Oscar Piastri took his first Grand Prix victory at the 35th attempt – but it was tense afternoon for the Australian as he waited for McLaren team mate Lando Norris to hand back the lead, which he’d lost as a result of pit stop strategy.

While McLaren had their best result since Monza 2021, others left Budapest pondering what might have been. Lawrence Barretto picks out his winners and losers from an enthralling Hungarian Grand Prix…

Winner: Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri has had a few near misses of late – but he was not to be denied in Hungary as an excellent getaway to snatch the lead opened the gateway to secure his first Grand Prix win.

The Australian, 23, is the first race winner born in the 21st century, the fifth Australian to stand on F1’s top step and the 115th driver to win a World Championship Grand Prix.

This was his third podium in six races and second top-two Grand Prix finish in the last three events. He’s now just five points behind Carlos Sainz in the fight for P4 in the drivers’ standings.

Loser: Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen is on his bumpiest run since the opening three races of the 2021 campaign, the Dutchman scoring a brace of fifth places to sit alongside a second place at Silverstone.

His contact with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1 was his second collision in three events (he collided with Lando Norris in Austria when fighting for the lead) and extends his winless run to three Grands Prix.

His championship lead has been cut to 76 points and while that is still substantial (it’s the equivalent of three Grand Prix wins), the momentum isn’t with him as he heads to one of his home races at Spa.

Winners: McLaren
There may have been a lot of tension on the pit wall, as McLaren pleaded with Norris to comply with a team order to hand Piastri back the lead he lost through strategy – but on leaving Budapest, they can reflect on a weekend where they converted a first front row lockout in more than a decade into a one-two finish as a job well done.

This was McLaren’s 49th one-two finish and only their second in the last 14 years – and extended their run of successive podiums to nine events.

They deservedly leapfrogged Ferrari into second in the constructors’ championship and are now just 51 points behind leaders Red Bull. The title fight is well and truly on.

Losers: Red Bull

Part of the reason why there has been so much speculation about Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull is because his lack of form is putting the team’s constructors’ title defence in serious jeopardy.

Yes, the Mexican recovered from another Q1 exit to take seventh in Budapest, but a significantly better result is expected of Perez – especially on a weekend where Verstappen could only manage fifth.

After 13 races last year, Red Bull had amassed 540 points and had more than double the number of the next best team. This year, the momentum is against them and their lead is just 51 with 11 Grands Prix to go.

Winner: Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton looks like he’s loving Formula 1 again, the seven-time world champion following up his first victory since 2021 last time out at Silverstone with a superb drive to third at the Hungaroring.

He is the first driver in history to reach 200 career podiums (Michael Schumacher is second on 155) with P3 his 12th podium at the Hungarian venue.

It is also the first time he has been on the podium in consecutive races since Spain and Canada in 2023. The result also moved him ahead of team mate George Russell and Perez in the drivers’ standings.