Lando Norris closed in on the championship lead against all odds after a Hungarian GP that saw McLaren seal their seventh 1-2 finish of 2025. Strategy saw Oscar Piastri come off worse in Budapest again, but there were no frantic radio messages for team orders we saw last year. The long life of Pirelli's Hard tyre helped Norris to run a one-stop strategy to victory on a day of gambles that left the winner unknown until the last lap.

It wasn't either of the McLaren duo who started the race in P1, though. Charles Leclerc took his first pole position start of the year as Ferrari settle into the second-best position. The Monegasque driver had left teammate Lewis Hamilton feeling "useless" after the seven-time champion qualified and finished a disappointing P12.

There was no disappointment in the early race for Leclerc, however. Knowing that the opening corners of the race would establish the order at the tough-to-pass track, the Ferrari racer eased into a relatively comfortable Turn 1 lead. The fighting for position came behind, with George Russell passing Norris and attacking Piastri for P2, and Fernando Alonso sweeping around the outside of Norris for P4.

Piastri did enough to hold off Russell and remain P2, chasing Leclerc for the lead, but Norris' drop from P3 to P5 had him with work to do. It only took until Lap 3 for Alonso to inevitably fall behind the McLaren down the DRS straight. The Aston Martin looked racier than usual all weekend, but couldn't contend with Norris' superior speed in the class-of-the-field car.

Knowing the best chance of passing for the lead would be in the pit lane, McLaren gambled on bringing Piastri in for Hard Pirellis before Leclerc to undercut the Ferrari on Lap 19. The Scuderia wasted no time in fending off the threat and brought in their race leader one lap later. The sharp pit stops by both teams left it a dead heat in time gained, and Leclerc managed to remain ahead.

With Russell also pitting along Leclerc, Norris inherited the lead on ageing Medium tyres. However, with clear air ahead, Norris could manage the pace and could extend the life of his Pirellis until Lap 32 when he finally stopped for Hards. Leclerc and Piastri had just closed in on Norris when McLaren called him in, and the lead was Ferrari's once more.

Further back, Max Verstappen had qualified a lowly P8 and was trying his best to provide entertainment in the race. The reigning champion had shared with the media that he doesn't expect to win another race all year, but he still had the hunger to fight. He had made overtakes at the Turn 6 chicane early in the race, but it was his pass on Hamilton at Turn 4 that was the most dramatic.

An unconventional overtaking spot had Verstappen with a better exit out of Turn 3 and took the inside of his 2021 rival. This was a battle for P11, not P1, though, and Hamilton jumped across the kerbs to avoid contact with the Red Bull driver. Each was in a damage control race, but this was a near-miss moment that could have ended both champions' Sunday.

The third stint changed the race considerably, with Leclerc pitting ahead of Piastri this time. Although it seemed the wise decision, the Ferrari's pace in the race's final act dropped off a cliff. Piastri took chunks of time from Leclerc after stopping for a final set of Hards and used his additional grip to go around the outside of Turn 1 to get ahead. With Norris not pitting, this was not a move for the lead, however, and there was a nine-second gap for the championship leader to close.

Leclerc's frustrations at losing the place came out over the radio, and the pole-sitting driver complained it would be a "miracle" if he would finish on the podium. His prediction soon came true, too, with Russell being the next driver to pass the frustrated Ferrari racer. Leclerc's anger came through in his defending, too, with late-braking moves ending up earning him a five-second penalty in a day that went from bad to worse.

While Leclerc descended down the order, Norris had opposite fortunes and was still leading the race despite his poor start. Piastri closed in on his teammate in the final laps and had to lock up his front Pirelli tyres to avoid contact in an ambitious Turn 1 overtake attempt. The lack of passing opportunities afforded by the Hungaroring helped Norris fend off Piastri to take an unexpected win and tighten the championship battle.

It's now just nine points between Piastri and Norris at the top as F1 heads into its summer break with 10 rounds remaining. The McLaren pair have now won the past four grands prix with one-two success, and look like they could win every remaining race. There are now three weekends without racing as the sport enters its mandatory two-week shutdown. The Dutch GP is at the end of the month, with Zandvoort resuming the championship on 31 August.

Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri returned to winning ways in the Belgian GP, halting Lando Norris' winning streak in the process. The McLaren cars again delivered a class-leading performance, locking out the front row and cruising to a third successive 1-2 finish. The pair further extended their gap to Max Verstappen's faint title hopes as the 2025 F1 season entered its second half, which is likely to see a new championship winner.

Any Sunday racing around the famed Spa-Francorchamps had to wait, though. Heavy rain delayed the race start by over 80 minutes, frustrating some drivers looking to take advantage of the changeable conditions. Notably, champions Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen took to the radio when the on-track action resumed to complain that they were losing time behind the Safety Car. A rolling start further caused consternation as race control took a rather conservative approach despite the field having Pirelli's Wet and Intermediate tyres available.

Piastri wasted no time in battling for the lead once the Safety Car peeled in four laps into the race. The Australian was pipped to pole by Norris, despite looking the faster driver across Free Practice, Sprint Qualifying, and Saturday's Sprint. Norris opted for a restart before the chicane, but that allowed Piastri to keep close as the pack approached La Source.

The McLaren pair were nose-to-tail through the iconic Eau Rouge-Raidillion corners, with Piastri inching closer to Norris as the duo crested the hill. Piastri's overspeed eased him past his teammate down the Kemmel Straight with plumes of water hurtling off his Intermediate tyres on a track that still had standing water. Charles Leclerc, who beat Verstappen to P3, managed to keep the Red Bull driver behind too, allowing the McLarens to focus on each other instead of the Dutchman.

It was the sister Ferrari of Hamilton that made the most moves in the opening laps, though. Known for his wet-weather prowess, Hamilton was on the hunt after two disappointing days in Belgium. He struggled in Sprint Qualifying and Grand Prix Qualifying, but soon made amends by slicing through the field. Three passes in a single tour of Spa-Francorchamps showed his comfort on Pirelli's grooved tyres as he pushed through the backmarker pack to reach P13 in the drying conditions.

Hamilton's experience soon had him become the first driver to jump to dry tyres, too, gambling that slick rubber would work better in the conditions. He equipped Medium Pirellis to great effect, passing two more cars on track and undercutting a further four to emerge in P7. Those 11 places in just 10 laps of running would be the limit of his advance, though. Alex Albon had utilised Williams' upgrades to run in the top 10 and spent his Sunday defending from the seven-time champion after earlier falling behind George Russell.

Tyres played a part in the fight for the lead, too. Piastri had switched to Mediums one lap earlier than Norris stopped, with the Briton instead choosing Pirelli's Hard compound. Norris' choice was based on the hope that he could run to the end without stopping, while Piastri would need to make one more trip to the pits. A slow pit stop for Norris lost him some time, though, and he ended 9 seconds adrift of leader Piastri.

Radio messages to both McLaren drivers explained the situation, and Piastri went into tyre management mode, hoping he wouldn't need to pit again. Norris, arguably with the better strategy by not needing to nurse his Pirellis, began to push to close the gap in an attempt to pick up DRS. Without any further rain forecast to fall, Norris would need to make his move for the lead on the tyres he had.

That pushing, however, resulted in the No.4 car making multiple mistakes, which cost valuable seconds to Piastri. A wide moment at Pouhon and two lock-ups into La Source cost Norris around a second per error. With Piasti ending the race 3.4s ahead, those three lost seconds could've made the difference on an otherwise uneventful Sunday. Norris started the race in P1, but this was to be Piastri's day, and the Australian extended his championship lead to 16 points.

A trip to Hungary follows this weekend in the second half of F1's latest doubleheader. The track is where Piastri first won in F1 last year, after a Sunday of radio deliberation between Norris and McLaren after a poor strategy decision. Can Norris halt the march of his younger teammate, who has again matched his win tally? It could be the best chance he has of becoming world champion, so he must look to show the speed he had in Budapest last year to continue the title fight.