Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli extended his Formula 1 world championship lead to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton after fighting back from a grid penalty to finish third at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Italian started seventh after receiving a three-place grid penalty for speeding under yellow flags in qualifying but carved through the field to claim his ninth podium finish in 11 races this season. Antonelli's consistency has been the cornerstone of his championship campaign, with the Mercedes driver finishing outside the top three only twice in the opening half of the season.
Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari, finished fifth after a frustrating afternoon compounded by a five-second time penalty for pit lane speeding during a late Virtual Safety Car period. The seven-time champion had been running second before Ferrari called him in for fresh tyres under the VSC triggered by Oscar Piastri's gearbox failure. Hamilton sped on exit and dropped behind Antonelli, then could not find a way past his former Mercedes teammate on track.
"Handing out penalties like crazy," Hamilton told Ferrari over the radio.
George Russell, Antonelli's Mercedes teammate, fell 59 points behind in the standings after a disastrous start. He stalled on the grid, dropping to the back of the field, before recovering to seventh.
Race winner Lando Norris claimed his first Grand Prix victory of the season for McLaren after an intra-team battle with Piastri. The defending champion lost the lead at Turn 2 on the opening lap but reclaimed it after the second round of pit stops when Piastri made contact with Carlos Sainz while lapping the Williams driver. Piastri later retired with a gearbox failure, promoting Red Bull's Max Verstappen to second.
"We were flying," said Norris. "Nice to be finally able to do it all for you. Feels like it's been a while."
Verstappen took second with a stunning final stint, including a bold overtake on Hamilton at Turn 1, while Antonelli's third place further strengthened his grip on the championship. The Hungarian Grand Prix was the final round before Formula 1's summer break. The season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix on August 23.
Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar finished sixth after a tactical drive, holding up rivals to protect Verstappen's position. Liam Lawson was eighth ahead of Audi's Nico Hulkenberg and Lawson's teammate Arvid Lindblad, who completed the top 10.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/hungary-f1-norris-leclerc-antonelli-hamilton-9d86bf77bec440e430ad2336d2a4963b
- https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13567065/hungarian-gp-lando-norris-wins-first-race-of-2026-formula-1-season-after-early-oscar-piastri-squabble
