By Balazs Szabo on 10 Aug 2025, 20:00
I was watching the Hungarian Grand Prix last Sunday, and wow, McLaren just bagged their fourth double win. Lando Norris barely edged out Oscar Piastri, who’s the one leading the championship. It’s kind of odd when you see a team so in control, and then suddenly — bam! — the weather flips everything upside down.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, though, snatched pole. But honestly, second and third for McLaren on the grid — not too shabby, right?
The race kicks off: Piastri’s holding second, but Norris? Poor guy fell behind both Russell’s Mercedes and Alonso’s Aston Martin. Somewhere along the line, with Norris sticking to a one-stop plan and Leclerc losing steam, they clawed their way back up front. It’s like watching a tightrope act — how Norris kept Piastri in check with fresher tires.
Diving into diagrams (which are weirdly satisfying, by the way), Piastri was the speed demon at 1m21.05s on average. Norris? Just 0.22s behind — and keep in mind, he made one less pit stop. Imagine the tactics involved!
Then, there’s the stats game: Piastri’s two-stopper meant his lap times were super consistent. Norris? His strategy was a gamble — and the graphs show it, with his median lap times telling a tale of being stuck behind Alonso and Russell at the start.
Speaking of Russell, he played out a game similar to Piastri, but — eh — three tenths slower on average. Can’t win ’em all, right?
Leclerc? Oh, his game was strong at first. But then… tech issues hit hard! Something about a conservative engine mode they call FS1 — sounds sci-fi, doesn’t it? It’s like he went from a mad dash to a sluggish crawl by Lap 9. His engineer, Bozzi, chimed in, suggesting FS1 helps avoid pushing the car too hard. Leclerc lost some edge but kept in touch with Piastri until pit strategy turned the tables.
Ferrari nailed their pit stops – seriously, 2 seconds flat! I couldn’t even make a coffee that fast. But still, Leclerc’s pace slipped, unlike Piastri who squeezed more out of his new tires. By the race’s last leg, escaping Lap 42’s speed dip proved tough for Leclerc.
Now, Hamilton — the guy’s weekend was a bit of a mess. Didn’t make it out of Q2! P12 on a tight track like Hungaroring? Yeah, it’s like threading a needle in a gale. Boxplot diagrams say it all — his laps were all over the place, because every time he caught up, he’d get bottled behind slower cars.
Stuck behind Bearman’s Haas and Hadjar’s Racing Bull for ages. It’s like rush hour traffic without the honking. He finally broke loose post their pit stops and—boom!—he’s suddenly 1.5 seconds faster. Shame, the race could’ve been a different story for Hamilton.
So, McLaren? Dominating. Leclerc — stuck figuring out tech glitches, and Hamilton, forever yelling at the traffic. Crazy day.
