Lando shows lack of champion mentality – Up/Down in Hungary

Alonso has routinely destroyed every team-mate he’s had apart from one – and when said colleague Hamilton refused to back down in 2007, neither was bothered if it made the McLaren motorhome a little unsavoury. They’re here to win.

Both Vettel and Verstappen ignored team orders to help team-mates, the latter most recently just to give sixth place and a helping hand to Sergio Perez in Brazil as the championship fight raged on. The Dutchman displayed the pettiness worthy of a true champion.

Rather than the above drivers losing sleep over such moral quandaries, as Martin Brundle pointed out during in the 2024 Hungarian GP when referencing Vettel, their respective teams seemed to love them just that little bit more for it afterwards. They all adore winners.

As Lando Norris began to stretch his lead over Oscar Piastri during the final stint, you started to get the feeling it would probably have been the same at Team Woking. After years of struggle, Norris is spearheading its charge back to glory, which it desperately wants more than anything. If McLaren was really all about being nice, its line-up would probably be Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne by now.

Norris’s logic – when he was considering keeping the win for himself – was sound. He’s clearly scored more points than Piastri during their time as team-mates. He’s Verstappen’s closest rival in the points table. If you work by results, he’s the faster driver of the orange duo. McLaren was aiming to hurt itself in the drivers’ title race just to maintain team harmony.

Which, with Norris’s eventual capitulation, is what it did.

It seemed the Brit’s face of thunder after Silverstone said it all about his desire to win – if so, where was that in Budapest?

There was a lot to work over going up and down in Hungary.

Going Down – Lovely Lando

F1 has shown it never pays to be too nice. As Hamilton demonstrated against Alonso and Verstappen, the only way to outdo grand prix racing’s nastiest is to get nastier still – at bare minimum.

If Norris had kept the lead in Budapest, then won the 2025 championship – either with or without those seven points – he could have looked Andrea Stella and co in the eye and said ‘I won you the title.’ How would they have replied? ‘Yes, but you upset Oscar a bit’? Unlikely.

That championship won’t win itself…

Going Up – No filter

Verstappen is the throwback F1 needs in light of the media-trained grand prix beige-scape.

At the polar opposite to McLaren’s ‘Papaya Family’ schtick, the triple world champ said anyone who doesn’t like the way he does things can do one. Excellent.

Others up and down the grid were also ripping into their teams, with Albon, Alonso and Ricciardo all included. It was glorious.

Going down – Sauber’s slippery slope

Another non-score in one of F1’s most impressive terrible team runs.

Plenty of free seats in mullet-friendly IndyCar Valtteri. Just try it – you might like it!

Going up – Privateer power

McLaren is back on top at long last. Without a factory engine deal too.

F1 is so obsessed with keeping manufacturers interested – but an awful lot has been won with customer grunt since 2009… Maybe everyone should just have Mecachromes?

Going Down – Les Bleus

A not-so-scintillating 16th for Ocon while the other Enstone car retired too. Probably glad he’s leaving, even if it is (allegedly) for Haas.

Going Up – Sheer awkwardness

We all know that Piastri is a muted personality anyway, but even so, the Aussie seemed a bit sheepish about the way he claimed a debut win – handed back by Norris who was clearly faster towards the end of the race.

Piastri took the start brilliantly – but it was hardly swashbuckling stuff thereafter.

Going Up – The Hungaroring

Not so long ago, the Hungaroring GP circuit was seen as the most boring in F1.

It wasn’t scientifically proven, but it was a fact. It felt like years could go by without an overtake.

Now though, with its improved opening section – and simply by virtue of being old – it’s seen as a veritable classic venue.

There’s F1 fan-mnesia for you.

Going Down – Red Bull’s Lack of Talent Factory

Helmut Marko’s charges used to be the ultimate grand prix cannon fodder – but now Red Bull is scared to put in either regular point scorer Yuki or super sub Liam Lawson in place of Perez.

Where did it all go wrong Helmut?