During Friday practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Rand Norris and Oscar Piastri had a dangerous collision. Norris was coming out of the pit lane late in his second F1 practice session at the Hungaroring when he locked up, nearly causing his teammate to run wide at Turn 1. This tense moment came with the two drivers closely competing atop the driver standings, separated by only 16 points.
On Sunday, Piastri extended his lead to 23 points by securing his seventh victory of the year, but the momentum this weekend seemed to favor Norris. The British driver posted faster times in both practice sessions ahead of Piastri. Meanwhile, McLaren showed strong performance overall, with Charles Leclerc consistently finishing third in both sessions.
Reflecting on the practice, Norris said the session was a bit chaotic with varying fuel loads and some mistakes, but that’s part of the process to find the car’s limits. He added, “I know what I want from a car, but it can be difficult to achieve.”
Unlike their previous encounter at Spa-Francorchamps, Norris appeared to have a clear pace advantage in Hungary. Piastri had claimed pole for the sprint race at the Belgian GP and won that event, while Norris outqualified him for the main race. Piastri commented, “We had to make some adjustments to improve, but the overall performance was good. There are a few things to tidy up, and FP2 wasn’t perfect, but the pace is solid.”
Piastri’s first-ever F1 win came during the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris, meanwhile, had to yield position to Piastri after McLaren unintentionally put him ahead. Sky F1 analyst Bernie Collins suggested Norris could challenge Piastri for pole this weekend, saying, “Piastri has been the driver of the year, but I think Norris is ready to step up.”
Fan Take: This intense rivalry between Norris and Piastri highlights the thrilling competition within McLaren and F1 at large. For fans, the close battles and shifting momentum could signal a season packed with drama and unpredictable outcomes, making every race a must-watch event.
