I’m happy to be back – Lando Norris hungry for more wins after first of season

Lando Norris admitted it was “good to be back” after securing the first win of his world championship defence at Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Norris surrendered the lead to McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri following a sloppy start from pole position.

However, the reigning world champion took advantage of Piastri’s bizarre collision with backmarker Carlos Sainz midway through the race to seize the initiative and cross the line a comfortable winner.

https://x.com/McLarenF1/status/2081408453747130772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

It marked Norris’ first triumph since November’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, and he said: “My pace today was probably some of the best I’ve ever had.

“The car was beautiful to drive and I felt very confident. I’m just happy to be back and see the number one again. I want to believe we can carry this form forward and we can win more races.”

After losing the lead, Norris, clearly the faster of the McLaren drivers, was hot in his pursuit of Piastri and challenged the pit-wall to order his team-mate out of the way.

But in the end he did not need the order. Piastri’s afternoon unravelled on lap 38 of 70 when Sainz, preoccupied in his duel with Fernando Alonso for 15th, rammed a mystified Piastri off the road.

“Get out of the f****** way you idiot, oh my God,” yelled Piastri. The Australian could not believe what had unfolded in front of him but for Norris it was the ideal opportunity to snatch the lead. He did not hesitate to change tyres and rejoined ahead of Piastri.

“Oscar, that’s Sainz that cost us that,” said Tom Stallard, Piastri’s race engineer. “Oh mate, just don’t even f****** talk to me,” he replied.

It would get worse for Piastri when his gearbox expired with 14 laps remaining. A Virtual Safety Car was