Norris led from the front for much of the race at the Hungaroring, crossing the finish line ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli to secure McLaren's first win of the season.
Although team-mate Oscar Piastri briefly challenged him during the race, Norris showed superior pace throughout the afternoon. After Piastri lost time while negotiating lapped traffic following his pit stop, Norris took full control and was never under serious pressure.
The victory came on the weekend McLaren introduced a major upgrade package, with Norris praising the team’s progress despite admitting the car was still difficult to drive at times.
“What pleases me the most? Just the fact we were so quick, the fact the car was, of course, very strong today,” Norris said.
“The car was still horrible to drive at times, but quick, and I’d rather have a horrible but quick car than anything else.”
Norris said he always believed he had the speed to win, pointing to his tyre management and race pace as key strengths.
“I was just better in every sense, in terms of degradation and pace,” he said.
“I was convinced I could still win the race today. Whether I would box first or force him to box and I would go long, get fresh tyres and come back through, I believed we had the pace.
“So, I was convinced I could win the race today, and we did. Of course, it was unfortunate for Oscar because I think we could have had a one-two.”
The result has boosted Norris’ confidence after McLaren’s latest upgrades delivered an immediate improvement in performance.
“We were just on another level today, and I felt in a very good flow of things,” Norris said.
“When the car’s good and when I’m in a good flow, there’s no stopping me.”
