POWER RANKINGS: Who impressed our judges at the Hungarian Grand Prix?

Lando Norris and McLaren claimed their first victory of the 2026 season in Hungary, leading home Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli on a dramatic Sunday afternoon. But who else impressed our Power Rankings judges at the Hungaroring? Check out the latest scores and overall leaderboard below...

How it works

• Our five-judge panel assess each driver after every Grand Prix and score them out of 10 according to their performance across the weekend – taking machinery out of the equation
• Our experts’ scores are then averaged out to produce a race score – with those scores then tallied up across the season on our overall Power Rankings Leaderboard (at the bottom of the page)

Norris headed to the Hungarian Grand Prix feeling that he and McLaren had missed an opportunity for more in Belgium. But the reigning World Champions made up for it at the Hungaroring, where the upgraded MCL40 shone in the Briton’s hands. After charging to pole position, Norris’ only mistake was a slight wide moment at Turn 2 on the opening lap, which allowed team mate Oscar Piastri through. But his rapid raw pace was clear to see, and his eventual victory was more than deserved.

Verstappen had to settle for sixth in Qualifying, around half a second away from polesitter Norris – explaining afterwards how his Red Bull was “degrading” through the session. He faced more car issues on Sunday, but battled through them – while benefitting from a couple of grid penalties and making the most of some “spicy” strategy calls – to finish a fine second. His bold move on Lewis Hamilton early in the race was particularly impressive.

After missing out at Spa, Liam Lawson got his hands on Racing Bulls’ latest updates in Budapest, meaning he was level on equipment with Arvid Lindblad again. The New Zealander was furious with himself for missing out on Q3 in Qualifying, but came back fighting in the race to lead the squad’s charge on a two-stop strategy compared to his rookie team mate’s one. It marked yet another solid points finish in what is becoming a standout midfield season.

Antonelli and Mercedes were chasing Ferrari and McLaren throughout the Hungary weekend – the Italian youngster having also missed valuable track time in FP1 to give reserve driver Fred Vesti another run out. His efforts were dented by a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags in Q3, but he pulled off a mature damage limitation drive on race day to come away with a podium.

Nico Hulkenberg has experienced all sorts of misfortune and drama so far this season, leaving the German wondering if he would ever get points on the board for the Audi brand. Thankfully for both parties, he enjoyed a clean run at the Hungaroring, making it into the final phase of Qualifying and converting it into a couple of well-earned points in the Grand Prix itself.

Starting third after a couple of grid penalties, Piastri could not have enjoyed a better first lap – surging past Charles Leclerc on the run down to Turn 1 and then slipping past Norris exiting Turn 2. He held the lead through the first half of the race, under sustained pressure from his team mate, before drama struck when he banged wheels with Carlos Sainz while trying to put a lap on the Williams driver. A terminal gearbox issue added insult to injury.

Also looking to make up for a missed opportunity in Belgium, Hamilton put himself firmly in the pole fight last weekend, missing out to Norris by just 0.012s. That disappointment and frustration grew post-Qualifying when he was penalised for impeding Piastri, pushing him back to fifth. It was always going to be a challenge from there, and the Briton ultimately finished where he started, via another penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

As mentioned above, Lindblad and Lawson were split on race strategies in Hungary, with the former running ahead before the latter’s fresher tyres paid off. It nonetheless marked a sixth successive points finish for F1’s newest driver, who at just 18 years of age continues to impress with his speed and maturity.

Like Verstappen, Isack Hadjar cut a frustrated figure after Qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix – spinning his way to eighth, albeit just over a tenth off his team mate. Not benefitting from Hamilton and Antonelli’s penalties, the Frenchman finished as ‘best of the rest’ behind the top five, keeping a recovering George Russell at bay.

After their challenging start to the 2026 season, Aston Martin finally delivered an upgrade package in Budapest. Encouraging signs on Friday were followed by a superb run to Q2 from Fernando Alonso in Qualifying – the Spaniard noting how he enjoyed “the adrenaline that was missed” in previous events. Alonso went on to finish the race in 14th, just behind team mate Lance Stroll, in what appears to have marked a new chapter for the team.

Missing out

Just missing out on spots in the top 10 list were Leclerc, who dropped back after running at the front on Friday and had to settle for a P4 finish, and Russell, who suffered yet more pain at the race start when his car went into anti-stall and forced him into a recovery from P21 to P7.