Lando Norris triumphed at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, closing the gap in the championship standings to just 9 points behind fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. This marked the last Formula 1 race before the summer break.

The race featured an exhilarating conclusion, with the two competitors vying for the lead until the last corner of the final lap. Through heavy traffic and back markers, Norris managed to hold off Piastri’s charge, despite his tires being older and worn.

“I’m exhausted. That was intense,” Norris expressed during a post-race interview on ESPN. He described the victory as “rewarding” due to the hard-fought contest, especially with Piastri closing in quickly, forcing him to push relentlessly.

For Norris, the win signals his determination to stay in contention for the championship title. Despite a season filled with challenges, Norris showcased his speed. However, he’s been prone to errors, occasionally losing valuable points to the more steady Piastri.

“We’re so tightly fought, it’s hard to say the momentum’s on anyone’s side,” he said. “It’s tough but fun racing against Oscar.”

Currently, the Formula 1 championship race is primarily a duel between these two McLaren teammates. With the nearly month-long summer break ahead, Piastri leads with 284 points, while Norris has 275.

Meanwhile, reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull is considerably behind in third place with 187 points, as hopes for a fifth title dim. He finished a disappointing ninth in the Hungary race.

Piastri made an ambitious lunge on Norris in the penultimate lap, but overdid it and locked his front wheel, nearly crashing into his teammate. He was given a gentle reprimand by his team on the radio: “Remember how we go racing.”

“I pushed as hard as I could,” Piastri said after the race. “The car really came alive in the second half of the race.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella discussed the radio message to Piastri in an interview with F1TV after the race.

“The reminder was for both: one, make sure you don’t dive into the inside too aggressively. The other one, don’t move under braking,” Stella said, adding that he understands both are fighting for the title. “It’s fair that they try their best, but all these should happen within our principles.”

It was the fourth consecutive race where the McLaren drivers finished first and second, showing the dominance of the papaya-colored team this year, which scored its 200th victory in F1 on Sunday. Mercedes’ George Russell finished in third place after a feisty battle for the final podium position.

Leclerc wins pole but loses it in the race

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc captured a shock pole position on Saturday and comfortably led away from Piastri and Norris at the start, after they qualified in second and third place.

Norris got a decent start and pulled to the inside of Piastri before his teammate moved to cut him off, compromising Norris and costing him two positions in the opening corners.

Piastri’s move kept him ahead of his rival at the start and gave him preferential treatment for the first pit stop. But Norris’ camp spiced things up by gambling on a one-stop strategy, pitting him later, on lap 31. When Piastri pitted again, on lap 46, he came out about 12 seconds behind Norris — but carrying tires that were 14 laps younger to fight with.

Piastri then overtook Leclerc, making it a two-person race at the front between the championship rivals. He closed up behind Norris and attacked him, but failed to get past.

“After I saw Lando going for a one [stop], I knew I was going to have to overtake on track, which is must easier said than done around here,” Piastri said. “I tried a few things. It was a gamble either way. And today unfortunately we were just on the wrong side of it.”

Hungary was the race that foreshadowed their rivalry one year ago. Piastri pulled ahead at the start, but Norris took the position back at the pit stops due to strategic decisions by McLaren. Then the team ordered Norris to slow down and let Piastri overtake him for the win — which he did after resisting it for many laps. It was a dramatic and controversial sequence that led to Piastri’s first Grand Prix victory in Formula 1. Overall, Norris comfortably beat the younger Piastri throughout the 2024 season, but fell short to Verstappen in his bid for the championship.

This year, the McLaren drivers have been more evenly matched. A series of midrace radio messages between the McLaren drivers and their race engineers crystallized the battle.

After dipping a wheel into the gravel, Lando was told to “just keep the focus — you don’t want those mistakes.” It came one race after Norris was similarly put on a different tire strategy but made a few crucial errors that prevented him from challenging Piastri.

Piastri, meanwhile, was asked midrace whether he wants the strategy to focus on challenging Leclerc for the win or fending off Norris for second place. Piastri’s response was telling: “If you still think beating Lando is realistic, then: doing that.”

“I don’t really care about Leclerc,” Piastri added on team radio a few laps later. “I just want the best chance to try and beat Lando. That’s the important thing at the moment.”

It’s all about the world championship.

Verstappen says he’s staying at Red Bull

The race weekend also put an end to two of the biggest open questions in the sport.

Verstappen, the reigning four-time world champion, told reporters he will stay with the embattled Red Bull team next season, finally settling persistent questions about whether he will jump ship to Mercedes.

Ferrari announced it is re-signing team principal Frédéric Vasseur to a “multiple-year contract,” ending some recent speculation about the Italian team’s leadership.

But all was not well with the team this weekend. Leclerc voiced his frustration with the team’s decision-making midrace as his hopes of victory faded. Leclerc ultimately lost third place on lap 62, when Russell overtook him.

And Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, qualified 12th in Hungary before calling himself “useless” while speaking to reporters. Hamilton finished in 12th place.

The next F1 race is on Aug. 31 in the Netherlands.