Oscar Piastri claimed his first Formula 1 victory during the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, it was not a cause for celebration at McLaren, as his debut win was preceded by a controversial ‘swap’ in the final stages. Teammate Lando Norris was instructed to ease off the gas and relinquish his leading position three laps from the end. This team order bears a striking resemblance to the Ferrari team order that allowed Michael Schumacher to win the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix at the expense of Rubens Barrichello.
Aside from Norris, someone else is furious. Max Verstappen had a frustrating race and ultimately had to settle for fifth place. Along the way, he had several heated exchanges with his regular race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, over the radio, with some strong language used.
The drama of the race was evident right from the start. Oscar Piastri, starting from P2, had a strong start and managed to outmaneuver his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the first corner, who in turn saw Max Verstappen overtake him. The three-time world champion from Red Bull was pushed from the inside to the outside by the two McLarens and ended up on the asphalt off the track. However, Verstappen kept his foot on the gas and reclaimed P2 in this manner.
Immediately, there’s a flurry of activity over the team radio. Norris asserts that Verstappen should yield his position, while the Dutch driver argues that he had no choice and had already passed Norris’s McLaren. The race officials are investigating the incident, but to avoid a costly time penalty, Gianpiero Lambiaso, Verstappen’s race engineer, opts for caution and instructs him to give back the position to Norris. Verstappen clearly disagrees and vents his frustration over the radio towards the FIA stewards: “Okay, so you can just push people off the track? You can tell the FIA that we’ll be racing like this for the entire race.”
Verstappen Complains About His Car
He is also far from satisfied with the balance of his RB20. The winner of the Hungarian GP in 2022 and 2023 complains about understeer and oversteer at the same time and struggles to keep up with both McLarens. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri is comfortably leading the race.
When Norris and Piastri make their first pit stops on laps 18 and 19 respectively, Verstappen continues to lead the race for a few more laps. After his pit stop (lap 21), he returns to the track behind Charles Leclerc (who has not yet stopped), Piastri, Norris, and also Lewis Hamilton. The gap between Hamilton and Verstappen is just under seven seconds. It speaks volumes about the challenging task Verstappen is facing.
However, on the hard tires, he finally finds his speed and sets one fastest lap after another, visibly closing in on Hamilton who is struggling with his tire temperatures. Halfway through the race – after 35 of the 70 laps – he is already about ten seconds behind race leader Piastri. In other words: Verstappen is racing for a podium finish, not for the win. It’s a bit of an adjustment.
In lap 35, Verstappen attempts his first overtaking maneuver on the seven-time world champion from Mercedes, but excessive understeer forces him to hold his position. The duel between Hamilton and Verstappen allows Charles Leclerc to close in from behind. The Monegasque from Ferrari can therefore also join the battle for the third podium spot. In lap 41, both Hamilton and Leclerc pit for fresh rubber in an attempt to undercut Verstappen, who, to his annoyance, has to stay out for a few more laps.
McLaren’s Bizarre Request
In lap 46, Norris makes his second pitstop from P2. Oscar Piastri responds, albeit a lap too late. The young Australian returns to the track behind Verstappen (who still has to make his second stop) and Norris. Almost immediately from the pit wall, Norris is asked to let Piastri pass, but with Hamilton nearby, this is a bizarre request. In the final stages, Norris is repeatedly asked to conserve his tires and reduce his pace in an attempt to make a swap possible, but Norris proves to be a poor listener.
The Brit continues stoically and has a lead of over three seconds on his teammate. When Verstappen also goes in later, the situation after 50 of the 70 laps is as follows: Norris leads, followed by Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, and Verstappen.
Verstappen and Hamilton Collide
Over the radio, Verstappen repeatedly expresses his displeasure about the chosen strategy, verbally going in hard towards Lambiase. The two will undoubtedly revisit this in the technical debrief. In the final stages, Verstappen briefly has a view of the podium, but after a successful overtaking maneuver at Leclerc, he is later rebuffed by Hamilton. The Brit refuses to give way, resulting in a collision. The rear of Verstappen’s car flies into the air and sustains damage. The result is that he falls back to P5, much to the anger of Max Verstappen.
Behind the top of the field, Sergio Pérez somewhat redeems himself for his – yet again – disastrous performance in Saturday’s qualifying, when he crashed in Q1. From the sixteenth spot on the starting grid, he still manages to finish in the points: P7. Whether this will secure his seat for the rest of the season remains to be seen. The verdict will be delivered after the Grand Prix of Belgium, next weekend.
