Lewis Hamilton handed three-place grid penalty for impeding Piastri in Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying

Credit: Formula One

Lewis Hamilton's near-miss at Hungarian Grand Prix pole has turned into a costlier weekend still. The FIA Stewards have confirmed a three-place grid penalty against the Ferrari driver, ruling that Car 44 unnecessarily impeded Oscar Piastri's Car 81 during qualifying, a breach of Article B4.1.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Regulations.

The penalty, issued in Document 36 on Saturday evening, will apply to Sunday's race, demoting Hamilton from the second spot on the grid he qualified for just 0.012 seconds behind pole-sitter Lando Norris.

According to the Stewards' findings, Hamilton was travelling at significantly reduced speed on the racing line at the approach to Turn 1 while Piastri was on a push lap behind him. Hamilton told the Stewards he had just completed a fast lap of his own and did not receive his team's radio message about the approaching McLaren until it was already in close proximity, adding that Piastri's car was not visible in his mirrors given his position on track. Piastri was forced to take evasive action, running wide and aborting his lap as a result.

The moment appears to have been on Hamilton's mind in the immediate aftermath of qualifying, before the penalty was made official. Asked about his session, in which he narrowly missed out on what would have been a tenth pole position at the Hungaroring, Hamilton first turned his attention to Norris.

Hamilton said, "We've been doing a great job all weekend. I felt solid throughout qualifying and, yeah, for some reason… I mean, we went out first, which I don't think was the right call. But then, on top of that, the grip for some reason wasn't there on that last lap, I think for both Charles and me. And, yeah, it's obviously a track that I love. I think we're obviously competitive, but I think tomorrow is going to be a hard day."

Pressed on whether pole had slipped away from him, Hamilton admitted his focus had already shifted elsewhere by the time he was asked, seemingly aware something may have happened on track behind him.

"I mean, ultimately, yeah. We were quickest throughout qualifying, so it definitely got away from us," he said. "I think my mind is just elsewhere right this second because, at the end, once I finished my lap, I don't know if I got in the way of someone. So, I'm just trying to run that through my mind because I wasn't aware anyone was coming."

That uncertainty has since been resolved by the Stewards, but not in Hamilton's favour. Earlier in the same session, he explained the mechanics of the lap that cost him pole, pointing to Ferrari's decision to send him out first in the Q3 shootout as a factor he had not expected.

"I don't know why we went first, and that was a bit of a shock to me. I definitely wouldn't have chosen to go first, but it is what it is," Hamilton said. "I had a clean out-lap, and when I started my lap, already into Turn 1 I had a snap and I was already a tenth and a half down. It just cascaded from there. So, the last lap was the worst lap of all, and all the other laps were really good. We clearly had the car to be on pole today, and I just didn't deliver. So that's tough to swallow."

Despite the setback, Hamilton struck an upbeat tone on Ferrari's long-run pace heading into Sunday, crediting the team's development push through the season.

"I think the car is just strong all around. I think the team have done a really great job, and a really big thank you to everyone back at the factory for continuing to push and to bring parts each weekend," he said.

"We're continuously innovating and evolving the car. It's night and day different to the car that we had last year, and I'm grateful to have pushed the car to this point and helped develop the car to this point, that we're fighting at the front for wins. But it's awfully close between the top runners, and you need to be perfect ultimately to get that first place."

With the penalty applied, Hamilton is set to start Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix from fifth on the grid, behind Norris, Piastri, Charles Leclerc and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, turning a session he dominated for most of the hour into a considerably tougher starting position for the race.