Lewis Hamilton expressed frustration with his Ferrari team after dropping points in the championship battle at the Hungarian Grand Prix, while Lando Norris claimed his first victory of the season for McLaren. Hamilton finished fifth after a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, a result that allowed Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli to extend his title lead over the Briton.
The seven-time world champion was called in for a late pit stop under the virtual safety car, which gave him fresh tyres but cost him track position to Max Verstappen and Antonelli. The stop also incurred the penalty, leaving Hamilton to question the strategy. “It was pretty bad. Pretty frustrating,” he said. “I definitely don’t think we should have taken the stop but the call came literally just before the pit-lane entry and I didn’t have time to debate.”
Hamilton now trails Antonelli by 50 points with 12 races remaining, and the championship leader takes a comfortable advantage into the summer break. “I’ll work hard to try and come back, reset,” Hamilton added. “The second half will be stronger, usually the second half is a stronger period for me. So I’ll take this time to reset and come back stronger, fitter and better mentally prepared.”
Norris, the defending world champion, dominated the race at the Hungaroring, finishing ahead of Verstappen and Antonelli. He believes he is driving at his peak despite McLaren's struggles earlier in the season. “Today I would probably say it was up there with one of my best performances,” Norris said. “The car was still horrible to drive at times but quick, and I’d rather have a horrible but quick car than anything else.”
The McLaren driver is 91 points behind Antonelli in the standings but remains optimistic after significant upgrades proved effective in Hungary. “I was convinced I could win the race today and we did,” he added. “We were just on another level.”
