Norris and McLaren almost perfect as Ferrari flounder in Hungary

Lando Norris ended the first half of the Formula 1 season with a victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix that he described as "one of my best performances." After a difficult start to the season, he and McLaren finally made the most of the car's performance. While Ferrari, the pre-race favourites, made too many mistakes, Norris and McLaren were almost perfect.

Norris's only mistake came on the first lap when he lost the lead to teammate Oscar Piastri. But he stayed calm and, seeing he could keep pace, always believed he could win. Around half-distance, McLaren pitted Piastri to cover Lewis Hamilton, giving Norris clean air and a blistering pace.

Piastri, furious after a collision with Carlos Sainz, ended up behind Norris and later retired with a gearbox failure, denying McLaren a one-two. Ferrari, who appeared to have the fastest car, made multiple errors in qualifying and the race, including Hamilton's penalty for impeding and a pit-lane speeding penalty.

Norris led home Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli remains in control of the championship with a 98-point lead over Norris, but cautions against expecting a charge. McLaren has another upgrade coming for the next race in the Netherlands after the summer break.