Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 – Sunday

The Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 delivered a thrilling race in Budapest, marked by relentless overtaking and strategic masterstrokes. Kimi Antonelli secured a podium finish in third place, while George Russell fought back to seventh after a disastrous start. Both drivers opted for a two-stop strategy, switching to hard compound tyres on both occasions. Antonelli, starting from seventh on the grid, climbed to sixth before capitalising on his tyre advantage to surge into the podium positions. He held off Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari despite an ill-timed virtual Safety Car, while Russell’s race unravelled at the start when his anti-stall system triggered, catapulting him to the back of the field. Russell clawed his way back through the pack, narrowly missing a late move on Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull for sixth place. The team leaves Hungary as the top contender in both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships, heading into the summer break before the next round in Zandvoort. Antonelli’s fastest lap stood at 1:22.415, set on medium tyres, while Russell’s best was 1:22.589, also on mediums. The Mercedes-AMG F1 W09s used hard tyres for their second stints, with Antonelli switching at lap 22 and Russell at lap 27. Antonelli praised the team’s adaptability, noting the race’s difficulty despite superior pace. Russell admitted frustration over the anti-stall failure but highlighted the car’s strong recovery pace. Team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the team’s luck in avoiding greater damage from the virtual Safety Car but stressed the need to eliminate start-line issues and improve reliability for the second half of the season.