Report: Hard Fought Milestone Weekend for Alex in Hungary

Hungaroring offers limited opportunities for Alex

Published

26 JUL 2026

Est. reading time

2 min

Alex Albon celebrated a special milestone at the Hungarian Grand Prix as he made his 100th Formula 1 start with Atlassian Williams F1 Team. However, despite a determined drive around the Hungaroring, the Thai driver was unable to break into the points, crossing the line in P17 after a determined afternoon of tyre management and midfield battles.

Starting on medium tyres from P19, Alex made a clean getaway and gained a position on the opening lap to move into P18. George Russell quickly recovered through the field to reclaim the position on Lap 2, before Lance Stroll followed him through on Lap 5.

As his opening stint unfolded, Alex settled into the race despite reporting understeer and a lack of confidence in the car over team radio. While several drivers made their pit stops, Alex remained out on track, climbing as high as P15 as the team decided to extend his opening stint.

After 28 laps on the medium tyres, Alex made his first pit stop of the afternoon, switching to the hard compound. Rejoining towards the back of the field, he continued to push through the second half of the race, with the hard tyre lasting slightly better than anticipated.

A late Virtual Safety Car, triggered after Oscar Piastri stopped on track with a gearbox issue, handed Alex the opportunity to make a second stop for soft tyres with just 14 laps remaining. The fresh rubber allowed him to close the gap to Oliver Bearman in the closing stages, but blue flags and traffic prevented Alex from launching a successful attack.

Although Bearman crossed the line ahead, a post-race time penalty for the Haas driver promoted Alex to P17 at the chequered flag, bringing an end to his milestone 100th race with the team.

"This has been a tough weekend for us - it was a real battle out there. We knew the track wouldn't suit us, and that it would expose our weaknesses.”

“We've had balance issues all weekend, and we were very wind-affected today, with understeer and a lack of consistency throughout. I struggled to find a rhythm with the wind changing and the gusts.”

“We know what we need to fix, and I think the work that's being done back at the factory is the biggest team effort I've seen to fight these issues. I believe we're doing the right things to get back on track - it's just a shame to be in this position in the first place.”

“Hopefully we can take a good rest as a team and come back stronger post summer break."