Mercedes didn't have the winning pace at the Hungaroring, but Kimi Antonelli did enough to add to his championship lead before the summer break.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli did not win the 2026 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, with McLaren's Lando Norris coming out on top. But it's still a good day in Budapest for the 19-year-old.
Antonelli finished third, staying ahead of teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, his two main rivals in the Drivers' Championship.
After the Hungarian GP, here's how the Top 3 is shaping up in the Drivers' Standings:
- Antonelli: 219 points (+15 from Hungary)
- Hamilton: 169 points (+10)
- Russell: 160 points (+6)
What's even more impressive is that the odds were stacked against Antonelli at the beginning of the race. He was handed out a three-place grid penalty for yellow flag infringement during qualifying, forcing him to start from P7 for Sunday's race.
Plus, he had the McLarens and Ferraris in front of him, two cars that had superior pace to Mercedes all weekend long.
So, how did Antonelli manage a podium finish at the Hungaroring? Let's take a quick look back:
Started on the Medium tyre and took advantage of Russell's poor start
The two Mercedes drivers started on the Medium tyre, but Russell suffered from anti-stall. Russell dropped numerous places, and Antonelli climbed to P6 in the opening laps.
From then on, the talented Italian driver opted not to force his way through the pack, especially on a circuit where dirty air could severely punish his tyres. Antonelli managed his tyres well, and was the last of the frontrunners to make his first pit stop.
Boxed for a Hard tyre on Lap 22
Antonelli finally made his way to the pit lane on Lap 22, boxing for the Hard tyre, with a one-stop strategy seemingly on his mind. Mercedes thought that the significant tyre offset could carry Antonelli through the rest of the race.
However, his Hard tyres surprisingly degraded faster than expected, especially the rears.
Abandoned the one-stop strategy on Lap 54
The team made the call to deviate from the one-stop plan, pitting Antonelli again for another set of Hards on Lap 54. The championship leader questioned the call, but Peter Bonnington, his race engineer, quickly responded. Bono said that the team doesn't think Antonelli's old Hard tyres have enough life left.
Held off the Ferraris after the VSC
Then, McLaren's Oscar Piastri stopped on the track due to a gearbox issue, triggering a Virtual Safety Car a couple of laps after Antonelli pitted.
Both Ferraris of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc boxed for Soft tyres. Hamilton came out of the pit lane just ahead of Antonelli, but the veteran had to give the position back. He crossed the pit-lane-exit white line just behind the Mercedes.
Antonelli climbed to P3 and crossed the finish line in the same position. Post-race, he said that he was "lucky" to keep the two Ferraris behind, who were on the faster Soft tyres.
"Very happy" Antonelli heads into the summer break
By outscoring Hamilton and Russell, Antonelli said that he's already very happy with the result. Who wouldn't be? Halfway through the season, the young Mercedes driver leads his nearest championship rival by 50 points.
