I’ve got to say it—Oscar Piastri has now missed out on two race wins this season purely due to bad luck. First at Silverstone, and now again at the Hungarian Grand Prix. And honestly, this one stings even more.
What makes it worse is that we actually saw this coming in our race preview. The way McLaren’s strategy is set up, the second car on track (this time, Lando Norris) gets the better tyre strategy, while the lead car (Piastri) is left to go chase down Charles Leclerc. It’s the kind of plan that looks great on paper—until you realise it’s cost Piastri two wins now.
So the big question: was McLaren being fair here? Both Norris and Piastri are very much in the title fight. Shouldn’t they be given equal shots at winning? Or was this just McLaren maximising their team result and locking in that sweet 1-2 finish, no matter who stood on the top step?
Because let’s be real—Norris didn’t look like the faster McLaren this weekend. He got overtaken at the start by both George Russell and Fernando Alonso. And he was seriously lucky that Alonso decided not to fight him once DRS was enabled. If he had, this whole race could’ve looked very different.
Speaking of Alonso—what a drive. He ran a one-stop and pulled off a classic “Monaco-style” strategy at the Hungaroring (a track that’s basically Monaco without the walls). He bunched up the field, messed with tyre strategies, and completely ruined the races of several midfielders. It was clever, frustrating, and pure Alonso. Fair play to him and Aston Martin, though—they scored their best result of the season and even jumped two spots in the Constructors’ standings.
Meanwhile, Leclerc had another weekend to forget. Turns out his pace problem wasn’t just about that “front wing” tweak at the pit stop. It was actually a chassis issue. That’s brutal—and it adds another painful chapter to his already bad pole-to-win conversion rate.
Hamilton? Another tough race. He got caught in Alonso’s trap and ended up with a disappointing P5. It’s been that kind of season for him so far.
One guy who did shine was Gabriel Bortoleto. The Sauber rookie had an incredible weekend and was rightfully voted Driver of the Day. Keep an eye on this guy—he’s definitely making a name for himself.
So now, as we head into the summer break, the big question is: how does Lando Norris feel about this title fight? Sure, he’s closed the gap to just 9 points. But deep down, he must know that if Piastri had been just a little luckier in Silverstone and Hungary, he could’ve been leading the championship right now.