Lando Norris delivered a brilliant performance to win the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, holding off a fierce late charge from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in one of the season’s most thrilling races.
Despite losing ground early in the race, Norris executed a bold one-stop strategy to perfection, staying out on hard tires for 39 laps and defending resolutely in the closing stages. His calm under pressure was rewarded with a narrow victory, crossing the line just 0.6 seconds ahead of Piastri to secure his fifth win of the season.
The result brings Norris within nine points of Piastri in the drivers’ championship as the title battle heats up heading into the summer break. It also marked McLaren’s second one-two finish of the season, reinforcing their dominance at this stage of the campaign.
Mercedes’ George Russell completed the podium in third, overtaking Charles Leclerc late in the race. Leclerc, who started from pole, faded during the second stint and also received a five-second penalty for a defensive move against Russell, ultimately finishing fourth.
Further down the order, Fernando Alonso came home fifth for Aston Martin, while reigning world champion Max Verstappen struggled and finished ninth. Sauber’s rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed with a career-best sixth-place finish.
Norris praised his team for the race-winning strategy, admitting it was a tough final stint: “I’m dead. It was tough. Oscar was catching, and I was pushing flat out. But we made it work.”
With McLaren pulling further ahead in the constructors’ standings and the driver rivalry intensifying, all eyes now turn to the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 31, where the championship battle is expected to continue in full force.
No comments:
Post a Comment