Winners and losers from the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix: Norris delivers, Piastri DNF, Hamilton penalised

Behind Norris, Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli completed the podium, while Ferrari turned a potentially difficult weekend into a healthy points haul through Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Further back, several midfield names seized their opportunity on Formula 1’s tight and demanding Budapest circuit.

Here are GPblog’s winners and losers from the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Norris was the weekend’s standout performer, taking pole position before managing the race from the front to claim victory for McLaren. It was his first victory as a world champion and comes after a load of updates from the team.

The Hungaroring is a circuit where track position matters, and Norris made the most of his qualifying advantage. His pole was particularly significant, having been his first since the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

A clean win also provides a timely boost for the world champion, who executed a complete weekend: quick enough over one lap, composed in the race, and clinical when presented with the opportunity. For a driver seeking momentum in a competitive season, this was exactly the response required.

Verstappen could not deny Norris victory, but second place was still a strong result - he admitted he did not expect to finish on the podium. The Dutchman’s ability to turn a weekend without pole position into a podium remains one of his greatest strengths.

On a circuit that is difficult to overtake around, Verstappen ensured he remained within reach of the winner and extracted the maximum from his Sunday. He left Budapest with a substantial points score rather than allowing a less-than-perfect qualifying result to define his weekend.

He also pulled off one of the overtakes of the season when he squeezed past Hamilton at Turn 2. A brilliant performance in an understrength car.

Antonelli’s third place should not be under estimated. Mercedes had endured a difficult qualifying session, the team’s worst of the season, but the young Italian recovered brilliantly when it counted.

The Mercedes driver converted that disappointing starting situation into a place on the podium, beating both Ferraris and his more experienced team-mate George Russell. It was an assured performance under pressure and another reminder that Antonelli has the speed and composure to compete at the sharp end.

Sixth place for Hadjar deserves recognition. In a race where the leading teams occupied much of the top five, the Frenchman emerged as the best of the rest and collected a sizeable points haul.

Hadjar finished ahead of Russell, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg and Arvid Lindblad, showing both pace and control in a congested midfield battle. These are the results that elevate a driver’s reputation: not merely scoring points, but decisively beating direct rivals when the opportunity arises.

Piastri’s DNF finish was the starkest contrast of the Hungarian GP. While Norris controlled the race to win, Piastri ended the weekend with no points and a result that will hurt in both the drivers’ standings and within McLaren.

His Sunday was made even more frustrating given the qualifying incident involving Hamilton, who was penalised for impeding him in Q3. Piastri had been handed a potential advantage through that penalty, but he was unable to turn it into a meaningful result.

Piastri's retirement will be a concern for McLaren and capitalised a bad weekend for the Aussie driver.

Antonelli’s podium was excellent, but it should not entirely disguise Mercedes’ wider struggles. The team’s qualifying performance left it on the back foot, and Russell could manage only seventh place after his car slipped into anti-stall on the grid.

Mercedes has clearly shown that it can contend at the front in 2026, which makes its Budapest inconsistency more notable. Antonelli’s recovery limits the damage, but the team will need to understand why it was not better positioned from the start.

One car on the podium is a positive but Russell's luck has been miserable this season and leaves him further adrift in the championship standings.

Hamilton fought back to fifth, but he remains a loser from the weekend because of two penalties, one in the race for speeding in the pitlane and the avoidable qualifying penalty. Starting three places lower than his original qualifying position fundamentally changed the shape of his race.

The seven-time world champion did well to limit the consequences, yet Ferrari had enough speed to suggest that a podium challenge may have been possible without the impeding incident.

Fifth is respectable; it is not the result Hamilton or Ferrari will have targeted after his original front-row qualifying effort. Ferrari will also need to address the tactical decisions, early pit stops and different tyre strategy did not work.

Sainz finished 18th, well outside the points and behind several cars he would have expected to challenge. On a circuit where race recovery is so difficult, a lowly result can quickly become inevitable — but that will not make the outcome any easier to accept.

The Spaniard leaves Budapest needing a reset heading into the next round. At a stage of the season where every point matters, an 18th-place finish represents a costly missed chance.

He is clearly unhappy with life at Williams right now and been outspoken about the competitiveness of their F1 car. He also picked up a in race penalty for blocking Piastri.