Lewis Hamilton faces a big penalty before the Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton has been given a three-place grid penalty before the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris from McLaren snatched pole position in Hungary, starting at the front for the first time in 2026, narrowly beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by just 0.012 seconds on his last lap.
Hamilton, who has started from pole at the Hungaroring nine times before, missed out on making it ten this time.
Leclerc finished third, championship leader Kimi Antonelli came in fourth, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took fifth.
During qualifying, Piastri and Hamilton were involved in a close call at Turn One. Hamilton was investigated for blocking Piastri late in the session, and Piastri looked frustrated as he gestured toward Hamilton afterward.
Both drivers and their teams met with the stewards. Hamilton said he was only told about Piastri approaching when the Australian was right next to him. “I had no idea he was coming,” Hamilton told PlanetF1.com. “Everyone came out behind me. I was the first on track and thought the others were done with their laps. I thought Charles was the one behind me after leaving the pits. It was a clean session until then, and it wasn’t intentional.”
Ferrari’s team principal Fred Vasseur admitted they gave the warning too late. “If there was a mistake, it’s on us,” he said.
Later on Saturday, it was confirmed Hamilton would start three places back, meaning he’ll begin the race in fifth instead of second. Leclerc, Antonelli, and Piastri all moved up one spot on the grid.
The FIA said: “After reviewing all evidence, we found that Hamilton slowed down too much on the racing line as Piastri was on a fast lap behind him. Hamilton said he didn’t get the team’s message about Piastri until the car was very close and couldn’t see him in his mirrors. Piastri had to go wide and gave up his lap. The stewards decided Hamilton blocked Piastri unnecessarily, so they gave him a three-place grid penalty according to the rules.”
Here’s the top ten starting lineup for the race:
1) Lando Norris, McLaren
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
4) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
5) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
6) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
7) George Russell, Mercedes
8) Isack Hadjar, Red Bull
9) Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
10) Nico Hulkenberg, Audi