Motorsports
Hungary turns up the heat
McLaren’s first victory of the 2026 Formula One season showed that the championship fight is far from settled.
Lando Norris recovered from a poor opening lap to win the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The result also exposed costly mistakes at Ferrari and raised questions about whether Mercedes can maintain its early advantage after the summer break.
Here are three key takeaways from the Hungaroring.
Ferrari squanders a major opportunity
Ferrari appeared to have the fastest car on Friday, but Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could only finish fourth and fifth.
Leclerc lost ground with a poor start from second on the grid. Hamilton received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, adding to an earlier sanction for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying.
Ferrari’s choice of soft tires, pit-stop timing and a late stop during a virtual safety car period also hurt Hamilton’s race. Verstappen gained another place when Red Bull successfully used an undercut.
“It’s not a good Sunday when you were 1-2 on Friday,” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said. “We made too many mistakes.”
Hamilton has now collected four penalties in three races. His latest sanction handed third place to Antonelli and left the seven-time champion 50 points behind the Italian after 11 of 23 rounds.
“You can’t make these kinds of mistakes if you want to challenge for a title,” Hamilton said.
Ferrari also trails Mercedes by 72 points in the constructors’ standings, making its missed opportunity in Hungary even more costly.
Norris proves the fight is not over
Norris delivered a controlled recovery after losing positions at the start. His pace and tire management helped him finish 15 seconds ahead of Verstappen for his first win of the year.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Norris has become a more complete driver since winning last season’s championship.
“Lando is much more confident,” Stella said. “He’s much more aware of the tools that he has in his driving and how to deploy these tools.”
The victory reduced Norris’ deficit to Antonelli to 91 points. That remains a considerable gap, but McLaren’s upgraded car could give the defending champion more chances during the second half of the season.
Hungary also suggested that Mercedes no longer enjoys the clear performance edge it held earlier in the year. McLaren has introduced the first of two major upgrade packages, while Red Bull remains close enough to take advantage when its rivals struggle.
Mercedes needs an answer
Antonelli extended his championship lead with third place, but the Italian admitted that Mercedes could not match Norris on outright pace.
“Lando had the upper hand this weekend, even on us,” Antonelli said. “On pure pace, I couldn’t challenge him.”
Mercedes endured a difficult weekend by its standards. George Russell suffered another technical problem, while team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged that rival teams had narrowed the gap.
Antonelli now wants upgrades that can help Mercedes defend its advantage. Last season offers a warning, as Piastri once held a 34-point lead but failed to win the championship.
The summer break will give each team time to assess its next move. When racing resumes, development may prove as important as driving.
George Russell secured pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race after edging world champion Lando Norris in qualifying at Zandvoort.
The Mercedes driver produced a fastest lap of one minute and 11.567 seconds as Formula One returned from its month-long summer break.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified third, followed by Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli managed only fifth after topping the weekend’s sole practice session.
“The lap felt really good, to be honest. It all came together nicely,” Russell said.
“I’m really happy to come back. It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of these interviews.”
Russell won the opening Grand Prix of the season but has since struggled to match the pace of Antonelli, who dominated the first half of the campaign.
The Italian teenager has won six of the first 11 races, including five in succession. He enters the second half of the season with a 50-point lead over Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli appeared less comfortable once sprint qualifying began. He struggled for grip and spun during the opening session before recovering enough to claim a place on the third row.
Home favorite Max Verstappen qualified sixth for Red Bull as thousands of orange-clad supporters filled the grandstands around the seaside circuit.
The session followed early morning rain, although the track had dried by the time the drivers began their qualifying runs.
The close margins suggest Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull could all contend during the weekend. Mercedes controlled much of the first half of the season, but the team has admitted that its development program is currently “out of sync” with improvements introduced by its rivals.
McLaren arrived with momentum after Norris claimed his first victory of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The team also has a strong recent record at Zandvoort, where Norris won in 2024 before Piastri followed with victory in 2025.
Ferrari also showed competitive pace, while Verstappen will seek to give his home supporters a final victory at the circuit. The Dutch Grand Prix will leave the Formula One calendar after this year following the organizers’ decision to end the event.
“Thanks to the fans. You guys always give us a great race, and it’s a very unique circuit,” Russell told the Zandvoort crowd.
Kimi Antonelli will head to the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort with a 50-point lead over Lewis Hamilton in the Formula One drivers’ championship.
The Mercedes driver sits at the top with 219 points, followed by Hamilton with 169 and George Russell with 160. Charles Leclerc is fourth with 138 points, while Lando Norris completes the top five with 128.
Max Verstappen returns to his home race in sixth place with 109 points. Oscar Piastri follows with 92, ahead of Isack Hadjar with 68, Liam Lawson with 43 and Pierre Gasly with 42.
Mercedes also leads the constructors’ championship with 379 points. Ferrari is second with 307, while McLaren holds third with 220.
Red Bull has 177 points, followed by Racing Bulls with 66 and Alpine with 61. Haas, Audi, Williams, Aston Martin and Cadillac complete the standings.
Carlos Sainz has signed a multi-year contract extension with Williams, ending speculation over his Formula One future despite a difficult season with the British team.
The announcement came a day after Williams confirmed that Alex Albon would stay for the 2027 campaign. The two drivers will continue to lead the team as it works to regain its competitive form.
Sainz joined Williams after previous stints with Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Toro Rosso. The four-time Grand Prix winner has failed to score in the past six rounds, while the team has struggled throughout the opening half of the season.
Williams also missed the first pre-season test, which left the squad playing catch-up before the campaign began.
Despite those setbacks, Sainz said he believes the team has the people and resources needed to recover.
“I’m thrilled to announce my continued journey with the Williams family,” the 31-year-old said.
“I truly believe in the people that form this team, both at the factory and at the racetracks, and the investments and hard work that are happening in the background.”
Sainz added that he was as committed as he was on his first day with Williams and wanted to help return the team to the front of the grid.
Team principal James Vowles welcomed the decision ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
“Carlos is a leader of this team, and I’m thrilled that he can see what’s possible as we continue to rebuild it,” Vowles said.
He added that Sainz shares Williams’ ambitions and described the Spaniard and Albon as one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid.
