Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has said the Austrian-based teams RB20 "didn't deliver what was expected" in every area this season.
Red Bull claimed a sixth Constructors' Championship in 2023, with Max Verstappen winning his third World Drivers' Championship in a row, scoring 575 points, which was more than double of second placed team-mate, Sergio Perez.
Despite their dominance, the team wanted to remain at the top of the grid and made significant changes to this year's RB20.
Verstappen and Perez would secure three one-two finishes in the first four Grand Prix's of the season, but performances of late have seen the team's around them close in.
Both McLaren and Mercedes have continually improved and have looked competitive since May, with Wache saying the cars' performance this year has fallen below expectations.
"I would say not really. We improved compared to last year, without doubt, but we didn’t deliver what we expected in some areas," Wache told Motorsport.com.
"Especially in the high-speed corners we expected a little bit more than what we have. Without thinking about the competitiveness of the car, so just based on our own references, we expected a little bit more with our tools.
"In medium-speed and low-speed we improved quite a lot compared to last year. We were a little bit weaker in the high-speed corners compared to last year relative to the competition.
"In kerb riding we are clearly weak, but we were already last year. I think we didn’t make the improvement we expected in that aspect."
While Verstappen still holds a comfortable advantage over McLaren's Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship, the same cannot be said for the Constructors'.
McLaren are now just 42 points behind Red Bull, with Ferrari just 11 points behind the British-based team.
That subsequent dip in results has largely been down to the form of Perez, who is yet to finish on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April.
Verstappen's fourth placed finish at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out was also the first time since 2020 that the Dutchman had failed to win a race in four attempts.
Despite their recent form, it did not come as a surprise to Wache, who said he expected the rival teams to catch up as the season went on.
"We expected the opposition to come earlier, to be honest with you," Wache added. "When we started the 2022 season, we didn’t have the quickest car.
"Ferrari had the quickest car in the beginning of 2022. We expected a massive competition in 2023, but that didn’t happen.
"In 2024 we also expected the competition to be there more or less from the start, because the performance you can find with the car is limited under the same regulations.
"After the first four or five races the others came back, maybe with a bit of delay, but we expected that from the start.
"The limitations you have with these regulations are quite high and what you can find to make more steps is getting more difficult. Then it is almost sure that the opposition will come back at some point."
Sergio Perez will retain his seat for the back half of the 2024 Formula One season, so says Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
Perez has endured a difficult campaign so far this year. After four podium finishes across the first five races of the season, the Mexican has not finished higher than fourth across the next nine events.
Red Bull have Yuki Tsunoda and the experienced Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings, but Horner indicated there will be no change for the second half of the season.
"Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite all the speculation of late," Horner told Dutch publication De Telegraaf.
"We look forward to seeing him perform on circuits where he has done well before."
Red Bull lead the way in the constructor standings, while Max Verstappen is the top driver.
However, the team have had a wobble in recent weeks, with Verstappen having gone four races without a win for the first time since 2020.
Max Verstappen says Red Bull "have work to do" if they are to reassert their dominance of Formula One after the mid-season break, while Lando Norris rued some mistakes.
Verstappen finished fifth in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, having come back from P11.
The Dutchman had qualified in pole, but had to deal with a 10-place penalty that was dealt his way following a collision with Lewis Hamilton last weekend.
While George Russell and Hamilton finished first and second for a Mercedes one-two, Verstappen missed the chance to become the third driver in F1 history to win four races in a row at Spa.
Indeed, he has failed to win the last four races, marking his worst run since 2020, and he knows Red Bull have to get back on track after a shaky few weeks.
He told Sky Sports F1: "If I'd have started P1, of course there's a much better opportunity.
"I was just stuck in the train, saving my tyres so I can't optimise the pace – the race was all about damage limitation. I knew that.
"They're ahead of us. Sometimes McLaren, sometimes Mercedes, I think we were faster than Ferrari but coming from P11, didn't have enough time to pass them.
"We know we have work to do, we want to do better, we're not satisfied, but everyone is doing a great job and you have to take your hat off to that as well."
Verstappen's closest rival in the championship standings, Norris, could not gain ground on the three-time reigning champion, however.
And the McLaren driver lamented his errors over recent races.
"The strategy was good, in the end it seemed whoever undercut more, won the race," he told Sky Sports F1.
"We did what we thought was best. The pace in the car was good. Maybe I could have been more aggressive but I was happy otherwise.
"I felt the pace was good, the few laps I had clean, or behind Carlos [Sainz] when he went long, the car went good, came alive a little bit. The pace felt better, I just couldn't do anything with it.
"From the team side, super happy. I just feel the last few races I’ve messed up a lot, and given away a lot of points."
George Russell edged out team-mate Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes' upturn in form continued at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Like reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen last year, Russell charged up from sixth on the grid to triumph at Spa.
Russell nursed his tyres for over half of Sunday's race but came in around half a second quicker than seven-time world champion Hamilton, who had started in P3.
It marks Russell's second triumph of the season, and Mercedes' third win in the space of four races.
Oscar Piastri, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix last week, finished third, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who was unable to capitalise on pole position.
Indeed, Leclerc was overtaken by Hamilton early on, but the latter could not hold out as Russell's risky one-stop strategy paid off.
Leclerc did manage to hold off Verstappen, at least, who finished fifth as his attempt to become the third driver to win the Belgian Grand Prix on four straight occasions failed, albeit the Dutchman had to come from 11th, having been slapped with a 10-place grid penalty after clashing with Hamilton last week.
Lando Norris, Verstappen's closest challenger in the championship standings, completed the top six, but could not make any ground on the leader.
Data Debrief: Is Hamilton back?
It has been a long and winding, arduous road for Hamilton in recent seasons, but Mercedes have found their gear again, and even if he had to settle for second place this time around, the veteran campaigner appears to be close to his best.
He has now claimed three straight podium finishes for the first time since 2022.
His great rival Verstappen, meanwhile, has not won any of the last four races. That is the Red Bull star's worst run since the 2020 season when he went 11 without a win.
Verstappen needs a win, and quick, though he is 78 points clear at the top of the drivers' standings.
Top 10
1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Lando Norris (McLaren)
7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 275
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 197
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 174
Constructors
1. Red Bull - 404
2. McLaren - 361
3. Ferrari - 340
Charles Leclerc was grateful for the wet weather that impacted Belgian Grand Prix qualifying as Max Verstappen's grid penalty handed him pole for Sunday's race.
Leclerc finished 0.6 seconds behind Verstappen at Spa, a stunning last lap of 1:53.754 seeing him leapfrog Sergio Perez into second.
That means he will start at the front of the grid at Spa for the second year in a row, with Verstappen taking a 10-place grid penalty after exceeding the maximum number of power units permitted throughout the season.
Perez will start second with Lewis Hamilton third, with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fourth and fifth one week on from their Hungarian Grand Prix one-two.
Speaking at the conclusion of the final session, Leclerc admitted the conditions had helped Ferrari exceed expectations but outlined his hope they can defend top spot.
"I definitely did not expect that this weekend," he said. "Obviously, with the tricky conditions, we could do something above our expectations.
"So it's a good day for the team, but now we need to focus on tomorrow and see what will happen when the rain is gone.
"Without this rain, probably P5 was the position we were fighting for with the Mercedes. With the rain, it helped us a little bit, but I'm not going to complain.
"I'm really happy, I'm really happy with the lap in Q3, and it's good to be back on the front part of the grid. Now we've got to finalise that tomorrow. Obviously, I'll try to keep that first place."
Verstappen also qualified fastest for the 2023 race in Spa, only for a five-place grid penalty to see him start in sixth.
He won from that position, though, and has 29 victories when not starting on pole – the fourth-most of any driver in Formula One history.
"I'm very happy," Verstappen said in his post-session interview. "The car was working quite well in the wet. I could just try to do clean lap times in the wet, which is always quite tricky.
"But tomorrow, of course, I know that it's quite a different day. It's going to be warmer, normally no rain, so it's all about tyre degradation. We just need to make sure we’re good on that.
"I know that I have to start 10 places back, so this was the best I could do today, and I go from there. I don't know how quick we're going to be. I hope we can be in the mix."
TOP 10
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Max Verstappen's 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix was confirmed as he took a new power unit in practice at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday.
Under Formula One's regulations, drivers are permitted to use a maximum of four internal combustion engines (ICEs) throughout the 2024 campaign.
Verstappen took his fifth new ICE of the year for Friday's first practice session, triggering the automatic penalty for Sunday's race.
He proceeded to set the pace in first practice with a fastest lap of 1:43.372, going half a second faster than Oscar Piastri, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix last week.
The three-time world champion will also drop five places if he takes a new ICE at any other race this year.
RB's Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, will start at the back of the grid in Belgium after taking a fifth ICE as well as additional engine parts.
With his penalty confirmed, Verstappen will now be desperate to perform in qualifying, having only taken pole at one of the last six races.
He did, however, win the recent Spanish and Canadian Grands Prix when not starting at the front. His 29 race victories when not starting on pole are the fourth-most by any driver in F1 history.
The penalty does represent an almighty blow to Verstappen's hopes of avoiding a third straight race without winning, though.
He last went more consecutive races without a victory in 2020, failing to win in 11 outings from Spain to Sakhir.
Lewis Hamilton was left surprised by the stewards' interpretation of his clash with Max Verstappen at the Hungarian Grand Prix last week.
Hamilton, who finished in third at the Hungaroring to claim a 200th podium finish, was involved in an incident with the reigning world champion on lap 63 in Budapest.
The pair made contact heading into Turn One, with the Dutchman attempting to go up the inside but in doing so locked up his front tyres, briefly sending him into the air.
Although neither driver was penalised for the incident, the stewards suggested that the seven-time world champion could have done more to avoid the collision.
"I was really, really surprised by it," said the Mercedes driver of the full stewards' judgement, which was issued several hours after the end of the race.
"I think already I was very relaxed about the situation and just saying 'look, it's just a racing incident, let's just move on'.
"But considering one car was in control and one car was not in control at the time - obviously when all the wheels are locked, you're not in control - and if you look at the replay at the end of the move I'm very, very far from the apex, so there's a lot of room on the right-hand side.
"So I was very, very surprised by the stewards. I don't know who typed it up but… that will be a question when I speak to them at some stage."
Verstappen, who has the opportunity to become the third driver to win four times in a row at Spa this weekend, endured a difficult race last time out.
The Dutchman finished in fifth in Budapest and is without a win in his last four races, the last time he failed to win four meetings was back in 2020.
His frustrations at the Hungaroring boiled over, repeatedly expressing his frustration and anger at his team's strategy and his car's performance over the radio.
"You have to be a team leader, a team member," said Hamilton.
"Maybe not such a team leader, just always remember you are a team-mate with lots of people and you have to act like a world champion."
When asked to elaborate on that latter point, Hamilton replied: "That is a good question… Not like it was last weekend."
Hamilton, who has won the Belgium Grand Prix four times in his career, arrives at Spa full of confidence following his recent displays.
Having endured a difficult start to the season, but three podium places in his last four races, including ending his 945-day wait for a win following a record ninth triumph at Silverstone, has seen the Brit back to his best.
Mercedes remain fourth in the Constructor's Championship, but have closed the gap to Ferrari to 81 points, with upgrades expected on their car this weekend, including a new front wing, floor and beam wing, something that has excited Hamilton.
"I still feel so much youth, am energised, driven and love working with the team.
"We have got some upgrades this weekend, so I can't wait to see how that feels on the track. Hopefully it's another step in the right direction and I'm excited for the next part of the season."
Max Verstappen has hit back at critics following his radio frustration during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who has won each of the last three races at the Belgian Grand Prix, which comes up this weekend, became increasingly frustrated at the Hungaroring last week as he finished in fifth place following a coming together with Lewis Hamilton late on.
The three-time reigning Formula One world champion is set for a 10-place grid penalty at Spa this weekend after exceeding his engine allowance for the season.
Verstappen has not won any of the last three races, and has seen his lead at the top of the Driver's Championship cut to 76 points by Lando Norris.
The Dutchman's recent frustrations boiled over in Hungary, spiralling into an X-rated rant at Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
But Verstappen has no regrets.
"People that don't like my language, don't listen in or change the volume down. I'm very driven for success. I've proven that already," said Verstappen.
"I always want to optimise stuff. People can argue that you might not be so vocal on the radio, but that's their opinion.
"My opinion is that it needs to be said at the time to maybe also try and force [things]. That's how it goes.
"We are very open-minded. We are very critical of each other as a team, and that's been working for us very well, so I don't expect that to change."
The last time Verstappen failed to win in four races in a row was in the 2020 season, but Red Bull are showing signs of vulnerability.
And he will face an enormous task to triumph for a 62nd time in the competition, although he is ranked as the fourth driver in F1 history with the most wins without starting from the front of the grid (29).
Verstappen made light work of the power unit components penalty he sustained at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, making his way from 14th to win the race.
Should he emerge victorious this time around, he will become only the third driver to win four in a row on Belgian soil after Ayrton Senna (1988 to 1991) and Jim Clark (1962 to 1965).
"If you look at our last few races where we haven't particularly been the fastest, I wouldn't say that with 10 places extra, we have a chance of winning," said Verstappen.
"But a race can always be turned upside down with moments, so you have to be open-minded, try to make the best of it and that's all we will try to do.
"We also don't know how competitive we will be. There's new tarmac, so we need to see how the tyres respond to that as well.
"There's a lot of unknowns with the weather too. Quite a bit of rain is expected tomorrow and Saturday, so we need to follow the weather and our progression this weekend to see how competitive we are."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
Despite being beaten in both qualifying and the main event in each of the last two races by team-mate Carlos Sainz, Leclerc will be keen to get points on the board in Belgium.
Leclerc has not been among the podium places since his maiden triumph at Monaco in May, but the omens are in his favour with the Italian team achieving more victories (14), more pole positions (12) and more podiums (41) at Spa.
Ferrari have enjoyed recent races in Belgium, taking pole in the last two editions, with Leclerc doing so in 2023.
Should they repeat the trick, it will be the second time they have done so after 1974 (Clay Regazzoni at Nivelles), 1975 and 1976 (Niki Lauda in both at Zolder).
Leclerc and Sainz will contest their 79th race as Ferrari team-mates, making them the seventh-highets pair with the most races with the same team in F1, surpassing the 78 of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg for Mercedes.
Lando Norris - McLaren
While a radio spat of his own at the Hungarian Grand Prix overshadowed an eighth podium place of the season, Norris will be eyeing another impressive run at Spa.
And he now has a fantastic opportunity to close the gap on Verstappen.
The Brit has taken pole position in two of the last four races, after taking just one in his previous 113 starts in F1.
Excluding Hamilton, who did it twice in 2012, Norris could be the first McLaren driver to take back-to-back pole positions since Kimi Raikkonen in 2006 (Germany and Hungary).
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 265
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 189
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 162
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 154
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 149
Constructors
1. Red Bull - 389
2. McLaren - 338
3. Ferrari - 322
4. Mercedes - 241
5. Aston Martin - 69
Lando Norris is convinced he can still chase down Max Verstappen to end his reign as Formula One world champion, though he knows McLaren must remain grounded.
Norris is second in the drivers' championship standings after 13 races, 76 points behind three-time champion Verstappen.
It looked like Verstappen would stroll to a fourth successive championship when he opened 2024 with seven wins in 10 races, but he has failed to win any of the last three, finishing fifth at the Austrian Grand Prix and last week's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Norris finished second behind team-mate Oscar Piastri at the Hungaroring, and he now has seven podiums in his last nine races, including a victory in Miami in May.
Asked about McLaren's upturn by Sky Sports, Norris said: "I said at the end of last year that we were going to win races this year. I said at the beginning of the year that it was not going to be an easy one for Red Bull, and all of that's come true.
"I think we've done an amazing job as a team. First of all, we have to give credit to the team for giving us a car in order to do that.
"We won in Hungary, but this is the second win of the year. Red Bull have had way more wins. Mercedes have had the same amount of wins as we've had.
"So just because we won one race and had a dominant weekend doesn't mean we're the quickest car. I think maybe two weekends this year, we've had the best car of the grid.
"Do we have opportunities to maybe win more? Yes. Did we necessarily have the quickest car on those days? I don't think so. But when I think of what we're doing now, we can have more days like Hungary."
Asked whether he still had a chance of capturing the title, he added: "You would be silly to say no.
"Don't get me wrong, I know it's like 70, 80 points that I've got to catch up. I know a lot of people are going to say that there's no chance.
"But we're going to keep fighting and I'm going to give myself the best opportunity to do so.
"Especially when you see Max and Red Bull not performing so well, making mistakes, crashing. You want to make the most of those opportunities and plenty more can happen in the future. So, yes, I think it's still on."
The Belgian Grand Prix takes place at Spa this weekend, with the four-week mid-season break following ahead of the final 10 fixtures of the campaign.
Piastri's victory last week made him the seventh different race winner in F1 this year, with only seven seasons ever producing more victors – 11 in 1982, nine in 1975, and eight in 1977, 1983, 1985, 2003 and 2012.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes Gianpiero Lambiase's "childish" remark was not aimed at Max Verstappen during the pair's unhappy radio exchange at Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Drivers' Championship leader Verstappen was forced to settle for fifth at the Hungaroring - his second-lowest finish of the season - Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris comprising a McLaren one-two.
The three-time world champion was involved in a collision with Lewis Hamilton on lap 63, after overshooting a corner on an attempted overtake.
It led Verstappen to vent his frustrations towards race engineer Lambiase, telling him over the team radio: "You gave me this s*** strategy. I'm trying to rescue what's left."
The Italian responded: "I am not even going to get into a radio fight with the other teams, Max. We'll let the stewards do their thing. It’s childish on the radio, childish."
It was a surprising exchange given the close-knit relationship shared between the pair, who have worked together for eight years.
However, Horner said Lambiase's comments were instead aimed at the radio traffic from rival teams hoping the stewards would penalise them.
"I don't think GP's [Lambiase] reference at that point was in reference to Max," he told reporters. "Others [were] obviously goading for penalties because obviously the stewards are listening to the radio as well.
"Max was frustrated, which you can understand. He has a very direct line of communication with his engineer. It's something that they’ll discuss between the two of them.
"They've been together for eight years and, yes, there are things we could have done better in the race today that we'll talk about as a team.
"I think everybody sees we need to find more performance, and everybody is working hard to do that and we'll have whatever discussions behind closed doors."
Verstappen, who still holds a 76-point lead over Norris at the Drivers' Championship summit, will head to next weekend's Belgian Grand Prix having not won any of his last three races; last going four without success during the 2020 season.
However, the Dutchman has won each of the last three races in Belgium, and could become only the third driver after Ayrton Senna and Jim Clark to win four in a row.
Lewis Hamilton labelled his clash with Max Verstappen at the Hungarian Grand Prix as a "racing incident" after finishing third on Sunday.
Hamilton and Verstappen made contact coming into turn one at the Hungaroring with seven laps of the race remaining.
The Dutchman attempted to go on the inside of his former rival to secure the final podium place, but in doing so locked up his front tyres.
Verstappen and Hamilton made contact, with the three-time world champion briefly sent into the air and off the track as he was overtaken by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
The stewards swiftly placed the incident under investigation and conducted their analysis of it after the race, with the pair both escaping punishment for the collision.
"For me it was a racing incident," Hamilton told Sky Sports.
"Ultimately he was much quicker and he sent it. I moved a little to defend, but I left enough space on the inside and he locked up and obviously then couldn't turn.
"He came at a different trajectory and clipped my wheels. If he was under control he would have gone by."
“It’s nerve-wracking when you see the pace at which they close the gap on corners," Hamilton added of Red Bull's pace.
"You just laugh to yourself because it’s not something I can do, particularly on the last sector they were very very strong, same as the McLarens.
“I saw him coming from a long way back and he was able to brake a lot later than me, but he sent it up the inside, I stayed still and he clipped the wheel and went over, so I think it was a racing incident."
Hamilton's third-place finish saw him claim a 200th podium, the first driver in the history of the competition to reach that milestone.
The seven-time world champion, who claimed 49 of those podium finishes with McLaren, was pleased to see his former team produce their first one-two since the Italian Grand Prix in 2021.
“Big thanks to this amazing crowd and a huge congratulations to the McLarens with the one-two, that’s my old original family so it’s great to see," Hamilton said.
“For us, the team have done a great job at pushing this car ultimately, we didn’t have the pace of the McLarens or of the Red Bulls but we were just able to hold on at the beginning of the race, it was very tough to hold on and make those tyres last."
Max Verstappen raged at Red Bull's strategy after finishing fifth at the Hungarian Grand Prix, declaring the team are no longer able to rely on a pace advantage.
Verstappen recorded his joint second-worst finish of the year at the Hungaroring as Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris in a McLaren one-two.
The three-time world champion's race was defined by a collision with old rival Lewis Hamilton, coming into contact with the Mercedes on lap 63 when he overshot a corner on an attempted overtake.
Verstappen vented his frustrations over team radio, telling race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase: "You gave me this s*** strategy. I'm trying to rescue what's left."
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, the Dutchman refused to apologise for those comments as he said: "I don't think we need to apologise.
"I just think we need to do a better job. I don't know why people think you cannot be vocal on a radio. This is a sport. If some people don't like that, then stay home."
Verstappen, who also dropped below Charles Leclerc late on, continued: "I'm not happy.
"On a day when we're lacking pace compared to McLaren, you hope we do the right things with strategy, which was not the case.
"You can't rely on a little pace advantage. Maybe last year when the car was quite a lot faster than everyone else, but in the position we are in now, we can't do that.
"Naturally that frustrates me because I want things to be done better. I'm realistic.
"Today we couldn't have beaten the McLarens, but a P3 was on the cards if we were on it a bit more."
Oscar Piastri claimed his first win in Formula One as Lewis Hamilton became the first driver in history to secure 200 podiums at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Piastri was handed his maiden triumph by McLaren team-mate Lando Norris with two laps remaining, with the Brit undercutting his partner in the second round of pitstops before being told to re-establish the order.
Norris endured a difficult start at the Hungaroring, dropping two places after just one corner with Piastri and Max Verstappen passing him early on.
But the Dutchman was forced to give the position back to Norris as he continued to squabble over the radio to the Red Bull garage.
Hamilton was the first of the frontrunners to pit, performing a successful undercut on Verstappen. The three-time world champion then attempted to overtake Hamilton on lap 35 but went off track in the process.
When Verstappen came close again to his rival, he attempted the overtake into turn one, but they collided, sending the Red Bull up into the air with seven laps remaining.
After more than 20 laps of being told over team radio to give the lead back to Piastri, Norris finally obliged as McLaren secured a first one-two since 2021.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Verstappen made up the top five, with George Russell and Sergio Perez scoring impressive points having started towards the back of the grid.
Data Debrief: Piastri win a long time coming
Piastri's triumph saw him become the seventh different race winner this season, becoming the first Australian driver to win the Hungarian Grand Prix.
McLaren secured their 10th podium of the season, the first time they have managed that many since 2012 (13). The last time McLaren finished one-two in a race was at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021. On that day, Norris was again the runner-up, this time to his former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Norris' second-placed finish earned him a 21st podium for McLaren, equalling Denny Hulme as the driver with the eighth-most podiums in the history of the British team.
Hamilton, meanwhile, claimed a record 200th podium finish (49 with McLaren and 151 with Mercedes), becoming the first driver in F1 history to reach that milestone.
Top 10
1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
8. George Russell (Mercedes)
9. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 265 points
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 189
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 162
Constructors
1. Red Bull – 389
2. McLaren – 338
3. Ferrari – 322
Max Verstappen believes Red Bull are currently playing catch-up to McLaren, who sealed a lock-out in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Lando Norris clinched his third career pole at the Hungaroring, beating team-mate Oscar Piastri by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046 back in third.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, meanwhile, crashed out in Q1 and will start the race 16th on the grid, casting further doubt on his future with the team.
Red Bull started the 2024 season with three one-twos in the first four races, while Verstappen came out on top on seven of his first 10 outings.
However, they have seen their sizeable advantage whittled down, with both McLaren and Mercedes pushing hard in recent races.
Speaking after Saturday's final qualifying session, Verstappen said: "I tried, the whole weekend we have been a little bit behind, and I think that was also the case in qualifying.
"I tried to make it as close as possible but unfortunately just not enough, a bit difficult to pinpoint why. I would have liked a bit more grip but it's not there at the moment."
Verstappen finished second at the British Grand Prix last time out, having been fifth in Austria one week earlier – the first time he has failed to win at two straight races all year.
"I love competition but I like being on top of the competition," the three-time world champion added.
"At the moment, I feel like we are chasing and having a few more difficult weekends, I don't back out of a fight but it's just a tricky situation I guess.
"The last few races, especially the McLaren has been really good in the race, even compared to qualifying.
"Today was a lot colder than expected I guess with the clouds and the rain, tomorrow is going to be quite a different day and I just hope that will help us."
Lando Norris is expecting to secure a second-ever Formula One victory after claiming his third career pole at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
Norris edged out team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen as McLaren claimed their first lock-out in qualifying since the British Grand Prix in 2012.
McLaren now have the opportunity to reach 10 or more podiums for the first time since 2012 (13), with Norris also presented the chance to equal Denny Hulme as the driver with the eighth most podiums in the history of the British team.
Norris beat Piastri to pole position by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046 back in a session that featured two red flags and changing weather conditions.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will have to achieve a record 200th podium from fifth place, while Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and sixth respectively.
“I am very very happy, not an easy qualifying, different conditions, always ending up on top, it’s the best part of it all," Norris said.
“I’m happy especially for the team, a one-two is even better to see so congrats to the team.
“We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us, I’m looking forward to it. Two cars on the front row, we can control it from there so as long as we stay where we are, we will be happy.
“I’m expecting to [do well], if I don’t it’s not been a good day. The car is doing well, I feel like I’m driving well so it’s obvious what the aim is for tomorrow."
Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth respectively, with RB's Daniel Ricciardo finishing a place behind.
Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10 but sustained a heavy crash in the final qualifying session.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez endured another difficult time out on track, crashing out in the first qualifying session and will start 16th on the grid.
George Russell will also start towards the back of the grid after he and the Mercedes team were unable to recover from a poor opening wet-dry session.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
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