Lando Norris won a compelling Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday and cut the lead of colleague -Mclaren -driver Oscar Piastri in the championship classification in the last Formula 1 race for the summer vacation.
The race delivered a tense last few laps, with the two title Rivals fighting neck and neck for the victory to the very last corner of the last round. Norris waded through traffic and back markings and threw a charging Piastri, despite the fact that they had older and worn tires.
“I am dead. I am dead! That was difficult,” said Norris broadcast in a post race interview on ESPN. “That was difficult, the last stint with Oscar Catching – I pushed downright,” he added and called the result more “paying” after that intense fight.
The victory was a statement from Norris, a sign that he is not ready to release his grip on the trophy of the championship. It was also a trust of trust after an often affected season: Norris, who came in the season as a favorite, has often proven himself as the faster driver, but he is susceptible to errors that have cost him valuable points against the steel and consistent piattri.
“We are so tightly fought, it’s hard to say that the momentum is on someone’s side,” he said. “It’s hard but fun racing against Oscar.”
The Formula 1 World Championship struggle has solidified into a one-on-one confrontation between the two McLaren rivals. On the way to the almost month of summer vacation, Piastri has 284 points to the 275 of Norris.
Reigning four -time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull is in a distant third with 187 points; His hope for a fifth title is almost finished. He finished a low ninth place in Hungary.
Piastri made an ambitious failure on Norris in the penultimate round, but covered it and locked his front wheel, almost against his teammate. He received a soft reprimand from his team on the radio: “Remember how we are going to race.”
“I pushed as hard as I could,” said Piastri after the race. “The car really came to life in the second half of the race.”
McLaren Team director Andrea Stella discussed the radio message to Piastri in an interview with F1TV after the race.
“The memory was for both: one, make sure you don’t dive into the inside. The other, don’t move under brakes,” said Stella, adding that he understands that both fights for the title. “It is fair that they do their best, but all these should happen within our principles.”
It was the fourth consecutive race where the McLaren drivers first and second, who this year showed the dominance of the Papaya-colored team that scored his 200th victory in F1 on Sunday. George Russell from Mercedes finished in third place after a tough battle for the last stage position.
Leclerc wins Pool but loses it in the race
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc recorded a shock pool position on Saturday and led comfortably away from Piastri and Norris in the beginning, after they qualified in second and third place.
Norris got a considerable start and went to the inside of Piastri before his teammate moved to cut him down, to jeopardize Norris and cost him two positions in the opening corners.
The Piastri movement kept him at the start for his rival and gave him a preferred treatment for the first pit stop. But the camp of Norris Spiced Things Up by gambling on a one-stop strategy, later, in round 31. When Piaastri again legs round 46, he came about 12 seconds behind Norris-but tires with 14 laps younger to fight with.
Piastri then caught up with Leclerc, making it a race of two people at the front between the rivals of the championship. He closed himself behind Norris and attacked him, but did not succeed in passing by.
‘After I saw Lando go for one [stop]I knew that I should catch up on the right track, which should be said easier than done here, “said Piastri.” I tried a few things. It was a gamble anyway. And today we were unfortunately just on the wrong side. ‘
Hungary was the race that shared their rivalry a year ago. Piastri pulled forward at the start, but Norris took the position back at the pit stops for strategic decisions by McLaren. Then the Norris team ordered to delay and Piastri to make him catch up for the victory – what he did after he had resisted it for many laps. It was a dramatic and controversial order that led to the first Grand Prix victory of Piaastri in Formula 1. In general, Norris comfortably defeated the younger Piastri during the 2024 season, but falls short of Verstappen in his bid at the championship.
This year the McLaren drivers are more evenly linked. A series of midrace radio messages between the McLaren drivers and their racing engineers crystallized the battle.
After he had immersed a wheel in the gravel, Lando was told that “just should keep the focus – you don’t want those mistakes.” It came one race after Norris had set up another tire strategy in the same way, but made a few crucial mistakes that prevented him from challenging Piastri.
In the meantime, Piastri has been asked to give MidRace or he wants the strategy to concentrate on challenging Leclerc for the victory or repulsing Norris for second place. Piastri’s answer was told: “If you still think that beating Lando is realistic, then: do that.”
“I don’t really care about Leclerc,” Piastri added a few laps later to team radio. “I just want the best chance to beat Lando. That is the most important thing at the moment.”
It’s all about the world championship.
Verstappen says he is staying at Red Bull
The race weekend also put an end to two of the biggest open questions in sport.
Verstappen, the reigning four-time world champion, said reporters that he will stay with the controversial Red Bull team next season and finally arrange on persistent questions about whether he will jump to Mercedes.
Ferrari announced that the Frédéric Vasseur team head again signed for a ‘multi -year contract’, which ended a number of recent speculation on the leadership of the Italian team.
But everything was not good with the team this weekend. Leclerc expressed his frustration with the decision -making of the team to do Midrace while his hope of victory faded. Leclerc eventually lost third place in round 62, when Russell caught up with him.
And Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, the seven -time world champion, qualified 12th in Hungary before he called himself ‘useless’ as he spoke with reporters. Hamilton finished in 12th place.
The next F1 race is in the Netherlands on 31 August.
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