Oscar Piastri snatched the lead at the start and dominated early at the Hungaroring on Sunday (July 21st), securing the win when McLaren teammate Lando Norris eventually followed team orders with two laps to go and let Piastri through for the lead. Piastri’s win at the Hungarian Grand Prix is his first Formula 1.
“It’s very, very special,” said Piastri. “This is really the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of an F1 podium. Obviously a bit complicated at the end but I put myself in the right position at the start, and thank you to the team for an amazing effort, and amazing car. It’s a hell of a lot of fun racing for McLaren so I can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to be in F1, and to be able to win together 18 months in is an incredible feeling.”
A disappointed Norris settled for second, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in third, who survived a late clash with Max Verstappen to post his 200th F1 podium. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fourth, while teammates Carlos Sainz finished sixth as the two Ferrari’s sandwiched a frustrated Verstappen in fifth.
Sergio Perez finished seventh after starting 16th, while George Russell came home eighth after starting 17th on the grid and also grabbed an extra point for the fastest lap. Both Perez and Russell failed to advance to Q2 on Saturday (July 20th). Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda finished ninth, and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll grabbed the final points-paying position.
In the driver standings, Verstappen’s lead over Norris is 265 to 189. Charles Leclerc is third with 162 points, eight ahead of Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.
In the constructor standings, McLaren’s 1-2 finish propelled them over Ferrari to second, where they trail Red Bull 389 to 338. Ferrari holds third with 322 points.
The Race
It was a drag race down to turn 1 at lights out, as Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen went three wide. Piastri came out ahead, while Verstappen ran very wide.
But Verstappen reentered ahead of Norris as Piastri pulled away. The stewards were investigating Verstappen’s move, but before any potential penalty was announced, the Red Bull team advised Verstappen to let Norris through to second. Verstappen reluctantly agreed and began a determined effort to overtake the McLaren legally.
By lap six, Piastri was nearly three seconds ahead of his teammate, with Verstappen hounding Norris. Hamilton was in fourth after overtaking…
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