McLaren claimed victory at the Hungaroring after a fierce battle between its two drivers. Alpine's performance worsened, and it did not score any points
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The Hungarian Grand Prix once again highlighted two things: McLaren's great dominance led by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Alpine's disastrous season. The British team secured its seventh 1-2 finish of the season, taking the lead in the constructors' standings, while the French team continues to sink to the bottom.
The race was intense from the start, where Norris and Piastri were unable to put pressure on Charles Leclerc's Ferrari as they had hoped. In his attempt to overtake his teammate, the British driver ended up losing positions to George Russell (Mercedes) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).
However, Norris quickly overtook Alonso and regained third place, although that lost time proved crucial: his chance to fight for the win began to fade.
Norris tuvo un inicio complicado
Meanwhile, Franco Colapinto had another day to forget. He had started 14th, but dropped to 18th after running wide at turn 3 while trying to pass Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He was then overtaken by his teammate Pierre Gasly, and later by almost the entire field.
The Argentine entered the pits on lap 14 to switch from medium to hard tires, but a pit stop of more than 12 seconds left him last, 21 seconds (46.3 seconds) behind Nico Hülkenberg's Sauber, who had also been penalized for "jump start." To make matters worse, his second stop lasted 7 seconds, and with that he was condemned to the back until the checkered flag.
Meanwhile, McLaren split strategies: Piastri pitted on lap 19, and a lap later Leclerc and Russell did the same. Norris extended his stint on medium tires until halfway through the 70 laps. Leclerc, frustrated, complained over the radio about Ferrari's strategic management, while Hamilton dropped out of the points.
The Monegasque had to make a second stop before Piastri, who gained several laps of advantage and managed to overtake him with 52 laps completed, leaving him third and with new complaints over the radio.
Up front, Norris validated his one-stop strategy and remained firm despite the pressure. Piastri closed to within 6.2 seconds of his teammate and five of Leclerc, consolidating McLaren's one-two finish.
Russell moved into third by overtaking Leclerc on the main straight with the help of DRS. The Mercedes driver complained about the Monegasque's defensive move, and the maneuver was noted for review.
In the final laps, Piastri closed in dangerously on Norris thanks to lapped traffic. With two laps to go, he tried to pass him on the inside at the first corner, but locked up the right front tire to avoid contact. Thus, the Australian was left wanting.
The final result was a one-two finish for McLaren (Norris-Piastri), a podium for Russell, and another dark weekend for Colapinto, who can't recover during his time at Alpine and finished 18th, overtaking Gasly at the end due to a 10-second penalty and Oliver Bearman, who had to retire.
Drivers' and Constructors' Standings after Hungary
