Lando Norris: I was better than Piastri in every aspect of the fight for victory

Lando Norris says he was “just better in every sense” than McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri after claiming a comprehensive victory at Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Norris had taken pole from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 0.012s but lost the lead to Piastri on lap one as he slid on the dirty outside line in Hamilton corner.

The Briton was able to keep up with the sister car easily, staying within two seconds for the first 33 laps of the race, although unable to mount a credible challenge in terms of overtaking.

But Norris wanted to pit again then, for some clear air on fresh tyres, but McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ dictated that race leader Piastri had priority and it was the Australian who dived for the pitlane.

However, Piastri found himself behind a number of back-markers, including Carlos Sainz who collided with him, and Norris got ahead after his own pit stop. Norris then continued, his tyres six laps fresher, opening a 13-second lead over his team-mate in the following 15 laps – until Piastri suffered what looked like a gearbox failure and retired. Norris then went on to win by 15 seconds from Max Verstappen.

“Best, what’s my favorite? “The fact that we were so quick,” said the Englishman after the race.

“I mean, the car was still horrible to drive at times, but quick and I’d rather have a horrible but quick car than anything else. So yeah just the rate. I had the pace all race, even when I was behind Oscar at the start.

“Of course, it was not my best Turn 2, but after that, to see what my pace was and I was just better everywhere, in terms of degradation and pace. After that I was still convinced I could win the race, whether I boxed or forced him to box and I would go long, get fresh tyres and come back through. I was sure I could win the race today. And we did.

"Of course it was a shame for him and bad luck, because I think we could have had a one-two. But otherwise just my pace. My speed to stay so close to him for so long. “We were just on a different level today and I felt in a very good flow of things. “When the car is right and I’m in a good flow, there’s no stopping.”

When asked if he was frustrated at being limited by the squad’s strategy rules, Norris said: “I mean, I just want to win the race, you know? As a team, we have some rules, and we can’t damage each other’s race by being a little too aggressive and wanting to win. But I want to win and I obviously had a much better pace than he did. We had a better chance to win the race, let’s say.

'And so, you know, when I was behind Oscar, Max was three or four seconds back, and at that point he's still a threat. “Nothing in the pipeline, we have a lot more assurance we’re going to win as a team anyway.” So I wanted to box and undercut because my pace was so good I could have pulled out a whole pitstop window, I think, on him and boxed again if I needed to. Or I get him boxing early on.

“I think we were on the fine line between boxing too soon and hurting both our races. So that was just in the best interests of the team, which they rightly have to say back to me." "But naturally I want to do everything I can to try and win a race.

It was Norris’ first F1 victory since the 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix and his longest winless run since the 2023 season – 12 rounds. He is fifth in the drivers’ championship, 91 points adrift of leader Kimi Antonelli.