The winners and losers from F1’s 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix 

The Components 1 circus is heading right into a well-deserved summer time break after a gruelling 14-race stretch. And if the puzzling Budapest weekend is something to go by, some drivers and groups will want extra time than others to decompress. 

Winner: Lando Norris 

Ranging from the higher facet of the grid practically netted Lando Norris second over Piastri initially, however as an alternative the Briton received boxed in and handed by George Russell and Fernando Alonso. Funnily sufficient, that poor begin appeared to set off a sequence of occasions that landed Norris a ninth grand prix win, as the bottom he misplaced to Piastri led to him extending his first stint and resort to an – on the time – bold one-stopper.

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McLaren insists that even at that stage it wasn’t certain Norris may really pull that off. However after Piastri unsuccessfully tried to undercut polesitter Charles Leclerc, the Australian instantly began worrying about Norris’ technique on the radio somewhat than concerning the Ferrari man, and with good purpose. 

The tip end result was a brief however intense battle between the 2, with Piastri catching Norris hand over fist on brisker tyres however then unable to discover a well past. It is a kind of races the place Piastri did not do something mistaken however nonetheless discovered himself on the dropping finish. Norris emerged because the winner on the day as he goes into the summer time break simply 9 factors behind, whereas Piastri will nonetheless fancy his possibilities to remain on high. 

In the meantime, we received to see the 2 dominant vehicles race on the entrance foot to discover a method to win, somewhat than making certain they completed forward of the opposite. McLaren did not take its two hundredth grand prix victory by being conservative. It did so by going motor racing. 

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photograph by: Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto by way of Getty Photographs

Loser: Charles Leclerc 

Whereas McLaren misplaced efficiency in a windy Q3 session, Leclerc delivered an excellent qualifying lap to take an sudden pole. And the Monegasque seemed fast within the race too, till his tempo out of the blue collapsed after a second cease for hards. 

Leclerc had already been annoyed earlier within the race with a few of the decisions his engineers had made, which staff boss Vasseur defined was associated to power deployment. However with a a lot slower Ferrari his race unravelled from there, and Leclerc was powerless to remain out of the clutches of George Russell. 

His frustration appeared to show right into a bout of highway rage as he twice moved beneath braking to fend off Russell, with the Briton having to react swiftly to keep away from an accident. Given the chasm behind the pair, Leclerc’s five-second penalty for erratic driving was lenient. Very lenient. 

George Russell, Mercedes

Photograph by: Bryn Lennon / Components 1 by way of Getty Photographs

Winner: George Russell 

Popping out of a troublesome spell, Mercedes is again on the rostrum after rolling again its automotive to its pre-Imola spec and reverting to the previous rear suspension. With that improve (learn: downgrade) off the automotive, Mercedes’ tempo and stability returned, and Russell too may have snatched pole on Saturday if it hadn’t been for a tough remaining nook in gusty circumstances. 

The cooler circumstances clearly helped the W15, because it negated Mercedes’ nicely documented vulnerability within the warmth on what may have been a tough circuit. And it allowed Russell to select up the place he left off as certainly one of F1 2025’s standout performers, leaping Norris initially earlier than ending as the best non-McLaren driver, which is one thing of a victory in itself. 

Russell, who stated he would disappear immediately for vacation on Sunday night time, will have the ability to get pleasure from his break day in peace. That new Mercedes contract shall be within the mail quickly, and it is going to be nicely earned. 

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Group

Photograph by: Zak Mauger / LAT Photographs by way of Getty Photographs

Loser: Lewis Hamilton 

Russell’s former team-mate Lewis Hamilton additionally seems prepared for a trip after a brutal first chapter of his extremely anticipated Ferrari stint. Simply as he began getting nearer to Leclerc and seemed to have overcome his adaption interval, Hamilton suffered two disappointing qualifying periods in fast succession to knock the wind out of his sails. 

A valiant comeback race in Spa was by no means going to be repeated on the slender confines of the Hungaroring, and whereas Hamilton has had his ups and down earlier than it was fairly telling for him to recommend Ferrari ought to simply get a special driver – one of many few quiet phrases he let slip to the media throughout two gloomy days. 

The break comes at a great time for Hamilton as he resets for the second half of the yr. And to finish on a optimistic notice, the truth is that his final two weekends have not really been as dangerous as Hamilton’s temper and outcomes would recommend, having been pegged again by a decent monitor limits name in Spa qualifying and a fair narrower Q2 exit in Budapest. However it hasn’t been the grand Ferrari entrance he and the tifosi dreamed off, removed from it. 

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Photograph by: Jayce Illman / Getty Photographs

Winners: Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber 

Bubbly Bortoleto was the antidote to Hamilton’s distress after the Brazilian capped off one other excellent weekend together with his finest F1 end result, qualifying seventh and ending sixth. 

Gabriel Bortoleto admitted it was fairly surreal to be sandwiched in between his world championship profitable buddies Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen within the opening stint, however he didn’t look misplaced there as he made probably the most of Sauber’s current upgrades, rewarding him for his endurance throughout a troublesome season begin for the staff. 

With team-mate Nico Hulkenberg on the again foot after qualifying, Sauber may rely on its different driver to maintain its constructors’ championship aspirations. The one draw back is that its rival Aston Martin received each vehicles within the factors. 

Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing

Photograph by: Clive Rose / Components 1 by way of Getty Photographs

Losers: Pink Bull 

Pink Bull outdid Monza 2024 with what was arguably its worst race weekend efficiency in recent times, and it was a uncommon sight to even see Max Verstappen having to combat to make it to Q3. 

A lot has been product of the RB21’s difficult stability, which has really improved in current months, however on the Hungaroring the automotive simply appeared to lack total grip and thus laptime. Each Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda, who quietly did a comparatively good job this weekend regardless of his Q2 exit, have been then sliding a lot within the race {that a} one-stop technique was out of the query. 

Pink Bull was so poor this weekend on a low to medium velocity circuit that almost all clues level in direction of an incapacity to change on the tyres and get into the automotive’s slender operation window. That is why each staff boss Laurent Mekies and advisor Helmut Marko have been assured Budapest was a one-off. If you happen to’re a Dutch fan with hard-earned Zandvoort tickets within the pocket, you will need to hope they’re proper. 

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Photograph by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Photographs

Winners: Aston Martin 

If anybody is aware of what’s going on with Aston Martin’s current performances, then a sure Lawrence S. has a job provide on his Silverstone desk along with your identify on it. From being completely nowhere in Spa, Aston out of the blue leapt to the entrance of the midfield in Hungary and picked up 16 factors to maneuver as much as sixth within the standings. 

That means a monitor particular subject on high-speed circuits the place aerodynamic effectivity is a key requirement, whereas the Hungaroring is extra about piling load onto the vehicles with fewer straights to fret about. However the reality appears extra difficult than that, as each fifth-placed Fernando Alonso and seventh-placed Lance Stroll appeared at midnight about what has actually occurred. 

Alonso, who opportunistically moved as much as fourth initially earlier than inevitably dropping the spot once more to Norris, summed it up finest: “The great factor is that we have been quick. The regarding factor is that we do not know why.” 

Alexander Albon, Williams

Photograph by: Alastair Staley / LAT Photographs by way of Getty Photographs

Losers: Williams, Alpine 

Williams, Alpine and Haas all left Budapest with out factors of their baggage, so take your decide. Maybe Williams would be the most disenchanted given the current improve bundle that seemed to offer it a combating likelihood to regain management of the battle for fifth. 

The truth that it received these upgrades on the automotive in Spa, once they have been initially deliberate for Zandvoort, speaks to Williams’ extra environment friendly growth course of behind the scenes at Grove. However whereas it has made its automotive far more of an all-rounder in comparison with the notorious straight-line rockets of previous, circuits with lengthy, medium to high-speed corners like Hungaroring nonetheless appear to be its kryptonite. 

Aston’s massive factors haul has now negated Albon’s wonderful Belgium end result, establishing an intriguing midfield battle for the rest of 2025 that additionally entails Sauber, Racing Bulls and Haas. 

Alpine simply would not appear to be within the dialog proper now, and appears like it is going to want extra opportunistic Pierre Gasly heroics in altering circumstances. 

Images from Hungarian GP – Race

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