Oscar Piastri wins in Hungary ahead of his McLaren rival Lando Norris. But Norris needs several lectures from the pits. The world champion is even more frustrated – and the reason is self-inflicted.
Max Verstappen cursed his own team over the radio in a way that was not suitable for young people, and to top off his troublemaking tour at the Hungaroring, he had a near-accident. The three-time Formula 1 world champion suffered another setback at the controversial race in Hungary and was unable to win the third race in a row in the Red Bull. He didn’t even make it onto the podium after what he considered to be a disastrous strategy, as well as a mistake of his own. He finished fifth.
Instead, Oscar Piastri celebrated his first Grand Prix victory when his team rival Lando Norris overtook him shortly before the end after repeated reminders and warnings from the McLaren command post. Norris had previously benefited from a team decision that clearly disadvantaged Piastri. Just like Red Bull, this race will have serious repercussions for McLaren.
Silverstone winner Lewis Hamilton came third in the Mercedes, ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Verstappen, who lost eight points in the standings before his almost home race next weekend in Spa-Francorchamps, still has 76 more than Norris. Nico Hülkenberg took 13th place in the Haas.
Verstappen attack on the McLaren double pack at the start
Verstappen would not have many opportunities on the track to overtake at least one or even both McLarens after finishing third in qualifying behind Norris and Piastri.
Ideally at the start. So Verstappen attacked immediately when the red lights went out. Norris tried with all his might to defend the third pole of his career against his teammate Piastri and pushed to the inside, where the Australian only had the track wall to his right. The accelerator pedal, which had been causing problems on the warm-up lap, worked perfectly for Norris.
Verstappen wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and attacked the papaya orange duo. The trio entered the first corner almost at the same time and it was getting tight. Piastri on the inside, Norris in the middle, Verstappen on the outside. And the Dutchman had to make a turn, he left the track and came back behind Piastri but ahead of Russell.
Now the big complaints and accusations began. Norris complained that Verstappen had gained an advantage. Verstappen was seething in the cockpit – and it wasn’t because of the almost 30 degrees in Budapest. His team instructed him to let Norris pass again in order to practically avoid a penalty. “Okay, so you can just push people off the track,” Verstappen retorted.
New test for the friendship between Verstappen and Norris
The investigation, which the race stewards had initiated immediately after the maneuver after just a few hundred meters, was discontinued. There will probably be repercussions. This brought back memories of the duel between Verstappen and Norris in Spielberg, when the cars touched, Norris retired and Verstappen managed to secure fifth place. Norris demanded an apology at the time and seriously questioned the friendship between the two – before a few days later he no longer wanted to hear much about his demands. And the friendship was more important to Verstappen.
The ranking at the penultimate race before the summer break was now cemented. Piastri, who had finished second in Austria, led ahead of Norris, Verstappen and Hamilton. Much further back, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez was trying to limit the damage.
After a crash in qualifying, he had to start from 16th place, although Hungary and Belgium in a week’s time will be his last tests, and he is in danger of losing his cockpit during the summer break. “We can’t run on one leg,” said team boss Christian Horner meaningfully in Hungary. Ultimately, Pérez finished seventh.
But the weekend with over 300,000 spectators did not go as hoped for Verstappen either, despite the new features on the RB 20. During the race he also complained about the brakes, but shortly afterwards he drove the fastest lap. In the meantime, Hamilton put the pressure on two weeks after his return to the top step of the podium with his 104th career victory. The seven-time champion was behind Piastri and Norris and ahead of Verstappen after the first tire change.
With nine poles and eight wins, Hamilton is the Hungaroring specialist. But he couldn’t keep up with Piastri and Norris. Instead, Verstappen suddenly regained his strength and was close to Hamilton after just over half the race distance, before he and Leclerc in the Ferrari had their second tire change – which only made Verstappen’s bad mood even worse.
Race engineer to Verstappen: You are childish
McLaren did better – at least at times and only from Norris’ point of view, who benefited from an earlier second tire change. Usually the better placed driver is brought in first. Not in this case, McLaren radioed Piastri that they would manage the situation. The most exciting question: would Norris let Piastri overtake? The team reminded them of Sunday meetings and ultimately let him pass.
And that was despite the fact that Verstappen’s rear end lifted off the ground after a maneuver against Hamilton and lost more points. Piastri’s joy was dampened by the first victory after the tactical chaos. At Red Bull, the race engineer snapped back at the angry Verstappen: “You’re childish.”
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
