Upcoming Races: Dutch Grand Prix™ | Italian Grand Prix™ | Spanish Grand Prix™ | Bahrain Grand Prix™ in Malaysia
Race Report: Formula 1 AWS Hungarian Grand Prix 2026
Lando Norris claimed his and McLaren’s first grand prix victory of 2026 in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli after mid-race drama and a late retirement for teammate Oscar Piastri. It was a race that swung on strategy, a communications failure, and a coming together that will be talked about long after the summer break.
Qualifying at the Hungaroring
Norris claimed his first pole of the 2026 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, beating Lewis Hamilton, as Mercedes suffered its first qualifying loss of the year. Norris found more time on his final lap while his rivals struggled to improve, edging Hamilton by just twelve thousandths of a second. The margin looked wafer thin, but it turned out to be academic.
Hamilton was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Piastri’s McLaren, dropping him to fifth on the grid, promoting Leclerc to second. Antonelli also lost ground, demoted three places for a yellow flag infringement. Verstappen rounded out the front-runners after a late spin in Q3.
Race Day: Blue Flags, Contact and a Comeback
Norris spent the first half of the race in Piastri’s mirrors, having been jumped at Turn 2 on the opening lap, with the Australian doing just enough to hold onto the lead and McLaren resisting Norris’ calls to be let through.
The race turned on Lap 39. A fault with the circuit’s automated blue flag system meant lapped drivers were relying on marshals waving flags manually rather than the usual light panels. Piastri, who had pitted from the lead and run into traffic, lost the position to Sainz’s Williams as he attempted to lap the Spaniard, with contact between the two cars costing him crucial time. That moment, combined with Norris’ pace in clear air, swung the race in the reigning champion’s favour before Piastri’s day ended entirely when a gearbox problem forced his retirement.
Verstappen finished second, a result Red Bull will take gladly given the season so far, while Antonelli’s third place extended his championship lead. Hamilton finished fifth after a pit lane speeding penalty dropped him behind teammate Leclerc, who took fourth. Russell endured a miserable start after an anti-stall problem dropped him as low as 21st, but recovered to seventh.
Further back, Racing Bulls scored another double points finish through Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, sandwiching Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, while Hulkenberg’s teammate Gabriel Bortoleto narrowly missed out in 11th. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso also impressed with their updated cars.
Formula 1 2026 Season
F1 standings for 2026
| Position | Driver | Team | Wins | Podiums | Points |
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 6 | 9 | 219 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1 | 5 | 169 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 2 | 5 | 160 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1 | 4 | 138 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1 | 3 | 128 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 0 | 4 | 109 |
| 7 | Oscar Paistri | McLaren | 0 | 2 | 92 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 0 | 0 | 68 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 0 | 0 | 43 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 0 | 1 | 42 |
Paddock Gossip
Wolff’s “Teletubbies” Rant
The blue flag failure had consequences beyond the Piastri-Sainz clash. It also affected the podium battle between Antonelli and Hamilton as the pair chased down Verstappen in the closing laps. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was unimpressed with how rival teams handled it, memorably describing their race engineers as “Teletubbies,” a reference to the classic children’s TV characters.
Piastri vs Sainz
Stewards ruled Sainz was entirely to blame for the collision and handed him a five-second time penalty, though Sainz maintained the blue flag malfunction gave him what he felt was a decent excuse. Piastri was in no mood to accept it, telling media in Budapest that “that’s got to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen on a racetrack.” Given Piastri went on to retire from what looked a likely win, the frustration was understandable.
Hamilton’s Penalty Pain
It has been a rough few weekends for Hamilton on the stewarding front. The pit lane speeding penalty in Hungary was his fourth punishment in three race weekends, a pattern that will concern Ferrari as the title picture tightens. Even so, he leaves Hungary having closed to within nine points of Russell for second in the standings.
The Bahrain Grand Prix Moves to Malaysia
In one of the more unusual pieces of news to break mid-season, the Bahrain Grand Prix™ will not take place in Bahrain in 2026. Formula 1 has confirmed the race will instead be held at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia from 2 to 4 October, marking the venue’s return to the calendar for the first time since 2017.
The move comes after the Malaysian government agreed to host the race on behalf of Bahrain, given the ongoing instability in the region, and the event will still be titled the Bahrain Grand Prix, with the Gulf state funding the race in a show of support for the sport. The relocation creates a triple-header alongside Azerbaijan and Singapore, running from late September into mid-October.
It is a rare and slightly surreal solution for the sport, but a welcome one for fans who feared the race would disappear from the calendar entirely for another year.
Upcoming Races
F1 now heads into its summer break before returning for a decisive stretch of the season. Here’s what’s coming up.
Dutch Grand Prix, 21–23 August 2026
After the summer break, F1 resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, 21 to 23 August. The banked, high-speed circuit on the Dutch coast is one of the most atmospheric venues of the season, with Verstappen’s home crowd always creating an extraordinary atmosphere. Whether he will still be a Red Bull driver by then is, of course, the question on everyone’s lips.
Italian Grand Prix, 4-6 September 2026
The Italian Grand Prix at Monza follows on 4 to 6 September. The Temple of Speed is the fastest circuit on the calendar and a venue where the championship picture often comes sharply into focus. With the title fight heading towards its decisive phase, Monza could be pivotal.
Spanish Grand Prix, 11–13 September 2026
The Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid takes place 11 to 13 September, offering another high-speed test in southern Europe as the season heads towards its conclusion.
Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, 02–04 October 2026
The Bahrain Grand Prix™ rounds out this stretch, though not in Bahrain. For 2026 only, the race heads to Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, marking the venue’s first Formula 1® race since 2017. It’s a rare mid-season relocation, and one that gives fans a first look at how the sport’s newest old venue holds up against the current generation of cars.
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