McLaren celebrates surprise pole and victory at Hungarian Grand Prix

Lando Norris secured pole position and went on to win the Hungarian Grand Prix, delivering McLaren a strong result on the Hungaroring. Team principal Andrea Stella said the car’s competitiveness was a "positive surprise" and praised the staff for their work on recent upgrades, while noting that further reliability improvements are needed.

Stella added that the team had expected to need more performance gains to achieve the result, emphasizing a grounded approach despite the unexpected success. He also commented on race strategy, describing the early battle between Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri as "fair" and noting that Norris capitalised on his pace after taking the lead.

Norris described the car as "beautiful to drive" and said the pace allowed him to extend his stint and win on fresh tyres. He expressed gratitude to the team for helping him return to winning form and said he would enjoy the upcoming break.

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, who finished second, said the race was difficult due to limited overtaking opportunities and that strategic tyre choices helped him keep the Ferraris behind. He highlighted the need to keep pushing into the second half of the season.

After a collision involving Piastri and Carlos Sainz, Stella said the incident caused a loss of time and suggested a possible issue with car panels, prompting the team to advise drivers to be cautious.

Overall, McLaren highlighted the win as momentum-building but acknowledged that continued development and pressure on rivals will be essential for future success.