The race at the Hungaroring was an exciting one on Sunday, after a Norris-Piastri battle saw Lando win out to secure first place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. The race sure did deliver some unexpected results, so here are some of the major race highlights.
- Alternate Strategies at McLaren
- Lando Norris started the race in third position, while Piastri began one spot up in second. In an attempt to undercut Leclerc, who had started on pole, McLaren opted for the two-stop strategy for Piastri, which seemed to be the more expected option at the start of the race. However, Lando Norris, who had gone from third to fifth in the first lap of the Grand Prix, had much less to lose. Therefore, when McLaren brought up the one-stop strategy over the radio, he decided to go for it, even if it meant going 40 laps on the hard tire. When Oscar Piastri had to take his second pit stop of the race, it put him behind his teammate Lando Norris, who had got bumped up to first when the other front-runners boxed as well. The battle became tight during the final laps of the race, with Oscar behind on fresher tires, however Lando Norris was able to defend brilliantly and remain ahead right up until the checkered flag.
- Ferrari Suffering Some Troubles
- Lewis Hamilton’s weekend was already off to a rough start when he qualified a lowly twelfth. It didn’t get any better from there, as the British driver couldn’t make up any places, and finished the race outside of the points. There was more hope on Charles Leclerc’s side of the garage, with the Ferrari driver starting on the front row after scoring Ferrari’s first pole position of the 2025 season. He looked to be in a comfortable position for the win, or if not at least a podium, however things began to fall apart around Lap 40. Later Leclerc said that it was an issue with the chassis that caused the drop in pace, resulting in the Monegasque falling out of contention for the win, and eventually even a podium, as he finished in a disappointing fourth place.
- Aston Martin had a Race to Remember
- Aston Martin haven’t been having a magnificent season so far, however something changed going into Hungary, even if the team and drivers aren’t exactly sure what it was. After looking quick in all three practice sessions, both drivers qualified in the top ten, and looked set to score a double points finish going into the race, and that’s exactly what the team accomplished. Fernando Alonso retained his fifth position, and Lance Stroll finished in seventh, which in total brought the team 16 points, and bumpbed them up to sixth place in the Constructors’. This result will certainly leave Aston Martin and their drivers in good moods going into the summer break.
- Red Bull Lacking Pace
- Red Bull came into the weekend and didn’t seem to have as much speed or pace as they did when Max Verstappen won the Sprint Race in Belgium last time out, however it was still a shock to some to see just how far off Verstappen and Red Bull were compared to the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. The team only managed to come away with 2 points, courtesy of Max’s ninth place. Red Bull is sitting alone in fourth place in the Constructors’ Standings currently, 42 points behind Mercedes but still 124 points ahead of Williams. They’ll need to step up their game if they want a shot at third place in the Championship.
- Bortoleto Having Another Great Race
- While Nico Hulkenberg qualified 19th and ended the race outside of the points in 13th, his teammate and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto had a much better time racing at the Hungaroring. After making it in the top ten during qualifying, Borteleto wasn’t about to stop there has he managed to finish between the two Aston Martins, in sixth. This has now been the Brazilian’s third points finish in the last four races, and hopefully the consistency will only grow for the young driver. Kick Sauber is only 1 point behind Aston Martin, so we’ll see what they can do when we come back from summer break.
