Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris will not become the first reigning champ since Sebastian Vettel (2013) to return the following year and fail to win a Grand Prix, as he took the checkered flag ahead of four-time world champion Max Verstappen to win Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
During his mid-season surge in 2024, before which he had never won a single Grand Prix, and throughout his championship-winning 2025 season, Norris was often criticized for only being able to win because McLaren built a car that was head and shoulders above the competition.
The fact that he beat Verstappen by two points to win the world title generated more praise for Verstappen than it did Norris, since Verstappen was in a Red Bull that only finished third in the constructor standings. Additionally, Red Bull's third place finish in 2024 was the lowest for world champion's team since Nelson Piquet won it for third-place Brabham-BMW in 1983.
Lando Norris positioned to join underrated F1 wins list
Of Verstappen's 71 career victories, 37 have come in seasons during which his team did not win the constructor championship. He broke Michael Schumacher's record of 31 in 2025 when he won a series-high eight races.
Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz Jr., George Russell, Pierre Gasly, and Esteban Ocon are the other active drivers who entered the 2026 season with at least one such win, with the first six of those eight owning multiple wins in that category.
Norris was notably absent from that list, despite having entered the year with 11 wins, fourth among active drivers and second among all drivers since 2022.
Even his four 2024 victories came during a surprise McLaren title-winning season, their first since 1998.
While the 2026 constructor world championship is far from decided, Norris' Hungarian Grand Prix victory will likely add his name to that list. With 220 points, McLaren sit third and trail Mercedes by 159.
And while he's obviously still 36 wins shy of Verstappen's record, the fact that he now has a victory in a season that has not seen McLaren with the clear-cut fastest race car can finally lay to rest the idea that he is only capable of winning races in a rocketship.
It's no wonder he claimed that his Hungary was the strongest of his 12 thus far, even though it took separate drama involving teammate Oscar Piastri to knock Piastri out of the fight. Piastri, with nine career wins, remains absent from that list himself.
Now Formula 1 is set for its annual summer break, with action scheduled to resume with the Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort on Sunday, August 23. The 2026 schedule now consists of 23 races, following the late addition of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit, and the Dutch Grand Prix is set to be race number 12.
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