Ferrari left Budapest without a podium after execution errors by both the team and its drivers squandered an SF-26 package capable of claiming at least one top-three finish and potentially two. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc lost ground through a combination of qualifying mistakes, poor starts, on-track errors, tyre choices and a costly Virtual Safety Car decision, while Lando Norris converted McLaren’s improved MCL40 into an emphatic victory in the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The title borrows and adapts the name of a famous Pedro Almodóvar film because this Hungarian Grand Prix was, in many ways, a collection of different movies packed into a single weekend. McLaren delivered the triumphant papaya-coloured story, Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli starred in Hollywood-style tales of heroism, while Ferrari’s disastrous execution turned into the weekend’s horror film.
McLaren improvements pay off on its ideal circuit
The first story was not a yellow-tinged thriller but a papaya-coloured success, featuring Lando Norris’s outstanding victory for McLaren and a near one-two finish that disappeared only when Oscar Piastri retired with a mechanical failure. There was little doubt that the MCL40 was the best car at the Hungaroring, where its updates and several technical characteristics combined to give the reigning World Champion a package that appeared beyond everyone else’s reach.
The new floor generated additional downforce and improved the car’s balance, while McLaren also demonstrated a significant step forward in its understanding of the Mercedes power unit. The car’s short wheelbase was ideally suited to the twists and turns of the Hungarian circuit, while its short gear ratios helped through the frequent acceleration zones from low speed. In races where tyre management is decisive, Lando Norris continues to display the very best of his abilities.
To be completely honest, however, the driver carrying number one on the nose showed both sides of his character during the race. A first-lap mistake handed the lead to Oscar Piastri and could have proved extremely expensive, once again highlighting some difficulty in the most critical moments. Whenever Lando Norris found clean air, though, his pace was genuinely extraordinary.
The 24-second advantage over Max Verstappen late in the race may even have understated McLaren’s superiority. Lando Norris could potentially have opened a much larger gap had he not spent more than half the Grand Prix trapped behind his teammate.
Oscar Piastri, by contrast, produced pace broadly in line with the other pursuing drivers, without displaying anything particularly exceptional. It reinforced the impression that a significant difference continues to exist between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris with this generation of cars.
The Australian nevertheless deserves credit for a perfectly judged start, first along the main straight and then into Turn 2, where he capitalised on Lando Norris’s mistake. From that point onwards, however, it was consistently apparent that Oscar Piastri was slower than his teammate.
McLaren’s pit wall appeared to recognise the same situation. The team hurriedly called Lando Norris into the pits to exploit the contact between Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz, placing the British driver in the lead and giving him the clean air needed to pull away, although the decision provoked the anger of car number 81. McLaren unquestionably won in convincing fashion, but Budapest’s unusual characteristics mean the opening races after the summer break will provide a more reliable indication of whether the team can fight consistently at the front. A potential McLaren one-two was ultimately lost when Oscar Piastri retired from the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli deliver heroic drives
Two more positive stories from the Hungarian weekend belonged to Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. Max Verstappen produced perhaps the clearest example of perfect execution anywhere on the circuit: a strong start, pace that remained consistently on the limit without neglecting tyre management, and a spectacular winning move on Lewis Hamilton when his only genuine opportunity appeared.
Max Verstappen then benefited from a perfectly executed strategy and faultless pit stops, including the choice of Soft tyres for the final stint. Red Bull was only the fourth-fastest team in Budapest, yet the exceptional work of Max Verstappen and his crew elevated the car all the way to second place.
Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, had to reinvent his race after receiving a qualifying penalty. The Italian once again demonstrated maturity and intelligence, pushing whenever the opportunity arose while following a largely solitary strategy. His approach eventually earned him third place and allowed him to extend his Formula 1 championship lead.
The three drivers on the podium were undoubtedly the three strongest performers in Hungary. The disappointment was left to those whose potential should have taken them onto the rostrum but whose execution fell short.
Ferrari Hungarian GP execution errors turn into a horror film
Fred Vasseur has emphasised the importance of executing race weekends correctly ever since arriving at Maranello. That argument has not always been entirely convincing. On several previous occasions, Ferrari attempted to explain an uncompetitive car through mistakes that did not fundamentally change the reality of a package lacking the speed required to achieve more.
The situation was different in Budapest. The SF-26 was not as fast as Lando Norris’s McLaren, but it was at least competitive with Oscar Piastri and faster than Red Bull. Ferrari therefore possessed the potential to secure a minimum of one podium and perhaps even two. The team’s full catalogue of missed opportunities ultimately explained how Ferrari finished the Hungaroring weekend without a podium.
Individual incidents can influence any Grand Prix, but the wider competitive picture is usually more important. In Hungary, however, the outcome was unusually dependent on those isolated moments because overtaking was almost impossible and the leading teams were separated by very small pace differences.
Formula 1’s four leading teams have reached similarly exceptional performance levels, meaning that every small mistake can have enormous consequences for the final result. Execution was therefore crucial in Budapest. Ferrari had performed strongly in that area during many of the preceding races, but its work in Hungary was dreadful.
Problems had already emerged in qualifying. Ferrari inexplicably sent its cars out first for the final attempt even though Lewis Hamilton already held the fastest time. Lewis Hamilton then impeded Oscar Piastri, preventing Ferrari from starting with both cars alongside each other on the grid. It was the first indication of the problems that would continue into Sunday, when almost every key phase went wrong for Ferrari.
The list of race-day errors was even longer. Ferrari misjudged the available grip at the start, particularly on the dirty side of the grid occupied by Charles Leclerc. The number 16 Ferrari suffered heavy wheelspin and dropped from second to fifth, while Lewis Hamilton failed to exploit his fresh Soft tyres and remained behind Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen’s pass destroys Lewis Hamilton’s victory chance
Ferrari successfully undercut Max Verstappen and could have placed Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Dutchman. According to our data, the strategy might even have put the British driver between the two McLarens. However, the remarkable overtake Lewis Hamilton conceded to Max Verstappen effectively destroyed his race.
At that moment, Lewis Hamilton remained in contention for victory. McLaren had been forced to stop race leader Oscar Piastri first, leaving Lando Norris on track for one lap too long. Without the time lost during Max Verstappen’s pass and the subsequent battle between the two drivers, Lewis Hamilton would have emerged wheel to wheel with Lando Norris at the pit exit and probably just ahead of him.
With only Oscar Piastri in front, the entire complexion of the Grand Prix could then have changed. Instead, a combination of Max Verstappen’s phenomenal overtake and Lewis Hamilton’s failure to recognise the imminent threat at one of the race’s most important moments sent the contest in a completely different direction.
Ferrari overlooks the Soft tyre advantage
Ferrari also failed to recognise the Soft tyre’s significant advantage. The compound offered more grip, reduced rear-end sliding and consequently limited surface overheating, which represented one of the greatest difficulties for every team.
The difference was particularly important for the SF-26. Ferrari had selected a set-up intended to manage the rear tyres, but the car remained finely balanced in that area. It was therefore no coincidence that Fred Vasseur admitted after the race: “The best strategy for us would have been Soft-Soft-Hard.” Ferrari’s acknowledgement confirmed that its original Hungarian GP tyre strategy was not the optimal choice.
Virtual Safety Car stop adds to Ferrari’s mistakes
The final major error came with the pit stop under the Virtual Safety Car. Lewis Hamilton was running second and needed only to defend his position, but Ferrari’s decision dropped him to fourth on a circuit where overtaking was already extremely difficult.
The SF-26 was also paying a higher drag penalty than its rivals because Ferrari had chosen a configuration intended to protect the rear tyres. That high-downforce rear-wing configuration made recovering positions in traffic even more challenging for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton’s penalty for speeding in the pit lane was the final blow in a weekend that had offered genuine promise but was ultimately ruined by Ferrari’s on-track execution. The five-second penalty for exceeding the limit by 0.1 km/h completed a painful sequence of avoidable setbacks.
Four leading teams reach an exceptional level
Formula 1 now enters its summer break with Kimi Antonelli firmly in control of the Drivers’ Championship and, for the moment, without a genuine rival, particularly if the Mercedes driver continues performing at this level.
The Constructors’ Championship remains more open, but Ferrari primarily needs to make a major improvement in execution. The team does not necessarily require a faster car as much as it needs to commit fewer errors and finally transform its performance potential into points.
McLaren’s rise and Max Verstappen’s consistently exceptional level are continuing to produce competitive and unpredictable races. Formula 1 now has four teams capable of operating regularly at an extremely high standard, making every strategic call, pit stop and driver decision more important than ever.
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