Mogyorod [Hungary], August 3 (ANI): Lando Norris ensured to hold off his McLaren teammate and a compelling title contender, Oscar Piastri, in a pulsating final to clinch a sensational Hungarian Grand Prix victory on Sunday.
Norris got off to a dreadful start, which led to him getting dropped from third to fifth on the grid. McLaren knew they had to make a couple of tweaks, so they switched Norris to a one-stop strategy. The British driver reaped success, which helped him gain track position over pole-sitter Charles Leclerc and Piastri.
After their second stops, Piastri breezed past the struggling Leclerc and tried to reduce the gap at the top to Norris. The intensity increased in the contest, and the pair almost collided in the final lap. Piastri continued to maintain his position at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, despite a reduction in his advantage as Formula One heads towards the Summer break.
“I pushed as hard as I could. I think after I saw Lando going for a one [stop], I knew I was going to have overtake on track, which is much easier said than done around here,” Piastri said as quoted from the F1 official website.
“I tried a few things, it was a gamble either way, and today, unfortunately, we were just on the wrong side of it. The team did a great job, the car really came alive in the second half of the race, and the car’s been great all weekend – thank you to the team. I’m looking forward to a couple of weeks off,” he added.
Mercedes’ George Russell ended on the podium after going past Ferrari’s Leclerc, who started strong with early pace but faded towards the final phase. Fernando Alonso occupied the fifth spot, securing Aston Martin’s highest finish of the season. His teammate Lance Stroll came close and settled for the seventh spot.
Gabriel Bortoleto, a Brazilian rookie, scripted the best result of his debut campaign, finishing sixth, extending Sauber’s impressive run. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had a tough weekend after finishing in ninth place. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton concluded his run in Hungary in the 12th spot, the same place where he started. (ANI)
