Lewis Hamilton has received a three-place grid penalty for the Hungarian Grand Prix after the stewards ruled that the Ferrari driver impeded Oscar Piastri during qualifying.
Hamilton had initially secured second place, but the penalty drops him to fifth on the starting grid. He will share the third row with Max Verstappen, meaning his qualifying result will no longer reflect his actual starting position.
The incident occurred on the approach to Turn 1. Hamilton was travelling significantly slower on the racing line during a cool-down lap as Piastri arrived behind him on a push lap and was forced to take avoiding action.
Piastri ran wide and had to abort the lap after his path was obstructed. The McLaren driver subsequently finished fifth in the qualifying classification before the stewards’ decision altered the grid order.
Hamilton explained that he did not receive his team’s radio warning about Piastri’s approach until the Australian was already in close proximity. He also stated that the positioning of his car meant Piastri was not visible in his mirrors.
“Having examined the available evidence, the Stewards determined that Car 44 unnecessarily impeded Car 81 during qualifying,” the stewards’ decision stated.
The stewards concluded that the offence warranted the established penalty for impeding another driver in qualifying. As a result, Hamilton loses his front-row starting position and will have to challenge the leading group from fifth in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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