PUSHING THE POINT ? NORRIS WINS HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

It was the setting where it all began two years before.

Oscar Piastri’s first Grand Prix win came after Lando Norris was told to cede the lead he gained via a team pitstop call.

Piastri had leapfrogged pole sitter Norris at the start of the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix led throughout the opening pitstop cycle.

It all changed when McLaren pitted Norris ahead of Piastri to counter a challenge from Lewis Hamilton.

That, contrary to Papaya rules (which does or doesn’t exist based upon who you chose to believe)  gave Norris the advantage and the lead of the race.

Until the team intervened.

Let’s ponder this for a moment; 2024 and Norris on pole. Piastri gets the better start and takes the lead. Norris stops first to cover a potential undercut from Lewis Hamilton and takes the lead.

Deja vu perhaps?

Fast forward to 2026. Lando Norris starts from pole position, Oscar Piastri from third after Lewis Hamilton had impeded him in Q3.

Norris has a snap oversteer in the opening lap and Piastri dives inside to take the lead.

A lead that stretches out to more than a second and a half before Norris reined it in.

Norris then complains over the radio that he is faster and wants to stop first. McLaren tell him that this plan wouldn’t work.

Lewis Hamilton, who started on the softest tyre, stopped early in what was going to be a two or three stop race for the Ferrari.

Oscar Piastri, on the more durable medium tyre is then told to pit to counter a Ferrari undercut.

But why we should ask?

Piastri had complained of some tyre wear, but the mediums should have been able to cover at least a half dozen or so laps. It was a feat achieved by Norris with ease and indeed Kimi Antonelli ran long into the race on his yellow walled rubber.

Was it a reaction to Norris’ call? Pit Piastri as per papaya rules seemed to be contrary to Norris’ demands, or was part of a plan that the reigning world champion had forged.

Clean air, fast laps and a superior tyre delta would all play into Norris’ hands later on.

Piastri managed to maintain enough buffer during that second stint, despite some concerns from the Australian that the tyre performance was somewhat erratic.

And then came that second round of stops.

Piastri had a good one, around two and a bit seconds. He rejoined around two seconds clear of Hamilton with Hadjar, who had held up Piastri and co after the first round of stops, safely behind.

His return to the circuit, whilst ahead of Hamilton and Hadjar, placed him amongst a number of midfield scuffles, none more so than the one between Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.

It had been a rather difficult weekend for the Williams driver, who had developed a bit of a reputation for having an extended ‘black spot’ where following cars could not be seen.

Sainz said it was an issue with communication and the absence of a blue flag signal on his steering wheel. Whatever the cause it was the moment that cruelled Oscar Piastri’s hopes.

As Piastri surged alongside the #55, Sainz turned left, banging wheels with the #81 and forcing Piastri onto the dirt.

In an instance the Australian’s buffer over the impending Norris pitstop was gone.

Piastri was clearly shaken in the cockpit, referring to the Spaniard in the most unkind, though perhaps appropriate, of terms given the circumstances.

When Norris stopped a short time later he emerged with a clear lead over his teammate.

That left Piastri rather uncharacteristically shaken.

Given the changes to the structure of the 2026 F1 car and the need to ‘wring its neck’ rather than the silky smooth style of driving needed for the previous generation car, in which Oscar excelled, his dissatisfaction was easily understood.

Having given up his seat in P1 and a full session with the new upgrades with which Norris was able to assess, Piastri had to play catch-up from that point on.

Having grabbed the lead, the Australian may well have been excused for thinking that his fortunes had turned as it did in 2024.

And then this happened.

He rued the team’s decision to pit at that time and openly questioned the strategy which placed him in the midst of traffic, including Carlos Sainz.

Norris meanwhile was hellbent on pushing the point of speed. Lapping consistently faster than Piastri, he pulled out a ten second margin and earned the wrath of his team in the process.

His engineer warned to excessive snaps over the course of the lap and of the potential to overdo things. He even went as far as acknowledged Norris was the fastest driver on the circuit and had nothing left to prove.

Were there still memories of 2024 or was Norris trying to exert his position as the dominant force at McLaren?

It mattered little in the end when Piastri pulled to the side of the circuit at two-thirds distance with a gearbox issue. That, at least, allowed Piastri’s frustration to move from team calls to reliability.

Norris went on to take the win from Verstappen and Antonelli, who stormed home on much fresher tyres than those ahead. He lapped some two seconds quicker in those closing laps, whilst Verstappen gained pace on the back of a team gamble to run soft tyres in the final stint.

Leclerc, Hamilton, Hadjar, Russell, Lawson, Hulkenberg and Lindblad completed the Top 10. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finished an encouraging 13th and 14th in their heavily revised Aston Martins.

And so the F1 season takes its mid season break.

Kimi Antonelli leads Lewis Hamilton by 50 points with Russell a further nine points in arrears, as all thoughts will be on the sudden upswing for McLaren and whether they can continue with that momentum when racing resumes.

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