Hamilton loses P2 after qualifying incident in Hungary

By Ananya Rao — 25 July 2026 — 3 min read

Hamilton receives grid penalty

Lewis Hamilton has been issued a three-place grid penalty for the Hungarian Grand Prix following an incident during qualifying. Originally, Hamilton had secured P2 at the Hungaroring, but the penalty will now see him start the race from fifth position. The penalty was imposed after he impeded Oscar Piastri of McLaren during the Q3 session.

The incident occurred as Piastri was attempting to improve his lap time. Hamilton, who had just completed a fast lap, was unaware of Piastri‘s approach and blocked him at Turn 1. This forced Piastri to exceed track limits, abandon his lap, and ultimately settle for a P5 qualifying position. Hamilton acknowledged after qualifying that his mind was elsewhere and he was not aware of another car approaching.

The stewards’ investigation involved reviewing video, telemetry, team radio, and in-car video evidence, in addition to hearing from both drivers and team representatives. The findings indicated that Hamilton‘s car was moving at a significantly reduced speed on the racing line as Piastri approached on a push lap. Hamilton explained that he did not receive a radio message about Piastri until the latter was already close, and that Piastri‘s car was not visible in his mirrors due to his car’s positioning.

Despite Hamilton‘s explanation, the stewards determined that he had unnecessarily impeded Piastri during qualifying. In accordance with the FIA F1 Regulations and established penalty guidelines for such infringements, a three-place grid penalty was imposed. This decision resulted in Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, and Piastri each moving up one position on the grid.

Impact on the grid and driver reactions

The penalty for Hamilton has reshuffled the top end of the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lando Norris of McLaren secured pole position. With Hamilton‘s demotion, his teammate Charles Leclerc will now start from the front row in second place. Oscar Piastri moves up to third, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who initially qualified sixth, will now start fourth.

Hamilton expressed frustration about the situation, noting that he had been feeling strong throughout the sessions but that things had fallen apart. He posted on social media, stating that going from being close to pole to starting P5 was extremely frustrating. He also mentioned that receiving three penalties in three consecutive race weekends was making it difficult to maintain positivity, but affirmed his commitment to the team’s progress.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur took responsibility for the incident, stating that the team’s communication to Hamilton about Piastri‘s approach was “far too late.” Hamilton himself commented that he was informed about Piastri only when he was at the apex behind him, and that he had believed everyone else had finished their laps as he was the first out.

In a separate incident, Kimi Antonelli also received a three-place grid penalty. The Mercedes driver was penalised for failing to slow sufficiently for yellow flags after Max Verstappen spun at the last corner. Antonelli will now start seventh, behind his teammate George Russell. Antonelli explained that he had lifted off the throttle when the yellow flag appeared but acknowledged that his speed was slightly higher than on his previous push lap.

Hamilton also questioned the team’s strategy of sending him out early for his final qualifying run. He felt that the decision to go out first was not the right call, especially as the track was evolving and grip was improving. He believed that the car had the potential for pole position and that the opportunity had slipped away.

This marks Hamilton‘s third penalty in as many race weekends, following five-second in-race sanctions for a false start at Silverstone and a first-lap collision with Russell in Belgium. The Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, with build-up beginning at 12:30 PM, and the race commencing at 2:00 PM.

Source: formula1.com