Formula One Gradebook: Hungarian Grand Prix
- Elaina Russell
- Aug 6
- 5 min read
Written by Elaina Russell
It was a tale of two strategies at the Hungaroring–and two McLarens locked in a knife fight for the top step. Lando Norris gambled on a bold one-stop, Oscar Piastri stayed clinical on a two-stop, and the result was a thrilling duel between the two most consistent drivers of 2025.
Behind them, chaos. Ferrari’s heartbreak, Aston Martin’s redemption, Mercedes’ rebuild, and a Red Bull team in free fall headlined the final Grand Prix before the summer break.
Here’s how all 20 drivers performed on race day:
McLaren
No. 81 - Oscar Piastri - A
Controlled, composed, and relentlessly fast–Piastri’s P2 finish was the result of a well-executed two-stop strategy that came up just short. He pressured Norris relentlessly and nearly made the move stick more than once. A minor lock-up on the penultimate lap summed it up: close, but no cigar. Still, he heads into the break with a nine-point lead in the championship. The fight is far from over.
No. 4 - Lando Norris - A+
A gutsy one-stop strategy and nerves of steel. Norris played tyre management to perfection, absorbing pressure from both Leclerc and Piastri across two different stints. It was his fifth Grand Prix win of the season and one of the most complete yet. The margin may be narrow, but Norris has momentum going into summer break.
Ferrari
No. 44 - Lewis Hamilton - C
A frustrating weekend all around. Hamilton never looked fully comfortable and finished where he started–P12–after struggling with grip and losing time in the middle sector. His comments after the race said it all: “It’s me every time. I’m useless, absolutely useless.” The break comes at a good time.
No. 16 - Charles Leclerc - A-
Pole on Saturday, heartbreak on Sunday. Leclerc faded as a slow chassis issue crippled his Ferrari, robbing him of what looked like a genuine shot at the team’s first Grand Prix win of the season. Still, he brought it home P4–a gutsy salvage drive. He’ll leave Hungary disappointed but not disgraced. The prancing horse limps on.
Mercedes
No. 63 - George Russell - A-
Exactly the comeback weekend Mercedes needed. Russell managed his tyres well and picked up places as others faltered. His P3 result comes just as contract speculation heats up–and it’s a timely reminder of why he’s still Mercedes’ man. “It’s a when, not if,” he said of his future. Performances like this help.
No. 12 - Kimi Antonelli - D
Points, or point, at last. Antonelli’s P10 finish wasn’t flashy, but it was well-earned. After a string of frustrating weekends, the rookie drove a disciplined, patient race to nab a single point. “It was difficult,” he admitted, “but we improved.” His first score since Canada.
Red Bull Racing
No. 1 - Max Verstappen - C
Another weekend to forget. P9 was the best he could manage after a qualifying miss and a car that never found grip. His turn-four move on Hamilton raised eyebrows (and triggered a post-race investigation), but Verstappen summed it up himself: “Like my whole weekend, there was just no grip and I was just struggling a lot.”
No. 22 - Yuki Tsunoda - C-
17th and out of answers. Tsunoda’s slump continues–seven races without a point and just three top-10 finishes all year with the Red Bull team. Even with new floor upgrades, the pace never materialized. “We’ve made progress,” he claimed, but the results tell a different story.
Williams
No. 23 - Alexander Albon - C
Back to the wrong end of the grid. Albon was nowhere on Sunday, finishing P15 and never threatening the points.
No. 55 - Carlos Sainz - C
Sainz is stuck in purgatory. P14, no points, and visibly frustrated following the flag. “Slightly disappointed,” he said–and rightly so. The result in Hungary extends his point-less run to four straight races.
Kick Sauber
No. 27 - Nico Hülkenberg - C+
Qualified poorly, recovered marginally. Hülkenberg’s P13 was a better reflection of his race pace than his starting spot, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough to add to Sauber’s tally. A flat race compared to recent highs.
No. 5 - Gabriel Bortoleto - A
Star of the midfield. Bortoleto's P6 was his best yet in Formula One and another step in what’s been an electric debut season. He out-qualified Verstappen, beat his teammate, and impressed on strategy. “I don't see how we could finish this half of the season better,” he said–and he’s right.
Racing Bulls
No. 6 - Isack Hadjar - B-
Held onto P11 after a poor start but showed consistency in ways that some drivers, and teams, are lacking. Hung with Antonelli and Bearman for most of the race. Still, he’ll feel frustrated not to have made more of it after starting P10.
No. 30 - Liam Lawson - B-
Scored again with a tidy P8. Lawson benefited from the chaos of others and made a quiet, smart one-stop work. He continues to show maturity in a midfield full of unpredictability.
Aston Martin
No. 18 - Lance Stroll - B+
The turnaround Aston Martin needed. Stroll started P6 and finished P7, holding off faster cars and playing team strategy to perfection. Best result of the season for the team and a vital confidence boost heading into the break.
No. 14 - Fernando Alonso - A-
Back issues? What back issues? Alonso returned from injury to qualify and finish P5–a stellar result that helped lift Aston Martin to sixth in the Constructors’. “We really needed this,” he said. Their best weekend of 2025 by far.
Haas
No. 87 - Oliver Bearman - D
A promising weekend ended in the pit lane. Starting P11, he jumped into the top ten on Lap One and managed a long opening stint that suggested a one-stop could pay off. But his race unraveled after contact or debris caused rear floor damage to the VF-25, leaving him without grip and unable to mount a late charge. Haas retired the car on Lap 47 as a precaution.
No. 31 - Esteban Ocon - C-
Another messy Sunday. The Haas just didn’t have the pace, and Ocon was left battling backmarkers. P16 wasn’t representative of the effort, and the team will be grateful for a reset this upcoming break.
Alpine
No. 10 - Pierre Gasly - D
Gasly committed to a long first stint on hard tyres, hoping to make up ground on a one-stop strategy. But track position never came. Stuck in traffic for most of the race, he struggled to make meaningful progress and found himself locked in backend battles. A late-race clash with Carlos Sainz–deemed avoidable by the stewards–resulted in a 10-second time penalty that dropped him to P19. A gritty strategy, but an execution that left more to be desired.
No. 43 - Franco Colapinto - C-
P18 and largely invisible. The rookie continues to struggle with tyre management and pace across a full stint. A quiet weekend that won’t help his case as Alpine evaluates their second seat.
Looking Ahead
Formula One enters its annual summer break with momentum swinging in papaya’s favor. McLaren sits atop both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, but the gaps are razor-thin—and the second half of the season promises more fireworks.
Piastri’s lead is down to nine points. Norris is riding a wave of form and confidence. Leclerc is proving Ferrari still has life. Russell is dragging Mercedes back into contention. And Alonso? He’s not done yet.
Meanwhile, Red Bull heads into the break with serious questions. Verstappen looks mortal, the team looks rudderless, and Tsunoda is teetering on the edge of relevance.
Teams will now regroup, recharge, and recalibrate ahead of Zandvoort—a high-downforce, high-stakes return where championship dreams could begin to crystallize, or start to crack.
With ten races left, the margins are smaller, the pressure is higher, and the road to Abu Dhabi is wide open.
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