Forget the chaos involving Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz. According to F1 TV pundit and former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe, Lando Norris was simply going to win the Hungarian Grand Prix regardless of what happened to his team-mate. That is the blunt conclusion Hinchcliffe drew after watching Norris systematically dismantle the Hungaroring field from pole position.

Norris Dominates Despite Early Pit Lane Hold

Norris, the reigning world champion, claimed his first victory of the 2026 season in commanding fashion — but the story had layers. Piastri led early after McLaren held Norris in the pit lane on lap 33 despite the Briton insisting he had more pace. When he requested a stop, McLaren told him they could not oblige. His response was sharp: "You mean you won't let me? I'm miles faster." He got his way eventually, and when Piastri made contact with Williams driver Sainz while lapping him — earning Sainz a penalty — and then retired on lap 56 with a technical failure, the result was settled.

Hinchcliffe Credits Superior Pace Over Incidents

But Hinchcliffe's point cuts deeper than the incidents. Speaking on F1 TV's post-race debrief, he argued Norris "had so much more pace than Oscar had even before Oscar's problems" and held the tools for both an undercut and an overcut. "He really had the entire field covered," Hinchcliffe said. "Yes, the car was great. The driver today was exceptional as well." He added that with a tyre offset, Norris had the pace to execute a clean, within-guidelines overtake on Piastri regardless of what the backmarkers did.

The win moves Norris to 128 points in the championship standings, but he remains a distant fifth — 91 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who leads the drivers' title with 219 points and six wins. McLaren sit third in the constructors' fight on 220 points, well behind Mercedes on 379. The summer shutdown follows before F1 returns at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort — and Norris will need more of this if he is to mount any title challenge in the second half of the season. Follow all the build-up at our F1 hub.