In the dying seconds of the penultimate lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri lunged his McLaren towards his teammate Lando Norris near Turn 1 to regain the lead of the race.
The Australian locked up and Norris – who miraculously kept his tyres alive on a one-stop strategy for 39 laps – powered through to win the race and beat his teammate by 0.698 seconds.
Piastri pitted twice and finished second, with Mercedes driver George Russell completing the podium and a frustrated Charles Leclerc in fourth. The McLaren 1-2 finish marks the team’s 200th grand prix victory and also narrows the margin between championship leader Piastri and Norris to just nine points.
As exhausted but elated Norris claimed his ninth win and declared he “was dead” in a post-race interview.
“I’m dead. It was tough, it was tough,” Norris said. “We weren’t really planning on the one-stop but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things” he said.
“The final stint, with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat out.”
Race winner Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and George Russell. Credit: Getty Images
A gracious Piastri congratulated his teammate and said McLaren had done a great job.
“I don’t know if trying to undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end but we can go through that after,” Piastri said when asked about the team’s differing tyre strategies.
It was a rocky start to the race for Norris, who started third but dropped to fifth after trying to pass his teammate on the opening lap.
Piastri spent the first half of the race in pursuit of race-leader Charles Leclerc, however was initially unable to catch him. McLaren chose to pit Piastri in lap 19 in an attempt to undercut Leclerc , however Ferrari executed a two-second stop and Leclerc emerged in front of Piastri.
Norris pitted on lap 31 and chose to stay out – taking the lead of the race when the others pitted for a second time. Suddenly, Norris was a contender for the crown and Piastri – thanks to the team’s tyre strategy – found himself chasing Leclerc and Norris.
Lando Norris wins the Hungarian Grand PrixCredit: Getty Images
Notoriously nicknamed “Monaco without walls”, The Hungaroring has limited overtaking spots and tight turns demanding flawless perfection for every driver at every corner.
The circuit’s scare overtaking opportunities meant Piastri had to wait for the perfect moment to attack the Ferrari.
A frustrated Charles Leclerc was unable to convert his pole position into a podium and issued an ominous and ultimately prophetic plea to his team during the race, telling his race engineer “we are going to lose this race”.
Piastri finally managed to get within DRS range down the main straight and swooped past Leclerc. With less than 20 laps to go, the Australian began hunting his teammate for the lead, while McLaren reminded the pair to race cleanly.
Piastri tried numerous times to overtake Norris, but his rival held firm and fast and managed to evade the Australian’s lunges and deep-dive near turn 1.
After the Belgian Grand Prix last week, Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle declared “This race confirms, it’s Piastri versus Norris for the world championship”.
It’s clear both Norris and Piastri know that too.
During Lap 41 of the Hungarian Grand Prix race, Piastri’s race engineer asked if he would prefer to try and undercut Leclerc or defend against Norris and therefore have a better tyre advantage. The Australian instantly chose Norris.
An McLaren battle for the driver’s championship is inevitable. But the mid-season break is now upon us, so we will need to wait and see.
The next race will be the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31.