him to stop.
That moment briefly triggered a Virtual Safety Car. His teammate Gabriel Bortoleto also had limited running, leaving both Saubers at the bottom. After McLaren’s 1–2 in Spa, the Hungaroring offered no signs of slowing them down. Norris leads but Piastri is right there.
FP2 – McLaren Still in Control, Aston Martin Bounces Back
Friday at the Hungaroring ended the same way it began: with McLaren in full control. Lando Norris again topped the timesheets in FP2, setting a 1:15.624 and outpacing teammate Oscar Piastri by nearly three-tenths. Both drivers had off-track moments during their soft-tyre runs but kept it clean enough to stay on top.
Piastri briefly held P1 after dipping into the 1:15s. Norris responded immediately, quickest in the first two sectors, smoother in the third. Their final-lap drama added to the tension. Norris locked up at Turn 1 exiting the pits and nearly collided with Piastri on a flying lap.
Charles Leclerc finished third again, though almost four-tenths back. The Ferraris look stable, but not quite fast enough to challenge McLaren.
Aston Martin impressed in FP2. Lance Stroll was fourth, Fernando Alonso fifth in his return after missing FP1 due to back pain. They ran a new front wing and looked far more competitive than in Belgium.
Lewis Hamilton slotted into sixth for Ferrari, just ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. Kimi Antonelli closed out the top ten, with Hadjar and Tsunoda splitting the Silver Arrows.
Red Bull struggled again. Max Verstappen described his RB20 as “undrivable” and ended the session 14th, over a second off Norris. He’s also under investigation for tossing a towel out of the cockpit during the cooldown.
Verstappen wasn’t the only one frustrated, Russell and Hadjar exchanged heated radio messages after a close-call in traffic. In the midfield, Oliver Bearman was 11th, ahead of Hülkenberg and Ocon. Sainz struggled with telemetry and finished down in 16th.
At both ends of the day, McLaren was untouchable. But with high track temps, variable grip, and rain in the forecast, rest of weekend could still surprise.
FP3 – Piastri Stays Sharp as McLaren Holds the Line
Oscar Piastri delivered a composed yet commanding lap in FP3 to top the final practice session ahead of Lando Norris by just 0.032s. For the third session in a row, McLaren locked out the top two spots. Their duel is rapidly becoming the defining storyline of the weekend. Charles Leclerc once again followed closely, claiming third for Ferrari for the third straight time. This time just under four-tenths behind.
The hour started slowly, with long runs and setup tweaks dominating early laps. Once soft tyres came out, the field sprang to life. Piastri threw down a 1:14.916, well below Friday’s best, showing the grip was finally there. Norris came close with a purple final sector, but it wasn’t quite enough. Still, his pace confirmed McLaren’s advantage remains real and repeatable.
Lewis Hamilton found form to finish fourth, just ahead of Kimi Antonelli in one of his most promising sessions yet. Alonso delivered a steady sixth, confirming Aston Martin’s improved form. Stroll backed that up in P7. Russell slotted in eighth, while the two Saubers—Bortoleto and Hülkenberg—completed the top ten. Bortoleto, in particular, continued to shine in his rookie campaign.
Max Verstappen endured another lacklustre session. A scrappy lap left him down in P12 and visibly frustrated. He reported inconsistent handling and understeer after trying to fix rear-end instability. Isack Hadjar spun off in the final corner after taking too much kerb, triggering yellow flags. Fortunately, no damage. Tsunoda, also struggling, was seen shaking his head after finishing P19. “Wake up,” he told Red Bull over the radio.
Qualifying – Leclerc Shocks McLaren with Blistering Pole
Charles Leclerc stunned the field with a last-gasp pole at the Hungaroring, snatching it from the jaws of McLaren domination. Leclerc’s disbelief was audible over team radio. After three sessions ruled by McLaren, few expected a red car to lead them all into Sunday.
The Ferrari driver delivered a 1:15.372 to edge out Oscar Piastri by just 0.026s. Lando Norris, fastest in Q2 and strong all weekend, had to settle for third, only 0.041s adrift. George Russell joined them in the mix, completing a top four separated by just 0.053s.
Track evolution and shifting wind conditions played their part. Norris had looked untouchable in Q2, setting a weekend-best 1:14.890. But when it mattered most, Leclerc found time and composure.
Aston Martin enjoyed a massive turnaround from last weekend. Fernando Alonso took fifth, just ahead of teammate Lance Stroll. Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed again, qualifying seventh ahead of Max Verstappen, who struggled with balance and pace. The Racing Bulls were next: Liam Lawson edged out teammate Isack Hadjar to complete the top ten.
Rain threatened Q2 but held off. McLaren and Ferrari led the charge early, with Mercedes opting for used tyres in the first runs. Hamilton couldn’t make it work and dropped out in 13th, another tough Saturday for him. Andrea Kimi Antonelli had his time deleted and will start 15th, behind Bearman and Sainz. Colapinto outqualified Gasly for the second time this season.
Yuki Tsunoda narrowly missed Q2 again, this time edged out by Liam Lawson, the driver he replaced at Red Bull. At the back, Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon struggled for grip and rhythm.
Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
Feature Race – Norris Holds Firm for Tactical Victory Over Piastri
The Early Moves: From Leclerc’s Start to Strategic Divergence
Charles Leclerc’s pole position promised much for Ferrari, and he delivered a clean launch to keep McLaren at bay in the early laps. Oscar Piastri slotted into second while Lando Norris lost out, squeezed wide and forced to concede positions to George Russell and Fernando Alonso. Max Verstappen dropped to ninth, Lewis Hamilton to 14th, and Norris suddenly had a recovery mission on his hands.
By Lap 3, Norris had cleared Alonso. Verstappen followed suit, muscling past Lance Stroll as the midfield bunched tightly. A long DRS train formed behind Alonso, creating a tactical bottleneck that shaped early pit strategies. Drivers like Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto, and Alex Albon rolled the dice early, opting for a two-stop race.
Piastri made the first major move from the leaders, diving into the pits on Lap 19. Leclerc covered him one lap later but barely stayed ahead. McLaren saw a window and Norris took it. He extended his stint and committed to a bold one-stop strategy, switching to hard tyres on Lap 31 with the goal of running to the end. From there, the race transformed into a duel of endurance versus firepower.
McLaren’s Gamble Pays Off as Ferrari Crumbles
With Leclerc and Piastri on fresher rubber but committed to two stops, Norris’s task became a matter of tyre preservation. Initially, he was over 10 seconds ahead of both rivals, but their pace was building. Meanwhile, Leclerc was slipping not just in pace, but in composure. He radioed frustrations to the Ferrari pit wall, complaining about handling, missed setup cues, and the sudden loss of performance.
Piastri, cleaner in traffic and sharper on the brakes, caught Leclerc and passed him decisively on Lap 51. Russell followed soon after, muscling past the struggling Ferrari in a contentious move at Turn 2 that later earned Leclerc a five-second penalty for overly aggressive defending.
With ten laps to go, it was now Piastri versus Norris – a race between the attacking Aussie on newer tyres and the defending Brit on aging hards. Every tenth of a second counted. Piastri took chunks out of Norris’s lead, drawing to within DRS range with five laps to go. The tension was unmistakable.
Final Lap Showdown: Norris Resists the Storm
The duel peaked on Lap 68. Piastri launched his car down the inside of Turn 1, locking the front right and running wide. It was a brave but imperfect move. Norris held firm, managing tyre wear like a veteran, keeping just enough grip to fend off the attack.
On the final lap, the gap remained under a second. Piastri stayed close but couldn’t find the decisive gap. Norris crossed the line just 0.698s ahead, exhausted and elated. It was his fifth win of the season and McLaren’s 200th in Formula 1.
Behind them, Russell secured a strong podium for Mercedes. Leclerc limped home fourth, furious over the missed opportunity. Fernando Alonso took fifth with a composed drive, while rookie Gabriel Bortoleto claimed a stunning P6 for Sauber, his best career finish.
The final points went to Stroll, Lawson, Verstappen, who endured another anonymous race and Antonelli, who edged out Hadjar and Hamilton for P10.
McLaren now enters the summer break with momentum, a title fight tighter than ever, and a driver pairing pushing each other to the absolute limit.
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Feature Image Credit: McLaren