A surprising comeback
Lando Norris’s unexpected victory at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix became the focal point of McLaren’s post-race discussions, especially considering how the race had begun for the British driver. After starting from third on the grid, Norris lost two positions on the opening lap, dropping to fifth on a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult. Despite that early setback, he managed to execute a remarkable comeback, turning the race in his favour through strategic brilliance and exceptional tyre management.
Throughout the race, both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, ended up on differing strategies. This was despite the Australian explicitly stating over team radio that he preferred to “run his race” based on the pace of his team-mate rather than targeting Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. In the end, Oscar Piastri still had a genuine shot at fighting for victory, but there is little doubt that the tactical plan executed by the McLaren pit wall for car number 4 dramatically changed the course of a race that initially seemed destined to fall easily into the hands of the World Championship leader.
Stella applauds Norris
During the traditional post-race press conference, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella quickly dismissed any speculation that the team had favoured Lando Norris in terms of race strategy. The Italian manager made it clear that a one-stop strategy had never been seriously considered in their pre-race planning and that this option only became viable thanks to Lando Norris’s exceptional tyre management during the first stint.
“When we decided to extend Lando’s first stint and keep him out longer, we still didn’t believe that a one-stop strategy was going to be possible,” explained Andrea Stella. “The credit goes entirely to Lando. He was able to produce very strong lap times despite running on tyres that were already showing signs of wear. That performance made us realise, gradually, that the single-stop strategy was starting to become a realistic possibility as the stint went on.”
Andrea Stella continued by clarifying the original strategic outlook: “It wasn’t a case of coming into the race thinking both the one-stop and two-stop strategies were equally viable. From our perspective, the two-stop approach was clearly expected to be the dominant strategy for this Grand Prix.”
Ultimately, Lando Norris’s ability to adapt to the situation and extract strong performance from a long opening stint helped shift the entire direction of McLaren’s race plan—leading to an unexpected and impressive victory in Budapest.
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