McLaren’s return to the top of Formula 1 reached another historic milestone in Hungary where the team secured its 200th Grand Prix victory – an achievement of which McLaren CEO Zak Brown “could not have been prouder”.
Lando Norris led teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri across the finish line, a mere 0.698 seconds apart, in a race that showcased McLaren’s strategic brilliance and driver talent.
The victory, Norris’s fifth of the 2025 season and McLaren’s seventh one-two in 14 races, cemented the Woking-based outfit’s place as only the second team in Formula 1 history to reach 200 wins, trailing Ferrari’s 248 and surpassing Mercedes’ 130 victories.
A Near-Perfect Execution
Reflecting on the significance of the win, Brown praised every part of the operation – from pit stops to strategy to the drivers themselves.
“You’re never perfect in a race but I think that was as close to perfect as you can get,” Brown told Sky Sports F1.
“The drivers were awesome, pit stops amazing, strategy was great to get Lando up there, Oscar drove brilliantly. I couldn’t be prouder of this racing team.”
Norris’ fifth win of the season came despite losing ground at the start and being the only front-runner to commit to a one-stop strategy.
Piastri ran two stops and very nearly snatched the win on the penultimate lap with a bold move into Turn 1—locking up in the process and coming perilously close to colliding with his teammate.
Stella: “These are the values of McLaren”
While the close call raised eyebrows, team principal Andrea Stella remained full of admiration for the pair, insisting that while the racing was tight, it was handled with maturity.
“We had a bit of a lock-up with Oscar but at the same time Lando left some space because he knew that Oscar would have been at the limit of braking,” Stella explained.
“We keep being very proud of our Lando and Oscar for racing. I think this is a great way of honoring Formula 1 racing. These are the values of McLaren.”
Stella's words reflect McLaren’s broader culture shift in recent seasons – building a competitive, respectful intra-team dynamic while clawing their way back into title contention.
Norris: “I think it’s the first one I’ve won in this manner”
Speaking after the race, Norris admitted the win was one of his most rewarding yet, not just for the milestone it represents, but because of the challenge it required.
“I think it’s one of the first ones I’ve won in probably this manner,” Norris said.
“I’ve not won many races, so I think most circumstances are still new. I think it’s the first one where I’m doing a completely alternate strategy to most, giving myself that opportunity. It worked out.”
He added that unlike past wins that came with a helping hand from safety cars or fortune, this one was earned through calculated risk.
“I think there’s been some others where going long in the first stint, Miami, then getting a Safety Car, things like that, it’s helped me from a luck side.
"Today, there was not really any of that. I think the most rewarding was to try to do something different and it worked out, which was a good one.”
Yet Norris was quick to self-criticize, acknowledging that his races are being made harder than they need to be.
“There are those things I need to improve on and want to improve on. I’m not giving myself the best opportunities. Even though the results have looked great, I’m not making my life very easy for myself at the minute,” he admitted.
“So if I can work on those things, then I’ll be in a better place.”
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