Oscar Piastri celebrated his maiden Formula 1 victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, leading a McLaren one-two finish as Lando Norris secured second place, marking McLaren’s first double podium in three years. Lewis Hamilton completed the podium for Mercedes.
Piastri’s triumph was set up from the start when he overtook Norris in Turn 1. However, his victory was in doubt late in the race when McLaren pitted Norris before Piastri during the final stops, allowing Norris to undercut and temporarily take the lead. After a lengthy discussion on team orders, Norris eventually relinquished first place back to Piastri, enabling McLaren to achieve its first one-two finish since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
At the race’s outset, polesitter Norris had a good start, but Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen quickly drew level, making it three abreast into Turn 1. Verstappen went off track, and while Norris struggled to stay on, Piastri seized the opportunity to take the lead.
Verstappen rejoined in second but was instructed to return the place to Norris, which he did shortly after the start. As the first stint unfolded, Hamilton was the first of the frontrunners to pit from fourth place, followed by Norris and Piastri. Verstappen stayed out until lap 21 for his first stop. Piastri returned to the lead, three seconds ahead of Norris, with Hamilton in third after successfully undercutting Verstappen.
Verstappen, on fresher tires, closed the gap to Hamilton, attacking into Turn 1 on lap 35. Hamilton defended fiercely, causing Verstappen to go off track, allowing Hamilton to maintain third place. As Verstappen continued to press, Mercedes pitted Hamilton, leaving Verstappen to chase Norris.
Meanwhile, Piastri had a brief off-track moment on lap 33, allowing Norris to close the gap to 1.5 seconds. On lap 45, with both Verstappen and Hamilton threatening, McLaren pitted Norris ahead of Piastri, enabling Norris to undercut and take the lead. This strategic move led to a tense finish for McLaren as Norris was persuaded by his race engineer to allow Piastri back into the lead.
Verstappen pitted on lap 49, emerging in fifth place behind Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, facing the challenge of overtaking both within the final 20 laps. Verstappen quickly passed Leclerc but struggled to overtake Hamilton. On lap 62, an aggressive move from Verstappen led to contact with Hamilton, sending Verstappen off track and allowing Leclerc to pass him for fourth place.
In the final laps, Norris conceded the lead to Piastri on lap 69. Piastri then crossed the finish line two laps later to secure his first F1 victory. Norris completed the one-two for McLaren, with Hamilton taking third place. Leclerc finished fourth, and a frustrated Verstappen ended in fifth, later summoned by the stewards to review the incident with Hamilton. Carlos Sainz finished sixth, with Sergio Pérez in seventh, George Russell in eighth, Yuki Tsunoda in ninth, and Lance Stroll rounding out the top ten.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Race Results:
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren/Mercedes, 70 laps, 1:38’01.989
- Lando Norris, McLaren/Mercedes, 70 laps, 1:38’04.130 (+2.141)
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 70 laps, 1:38’16.869 (+14.880)
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 70 laps, 1:38’21.675 (+19.686)
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull/Honda RBPT, 70 laps, 1:38’23.338 (+21.349)
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, 70 laps, 1:38’25.062 (+23.073)
- Sergio Pérez, Red Bull/Honda RBPT, 70 laps, 1:38’41.781 (+39.792)
- George Russell, Mercedes, 70 laps, 1:38’44.357 (+42.368)
- Yuki Tsunoda, RB/Honda RBPT, 70 laps, 1:39’19.248 (+1:17.259)
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin/Mercedes, 70 laps, 1:39’19.965 (+1:17.976)
