Mogyorod (Hungary): Oscar Piastri secured his first-ever Formula 1 title victory, navigating through McLaren drama ahead of teammate Lando Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The drama began at the very start, as Piastri, alongside his McLaren teammate Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, went three abreast into Turn 1. Piastri demonstrated remarkable composure and skill, emerging as the leader. His performance from the outset suggested that he was on course for a memorable victory.
However, McLaren’s pit stop strategy added a layer of complexity to the race. During the second round of stops, Norris was brought in first to cover off Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who was mounting a significant challenge from behind. This decision saw Norris rejoin the track ahead of Piastri, much to the latter’s frustration.
What followed was a tense intra-team struggle. McLaren issued multiple calls for Norris to relinquish the lead back to Piastri, but Norris appeared reluctant to comply. It wasn’t until Lap 68 of the 70-lap race that Norris finally conceded, slowing down to allow Piastri to pass. The 23-year-old Australian seized the opportunity and never looked back, crossing the finish line two seconds ahead of his teammate.
Behind the McLaren duo, Lewis Hamilton secured the final podium position for Mercedes–200th career podium. Hamilton’s race was not without its own drama, as he had a late-race contact with Verstappen, which is now under investigation by the stewards. Verstappen, who had a challenging day, finished fifth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who claimed fourth place.
Carlos Sainz brought his Ferrari home in sixth, followed by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who made an impressive recovery from his P16 starting position to finish seventh. George Russell also had a remarkable race, moving up from P17 on the grid to take eighth place. Rounding out the top ten were Yuki Tsunoda of RB and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
Fernando Alonso narrowly missed out on points, finishing P11 for Aston Martin, while Daniel Ricciardo had a disappointing race, ending up in P12 for RB despite starting in P9. Nico Hulkenberg claimed 13th place for Haas, followed by Alex Albon in 14th for Williams and Kevin Magnussen in 15th for Haas.
The quest for points continued for Kick Sauber, with Valtteri Bottas finishing in P16 and Williams’ Logan Sargeant in P17. Alpine endured a tough weekend, with Esteban Ocon in P18 and Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu as the final classified runner in P19.
The sole retiree of the race was Pierre Gasly, who suffered a suspected hydraulic leak in his Alpine, adding to the team’s woes.
(IANS)
