Hungary: Hamilton loses P2 after qualifying incident
Grid penalties shuffle Hungarian Grand Prix start
Lewis Hamilton has incurred a three-place grid penalty for the Hungarian Grand Prix following an incident during qualifying. The penalty means Hamilton, who initially qualified in second position, will now start the race from fifth place. This decision was made after he was found to have impeded Oscar Piastri of McLaren during the qualifying session at the Hungaroring.
The incident occurred as drivers were completing their final laps in Q3. Hamilton had provisionally secured the top spot before Lando Norris of McLaren ultimately claimed pole position. However, Hamilton was subsequently investigated for impeding Piastri at Turn 1, forcing the Australian to abort his lap and settle for fifth place in qualifying.
After qualifying, Hamilton acknowledged his uncertainty regarding the incident, stating, “I think my mind is just elsewhere right this second, because once I’d finished my lap, I don’t know if I got in the way of someone, so I’m just trying to run that through my mind, because I wasn’t aware anyone was coming.”
The stewards reviewed video, telemetry, team radio, and in-car video evidence before confirming the penalty. Their document stated that Hamilton’s car was travelling at a significantly reduced speed on the racing line at the approach to Turn 1 while Piastri’s car was on a push lap. Hamilton explained that he had just completed a fast lap and did not receive his team’s radio message about the approaching Piastri until it was too late, also noting that Piastri’s car was not visible in his mirrors due to his car’s positioning.
The stewards concluded that Hamilton’s car unnecessarily impeded Piastri’s car during qualifying, leading to the three-place grid demotion. This penalty promotes Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, and Piastri by one position each on the grid.
Additional penalties and driver reactions
In addition to Hamilton’s penalty, Kimi Antonelli also received a three-place grid penalty, shuffling the top end of the grid further. Antonelli, who had originally qualified fourth, was penalised for failing to slow sufficiently for yellow flags after Max Verstappen spun at the last corner. This means Antonelli will now start seventh, behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Hamilton’s penalty means he will start fifth, while Leclerc moves to second, Piastri to third, and Verstappen to fourth, having originally qualified sixth. This marks Hamilton’s third stewards’ penalty in the last three race weekends, following a five-second in-race sanction for a false start at Silverstone and a first-lap collision with Russell in Belgium.
Reflecting on the situation, Hamilton shared his frustration on social media, stating, “Sometimes you just can’t catch a break. Another weekend when I’ve been feeling great throughout all the sessions, but then it just falls apart.” He added that going from being close to pole to starting fifth was “extremely frustrating” and that “after three penalties in three weekends, it’s becoming difficult to hang on to that positivity.”
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur took responsibility for the timing of the team’s warning to Hamilton about Piastri’s approach. Vasseur stated, “We told him [about Piastri] but it was far too late. If there’s a mistake, it’s our mistake.” Hamilton himself corroborated this, saying he was informed “literally when he was at the apex behind me, so I had no idea he was coming.”
Qualifying strategy and race outlook
The decision to send Hamilton out early for his final qualifying run was questioned by the driver. He held provisional pole after the first timed laps in Q3, but did not improve his time on the final lap. Norris, who was among the last drivers to take to the track, then edged out Hamilton for pole position by one-hundredth of a second.
Hamilton admitted, “I don’t know why we went first, and that was a bit of a shock to me. I definitely wouldn’t have chosen to go first, but it is what it is.” He also noted that the grip was not there for him or Charles Leclerc during their final runs, despite feeling solid throughout qualifying. He concluded that pole position “definitely got away from us.”
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton expressed hope for the race, noting the team’s progress and the car’s competitive feeling throughout the weekend. He remains optimistic about securing a positive result in the race, which is scheduled for 2pm on Sunday.
Antonelli’s penalty stemmed from a separate incident where he was investigated for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags. Although he stated he tried to lift, stewards found his speed was slightly higher than on his previous push lap, leading to his three-place grid demotion. The Hungarian Grand Prix will feature build-up coverage starting at 12:30pm.
Source: formula1.com
