From Budapest
We had to wait for the Hungarian Grand Prix to witness Mercedes’ first real misstep, never truly in contention throughout the Budapest weekend. However, it wasn’t Ferrari that took advantage, but rather a McLaren galvanized by developments and progress with its power unit. The world champions have shown they know how to seize opportunities when they arise, as has Antonelli, capable of maximizing the result even in a complicated weekend.
McLaren back on track
At the Hungaroring, simply the best won. Norris secured a victory aided by certain circumstances, such as Piastri’s contact with Sainz and the Australian’s subsequent retirement, but the impression is that Lando didn’t need any help. Once Oscar returned to the pits for his second pit stop, with a clear track, Norris lowered his times by over a second, legitimizing his success with a super pace. Towards the end, the pit wall even reprimanded the world champion, believing he was taking unnecessary risks, when in reality he had such a rhythm that he was fast without effort. Andrea Stella sees a different Lando in 2026, much more aware, self-confident, and in control of his emotions. The same cannot be said for Piastri, who, in addition to the poor grip of the new Hungaroring, continues to suffer from that of this generation’s cars.
McLaren now hopes to consistently fight for victory, with the awareness, however, that Hungary was a friendly track for the MCL40, as well as one of Norris’s favorites. It is undeniable, however, that there has been a leap in the papaya team’s performance in recent races, starting from the exploitation of the power unit, thanks to the new simulation tools received from Mercedes to optimize energy management. In Budapest, updates to the floor, brake ducts, and wheel group flaps also arrived, some of which only came on Friday night, which also improved interaction with the tires. Andrea Stella defined them as conceptual correctives as well, partly inspired by the competition, especially Ferrari, which now outline a solid base for continuous development: “When McLaren understands the direction to take, we are in a position to develop effectively.”
Wasteful Ferrari
In a weekend where Mercedes was practically absent, Ferrari managed the difficult feat of finishing off the podium. Perhaps the SF-26 didn’t have the best pace, destabilized by the wind reversal compared to the first day, which wasn’t followed by an adjustment of the setup. In any case, the race pace was difficult to judge, given that both cars often ran in traffic, with strategies out of sync with the competition. It also raises some perplexity that Hamilton and Leclerc were faster than each other at alternating moments, exactly as in Belgium, highlighting a certain inconsistency in pace that will need to be investigated in Maranello.
However, Ferrari’s biggest shortcomings in Hungary were at the execution level, with a series of errors and penalties between qualifying and the race costing at least a double podium finish. If between Silverstone and Spa the Prancing Horse had come close to maximizing the result, between Monte Carlo and Budapest it instead wasted two important opportunities, leaving heavy points on the table in the championship standings. The regret is great, because the SF-26 has proven to be very solid from an reliability standpoint, with a valid aerodynamic platform that still has room for development and which, after the break, could be powered by a more performing engine. Nothing is compromised, especially in the constructors’ battle, but Ferrari can no longer afford to miss such important appointments.
Kimi limits the damage
Antonelli’s Hungarian Sunday was one of those that could be worth a world title. The Italian driver redeemed himself for not respecting the yellow flag in qualifying, driving intelligently. Kimi saved his tires in the traffic of the first laps, then extended the next two stints to dream of a sensational second place, if the Virtual Safety Car and the lapped cars hadn’t gotten in the way. Antonelli and Mercedes thus limited the damage in a weekend where they always found themselves chasing. It wasn’t so much a problem of harmony between the W17 and the Hungaroring, but rather that for the first time the team couldn’t find a balance with the setup, a difficulty exacerbated by Kimi not participating in FP1.
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George Russell also limited the damage, whose slow start could have cost even more dearly. The Brit suffered yet another technical problem, when on the grid the engine revs shot up as soon as he pressed the accelerator, and upon release, the anti-stall engaged. It’s another warning sign of reliability that continues to be precarious for Mercedes, paid dearly for in the first part of the season and which could cost more points in the second.
The Brackley team can still look down on both standings, thanks to the investments made to have an immediately competitive car at the beginning of the year. This does not mean that no more updates will arrive, with a substantial development package already in the pipeline and set to debut after the break. When that will be is unknown, also because Mercedes will have to be strategic in deciding where to introduce the novelties to maximize the performance leap given a limited budget cap.
Max beyond Red Bull
In a weekend that rewarded the most cynical, Max Verstappen also shone. The anthology overtake on Hamilton was the turning point in the Dutchman’s race, skillful in exploiting the RB22’s braking effectiveness. Red Bull still has several problems to solve, above all a terribly narrow operating window, which in qualifying forced the drivers to simultaneously battle understeer and oversteer. In return, the Milton Keynes team concludes the first part of the season higher than expected with its first in-house power unit, which surprisingly proved to be the most powerful in the lot, though not necessarily the best.
The first half of 2026 has also been excellent for Racing Bulls, which completed the overtake in the standings in Budapest, securing 5th place among constructors. A reaction from Alpine is still expected, having had a good start to the championship with a car on which the team had invested many resources in an ambitionless 2025, and which also collected points not only with Gasly but also with Colapinto. It will be interesting to see if Aston Martin will manage to challenge between the two, whose first development package was nothing short of miraculous. If the Honda power unit upgrade lives up to expectations, points would once again be within reach. The second part of the season will still be marked by updates, potentially decisive in a world championship battle that remains open.
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