Lando Norris currently leads the Hungarian Grand Prix, aiming for his first win of the season. His McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, experienced a gearbox problem, causing him to stop from second place. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is in second position, with Kimi Antonelli in third and Lewis Hamilton in fourth.
Lewis Hamilton received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. This penalty followed an investigation by the stewards. Hamilton‘s teammate, Charles Leclerc, is just behind him in fifth place.
Grid Penalties and Race Dynamics
Earlier, Hamilton was penalised three grid places for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying, which meant he started from fifth. Hamilton stated he was only informed of Piastri‘s approach when the McLaren was already close behind him, believing everyone had finished their hot laps. Despite his explanation, the stewards ruled him at fault.
Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, also faced a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags. He started the race in seventh position. These penalties impacted the starting grid, with Norris securing pole position for McLaren, marking their first pole of the season.
McLaren‘s recent upgrades have been noted, with Norris topping the timesheets in FP3 and Qualifying. While conventional wisdom often suggests track position is crucial at the Hungaroring, statistics indicate that a winner from pole position has not occurred since 2020, with only three such instances in the last decade.
On-Track Battles and Tyre Strategy
During the race, Kimi Antonelli moved past Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, who was in 10th, as he attempted to close the gap on Max Verstappen for second place. However, traffic involving the Audis hindered Antonelli‘s progress. Lewis Hamilton was observed closing in on Antonelli, setting up a battle for podium positions.
At one point, Hamilton was under investigation for pit-lane speeding, with Ferrari needing to inform him of the situation. Later, Hamilton had to make a move on Kimi Antonelli to regain a podium spot. The young driver thwarted Hamilton‘s attempts to overtake, blocking the seven-time world champion’s advances. After a pit stop, Antonelli was convinced he was ahead of Hamilton, and Ferrari did not contest this, allowing Hamilton to move aside.
A virtual safety car was deployed when Oscar Piastri‘s McLaren slowed down and eventually stopped due to a gearbox problem, prompting many cars to pit for new tyres. Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc all pitted for soft tyres. Kimi Antonelli had stopped just before the virtual safety car, allowing his tyres to reach optimal temperature.
With Norris leading, Max Verstappen, who did not pit, held second, and Hamilton was in third. Antonelli was in fourth, believing Hamilton should return the position. Mercedes prepared for Kimi Antonelli, fitting him with fresh hard tyres and sending him back out in sixth place.
The Malaysian Grand Prix could potentially return to the F1 calendar, with a meeting arranged after the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia earlier in the season. It is expected to take place between the Baku and Singapore rounds on 4 October at the Sepang circuit.
Source: bbc.com
