From Lando Norris’ edge-of-your-seat victory, to heartbreaking plot twists for Ferrari, to fantastic points for the midfield teams, the on-track action at the Hungarian Grand Prix did not disappoint.
But away from the battles on the circuit, there was also plenty keeping us entertained off-track too. Here’s 9 things you may have missed while the drama unfolded at the Hungaroring…
En garde, Alpine!
Thursday’s media day saw Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto swap their helmets for fencing masks in the paddock when they met Hungarian Olympic champions – the Paris 2024 Men’s Team Épée gold medallists.
The pair even suited up and gave fencing a go, under the watchful eye of Tibor Andrasfi, Mate Tamas Koch, David Nagy, and Gergely Siklosi – testing their rapid reaction times in a high-speed sport of a different nature.
Bunny mode: activated
Approximately 5000 miles away from Budapest, Formula 1 hit the streets of Puerto Rico for the first time in the form of Mercedes’ exhibit to announce their collaboration with reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny.
The show was injected with even more adrenaline when Former F1 driver Esteban Gutierrez took to the streets wowing the crowd with burnouts, high-speed laps and donuts in a demo run.
Safe to say, this was a takeover like no other.
The paddock peloton
There’s a new club rolling through the F1 paddock! Carlos Sainz, Ollie Bearman, and Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas have been whipping out the lycra and forming a mini peloton during race weeks, fitting in laps around the circuit outside of their busy weekends both in and out of the car.
Cycling is a top training tool for drivers, but these guys have taken it up a gear! Sainz and Bearman train with Tour de France icon Tadej Pogačar, whilst Bottas has raced in elite cycling events alongside his pro-cyclist partner, Tiffany Cromwell.
This week in Hungary, Williams boss James Vowles hopped on the saddle and joined the fun, proving he can keep up with the sport’s fittest! At this rate, a full-on showdown at the Yas Marina Circuit before the season finale doesn’t sound too far fetched…
Who had the F1 drivers star struck?
You get a lot of megastars in the F1 paddock these days – and generally the drivers play it pretty cool. Enter: Hide The Pain Harold.
Harold is actually 80-year-old Hungarian Andras Arato. He has one of the most famous smiles in the world thanks to a meme that plays on his facial expression apparently hiding the real pain inside.
When Harold visited the pit lane ahead of the race on Sunday, Isack Hadjar could not believe his eyes; while Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto also made sure to shake his hand and get a photo with him.
Movie stars were Hungary for action
The stars were out in Hungary! The new Captain America Anthony Mackie was seen catching up with Lewis Hamilton ahead of FP3, with Anya Taylor-Joy also enjoying her time in the Ferrari garage.
Jamie Dornan took delight in the McLaren 1-2 as he spent time with the team on Sunday, whilst Guns N’ Roses rock legend Axl Rose was welcomed to the ju… Red Bull Racing garage!
Lando is extra careful… this time
Hungary winner Lando Norris made sure there was no repeat of a famous calamity as he celebrated his fifth victory of 2025.
Two years ago, he was second to Max Verstappen at the Hungaroring, and accidentally knocked off and broke Max’s porcelain trophy when he performed his famous champagne ‘spike’ celebration.
On Sunday, Lando signed his champagne bottle with the words ‘don’t break the trophy!’, and then made sure to move his and Oscar Piastri’s trophies to a safe space before the champagne popped.
Axl’s back!
Rock legend Axl Rose had the honour of waving the chequered flag on Norris’ ninth F1 win.
The Guns N’ Roses lead singer is a long-time F1 fan, and given his maverick reputation, it’s no surprise that one of his good friends is 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen.
So strong is their relationship that Rose thanked Raikkonen in the sleeve notes for the Roses’ 2008 album Chinese Democracy.
“I’ve been a fan of his for a while,” Rose said in 2023. “I always watched him back in the day. We get along very well.”
Rose looked every bit the rock and roll star on Sunday, dressed in leather trousers, cowboy boots and a silk shirt unbuttoned to the chest – all in black, of course.
Alonso and Bortoleto’s weekend to remember
It was a stunning weekend for Fernando Alonso and his protégé Gabriel Bortoleto in Hungary. Bortoleto posted his best ever F1 result with sixth at the Hungaroring; while Alonso scored his best of the season one place ahead in fifth.
Brazil’s Bortoleto owes a lot to the double World Champion, whose management team snapped him up in 2022 and helped him find a route into Formula 3. Since then, Bortoleto has become F3 and then F2 champion, before joining the F1 grid this year with Kick Sauber.
The pair shared a lovely moment in parc ferme on Saturday when Bortoleto waited to congratulate his manager Alonso on his P5 in Qualifying; and there was another fun moment in the media pen after the race with the Spaniard sharing a joke at the Brazilian’s expense (see the video below).
It’s been some week for Alonso. He celebrated his 44th birthday on Tuesday, sat out first practice on Friday with a muscular injury in his back, and then was at his brilliant best on Saturday and Sunday – not to mention the success of 20-year-old Bortoleto, who Alonso described to DAZN Spain as “the best rookie of this generation”.
Art Attack at the Fan Stage
The driver appearances at the Fan Stage are always a highlight of the weekend for fans at the circuit, as things tend to get a little silly… Hungary was no different, as Williams duo Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, and Racing Bulls pairing Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, got stuck into some arts and crafts.
As for Carbono’s masterpiece below, well, we’ll let you judge that one yourselves!
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