Oscar Piastri Blasts Lewis Hamilton After Missing 2026 Hungarian F1 Pole

Oscar Piastri criticised Lewis Hamilton after losing the opportunity to complete his final Q3 lap and finishing fifth in qualifying for the 2026 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Piastri encountered Hamilton travelling slowly on the racing line as he approached Turn 1. The situation forced him to abort his final attempt and removed any opportunity to improve during the decisive phase of qualifying.

“It was just Lewis not looking in his mirrors,” Piastri said. He insisted that the yellow flags triggered by Max Verstappen’s spin at the final corner were not responsible for ending his lap.

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The outcome was particularly frustrating because team-mate Lando Norris secured pole position. Piastri finished almost half a second behind Norris but believed more performance remained available had his final run not been interrupted.

“A shame because it meant I didn’t get a lap in either way. Clearly the car has been quick today. I have certainly been chasing it, it has not been easy, but clearly there is performance there,” he said.

McLaren introduced a substantial upgrade package at the Hungaroring as the development contest under Formula 1’s new regulations continued. Norris’ pole provided an early indication that the components had delivered a meaningful performance gain.

Piastri believes the update represents the step McLaren required. However, he remains uncertain whether the same improvement will translate consistently across circuits with different characteristics.

“One car is on pole, so they have done a good job. This was the kind of step we needed. We will see if it is going to be enough to help us everywhere, but definitely the car is quicker,” Piastri said.

The Hamilton incident denied Piastri a potentially stronger starting position at a circuit where overtaking is difficult. He must now rely on the start, tyre strategy and McLaren’s race pace to return towards the leading group in the 2026 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix.