If you ever needed a reminder that Formula 1 is a sport of exquisite agony and fleeting ecstasy, the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix delivered it with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Budapest, with its sweltering August haze and serpentine Hungaroring, has always been a place where reputations are made, unmade, and occasionally left to simmer in the pitlane. This year, as McLaren celebrated its 200th Grand Prix victory, the paddock was left to pick through the emotional wreckage—heroes, heartbreaks, and a few existential crises thrown in for good measure.
The Art of the One-Stop: Norris Turns Misfortune into Magic
Let’s begin with the man of the hour, Lando Norris. If you’d told me after the first lap that Norris would be spraying champagne on the top step, I’d have asked if you’d been sampling the local pálinka a bit too liberally. Boxed in at Turn 1, mugged by George Russell and Fernando Alonso, Norris dropped to fifth and looked set for a long afternoon of “what ifs.” But Formula 1, like life, is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.
McLaren, in a move that would have made Ross Brawn proud, rolled the dice on a one-stop strategy. Norris, ever the reluctant gambler, shrugged his way into the plan: “Yeah, why not!” he radioed on Lap 28, sounding more like a man agreeing to try the goulash than a future race winner. But as the laps ticked by, the brilliance of the call became clear. Norris nursed his hard tyres through a mammoth 39-lap stint, fending off a charging Oscar Piastri in a finale that had the grandstands on their feet.
Norris produced a brilliantly controlled and defensive drive to hold off a late attack from Piastri to score McLaren’s 200th F1 win and reduce his deficit to the Australian to nine points on a day he looked on course to haemorrhage more ground in the championship battle to his chief rival.Crash.net
For Norris, it was his ninth Grand Prix win and a statement that, in this era of McLaren resurgence, he is no longer the nearly man. The ghosts of Silverstone 2024 and Spa 2025—where he’d thrown away wins—were, at least for now, exorcised.
Watch the full race recap here: ESPN Hungarian GP 2025 Recap
Piastri: The Agony of the Almost
If Norris was the hero, Oscar Piastri was the tragic protagonist. Outqualifying his teammate, outdragging him to Turn 1, and even putting a Mercedes between himself and Norris, Piastri did everything right—except win. The Australian’s two-stop strategy, conventional wisdom at the Hungaroring, left him with fresher tyres and a burning sense of injustice as he reeled in Norris in the closing laps.
He tried everything, including a late lunge at Turn 1 on the penultimate lap, locking up and narrowly avoiding a collision. In the end, he finished just 0.698 seconds behind, a margin that might as well have been a lifetime.
Oscar Piastri can feel aggrieved that he outqualified his chief title rival, outraced him on the run down to Turn 1, put a Mercedes between himself and Lando Norris, and still came out in second place behind him. But that’s all part of F1.The Race
Piastri’s pain is the pain of every great driver who’s ever lost a race they should have won. Ask Jean Alesi, or for that matter, Nigel Mansell. Budapest has a long memory for such things.
George Russell: Mercedes’ Silver Lining
If you’re looking for a man who left Budapest with a spring in his step, look no further than George Russell. After a season spent wrestling with a recalcitrant Mercedes, the team reverted to its pre-Imola rear suspension and, lo and behold, the car came alive. Russell qualified just 0.053 seconds off pole and drove a measured race to finish third, the best of the rest behind the McLaren juggernaut.
Coming out of a tough spell, Mercedes is back on the podium after rolling back its car to its pre-Imola spec and reverting to the old rear suspension. With that upgrade (read: downgrade) off the car, Mercedes’ pace and stability returned.Motorsport.com
Russell’s podium was a much-needed tonic for a team that’s spent much of 2025 searching for answers. And with contract negotiations looming, the timing couldn’t have been better.
Ferrari: From Pole to Purgatory
Ah, Ferrari. If there’s a team that can turn hope into heartbreak with more efficiency than a Maranello wind tunnel, it’s the Scuderia. Charles Leclerc delivered a stunning pole in tricky conditions, and for the first ten laps, it looked like the Tifosi might finally have something to cheer. But then, as if scripted by Dante himself, the wheels came off—literally and figuratively.
A second stop for hard tyres saw Leclerc’s pace evaporate. Frustrated by strategy calls and what would later be revealed as a chassis issue, Leclerc’s race unraveled. He was overtaken by Russell and then penalized five seconds for erratic defending, a slap on the wrist that did little to mask his misery.
We’ve lost all competitiveness. You just have to listen to me, I would have found a different way of managing those issues. Now it’s just undriveable. It’s a miracle if we finish on the podium.Charles Leclerc, team radio (via PlanetF1)
Leclerc finished fourth, while Lewis Hamilton, in the other Ferrari, endured a weekend so bleak he suggested the team should “just get a different driver.” For a man with eight Hungarian wins, it was a new low.
Aston Martin: Alonso’s Grit, Stroll’s Steadiness
Fernando Alonso, nursing a back injury and a car that’s been more miss than hit in 2025, delivered a vintage drive to fifth. He held off faster cars, managed his tyres, and reminded everyone why he’s still the most feared man in a midfield scrap. Lance Stroll, often the butt of paddock jokes, was only two places behind in seventh, giving Aston Martin its biggest points haul of the season.
Alonso’s drive was all the more impressive considering he has been recovering from a muscle injury in his back that saw him sit out of opening practice in Hungary.Crash.net
For a team that looked lost at Spa, Budapest was a much-needed shot in the arm.
Gabriel Bortoleto: The Rookie Who Split the Midfield
Every so often, a rookie arrives who makes you sit up and take notice. Gabriel Bortoleto, in his Sauber, did just that. Outqualifying Nico Hulkenberg and finishing sixth, Bortoleto split the Aston Martins and scored his best-ever F1 result. It was his third points finish in four races—a run of form that has the paddock whispering about the “next big thing.”
F1 – and Sauber – have a real star on their hands in Gabriel Bortoleto, who proceeded to deliver a phenomenal performance across the Hungary weekend.Crash.net
If you’re looking for a feel-good story, look no further.
Red Bull: The Empire Strikes Out
It’s not often you see Red Bull flounder, but in Budapest, the mighty RB21 looked more like a wounded animal than a championship contender. Max Verstappen, the man who once made the Hungaroring his playground, could only manage ninth, while Yuki Tsunoda was lapped and finished 18th. The team blamed a lack of grip and a setup that never worked, but the truth is, they were nowhere.
Nothing in the 70-Hungarian Grand Prix changed Max Verstappen’s Saturday verdict that the RB21 had ‘no grip’ at the Hungaroring, and there is still no real answer as to why.The Race
For a team used to winning, it was a sobering reminder that in Formula 1, the only constant is change.
Williams, Haas, and the Rest: The Long Road Home
Williams, once the pride of Grove, endured a nightmare weekend. Alex Albon qualified last, Carlos Sainz could only manage 14th, and the team’s grip on fifth in the constructors’ championship is now tenuous at best. Haas, meanwhile, saw Esteban Ocon finish 16th and Ollie Bearman retire with damage—a third consecutive race without points.
If you’re looking for silver linings, you’ll need a microscope.
2025 Hungarian Grand Prix: Final Standings
| Position | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 70 laps |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.698s |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | +21.916s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +42.560s |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +59.040s |
| 6 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +1m06.169s |
| 7 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1m08.174s |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1m09.451s |
| 9 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +1m12.645s |
| 10 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1 lap |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1 lap |
| 12 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1 lap |
| 13 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +1 lap |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1 lap |
| 15 | Alex Albon | Williams | +1 lap |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1 lap |
| 17 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | +1 lap |
| 18 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1 lap |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 lap |
| DNF | Ollie Bearman | Haas |
Historical Parallels: McLaren’s Budapest Renaissance
For McLaren, this was more than just a win—it was a return to a place they once called home. Before 2025, McLaren had won the Hungarian Grand Prix 11 times, but not since 2012. The team’s last golden era at the Hungaroring was defined by the likes of Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton. Now, with Norris and Piastri, they have a new double act—one that might just define the next decade.
And let’s not forget: Norris won here in 2024, and Piastri took his maiden win at the Hungaroring that same year. Budapest, it seems, is where McLaren’s future is being written.
Waste a Bit More Time
If you’re still hungry for more Budapest drama, here are a few links to keep you occupied while the summer break begins:
- The winners and losers from F1’s 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix — Motorsport.com
- Winners and losers from F1’s 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix — The Race
- Winners and losers from the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix — PlanetF1
- 2025 Hungarian GP recap: F1 results, highlights as McLaren … – ESPN
- Crash.net: Five winners and five losers 2025 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix
