Liam Lawson at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Photo: AFP / Xavier Bonilla / DPPI
Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix, while Liam Lawson picked up points for the third time in the last four Grand Prix.
Norris won on a one-stop strategy to slash the Australian's Formula One lead to nine points going into the August break.
Norris completed 39 of the 70 laps on a single set of hard tyres while Piastri stopped twice and closed a 12-second gap to just 0.6 at the finish, with a nail-biting chase to the chequered flag and a near-collision.
Lawson also went with a one stop strategy and was able to hold off four time world champion Max Verstappen to grab eighth place.
The 23-year-old Kiwi started ninth but got past Verstappen on the opening lap before swapping places again on lap two.
Lawson then went ahead when the Dutchman pitted a second time and was able to hold him off over the last quarter of the race.
New Zealand F1 driver Liam Lawson. Photo: MPS AGENCY / photosport
His four points for finishing eighth takes his total to 20 and he is 15th in the Driver's Championship standings, just two points behind his team-mate Isack Hadjar who finished 11th.
Lawson has outscored Hadjar 20-15 over the last seven races.
George Russell took a distant third, 20 seconds down the road, to complete the Hungaroring podium for Mercedes and take his fifth podium of the season.
The win was Norris's fifth of the season, and third in the last four, to Piastri's six. It was also McLaren's seventh one-two in 14 races.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was a frustrated fourth, after starting on pole position but losing out with a two-stop strategy and a five-second penalty for erratic driving as Russell challenged.
Fernando Alonso finished fifth for Aston Martin, ahead of Sauber's sixth-placed Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.
Lando Norris of McLaren celebrates Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Lance Stroll was seventh, Verstappen ninth and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli completing the top 10 scoring positions.
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, an eight-times winner in Hungary, started in 12th place for Ferrari and finished there.
The Briton was lapped by the leaders six laps from the chequered flag.
-Reuters / RNZ
