Hungarian Grand Prix: Harry Benjamin’s driver ratings for race at Hungaroring

World champion Lando Norris secured his and McLaren’s first grand prix win of 2026 by winning from pole position in Hungary on Sunday.

Norris took the lead from teammate Oscar Piastri at the start, but the Australian driver later retired from the race due to a gearbox failure.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came in second, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli took the podium in third place.

Lewis Hamilton, who received a three-place grid penalty for blocking Piastri in qualifying before the race, dropped from fourth to fifth at the checkered flag after receiving a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit area.

Below are my assessments of how the drivers performed over the entire weekend in Hungary.

Lando Norris – 9.5/10

It’s the entire weekend that McLaren and Norris have been waiting for. Although losing the lead on lap one was a minor blemish, pole position, outstanding speed when he finally broke into open air and a controlled run to the flag earned him his first grand prix victory of the season.

Max Verstappen – 8.5/10

It led a struggling Red Bull to a conclusion that looked unlikely after qualifying. He struggled with persistent problems with his car throughout the weekend but still put himself in the right position to take over second place when Piastri retired.

Kimi Antonelli-8/10

A strong damage limitation move from Mercedes’ championship leader. His failure to slow down enough for yellow flags in qualifying jeopardized his starting position, but it was an impressive response as he moved from seventh to the podium and overtook the Ferraris.

Charles Leclerc – 6.5/10

Ferrari looked very fast on Friday, but Leclerc could not turn this promise into a podium. He lost positions to Oscar Piastri and teammate Lewis Hamilton at the start and finished fifth away from home before Hamilton’s penalty denied him promotion.

Lewis Hamilton – 6.5/10

He was the fastest Ferrari driver of the weekend but two expensive penalties undid much of the good work. He missed pole position by just 0.012 seconds and had a strong race, but Piastri was prevented from speeding in qualifying and the pit lane, turning a potential podium finish into fifth.

Isaac Hadjar – 7.5/10

A quieter weekend from Hadjar. He finished comfortably within the points in qualifying and came home sixth on a day where his more experienced team-mate showed just how difficult it is to drive the Red Bull.

George Russel – 7.5/10

His excellent recovery after the anti-stall dropped him from sixth at the start to 21st. Qualifying was disrupted by a water leak and his race appeared doomed within seconds, but the Mercedes driver fought back to salvage valuable points, moving up to seventh.

Liam Lawson – 7.5/10

He admitted he underperformed in qualifying but rectified that with a very good race. He used his newer tires to pass teammate Arvid Lindblad late and took the Racing Bulls home in eighth place.

Nico Hulkenberg-8/10

The well-deserved points were completed after he reached the third quarter and was at the forefront of the midfield battle. He overtook Lindblad late and comfortably outpaced Audi teammate Gabriel Bortoleto throughout the weekend.

Arvid Lindblad – 7.5/10

Another strong rookie weekend. Despite missing most of final practice he made it to Q3 and executed his ambitious one pit stop strategy well enough to take the final point, but Lawson beat him.