Lewis Hamilton faces potential grid penalty after qualifying incident
Lewis Hamilton’s second-place finish in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying is under threat after stewards summoned the Ferrari driver for allegedly blocking Oscar Piastri during the closing moments of Q3, reports BritPanorama.
The seven-time world champion had crossed the line just 0.012 seconds adrift of pole-sitter Lando Norris but now faces a potential grid penalty that could strip him of his front-row starting position. Piastri encountered Hamilton on the racing line at Turn 1 as the McLaren driver launched his final flying lap, forcing the Australian to back off. Piastri gestured towards Hamilton, who responded with an apologetic wave.
The stewards have called both drivers to appear before them. Piastri ultimately qualified fifth. Hamilton questioned Ferrari’s tactical decision to send him out ahead of the field for the final Q3 runs, believing it cost him a shot at pole. “We have been doing a great job all weekend. I felt solid throughout qualifying and, for some reason, we went out first, which I don’t think was the right call,” Hamilton commented.
The Briton had held a commanding 0.101-second advantage over Norris before the final attempts but was unable to better his earlier time, with his teammate Charles Leclerc similarly failing to find any improvement. “The grip for some reason wasn’t there on that last lap for both Charles and me,” Hamilton added.
He acknowledged that the incident with Piastri weighed heavily on him in the immediate aftermath of qualifying, admitting he had not realised another car was bearing down on him. “I think my mind is just elsewhere just this second because once I finished my lap I don’t know if I got in the way of someone,” he said. “So I’m trying to just run that through my mind because I wasn’t aware anyone was coming.”
Despite the looming stewards’ hearing, Hamilton expressed confidence in his pace around a circuit he has long favoured. “It’s obviously a track that I love. We’re obviously competitive, but I think tomorrow is going to be a hard day,” he said.
Ferrari was not the only team facing scrutiny from the stewards at the Hungaroring. Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli is also under investigation for an alleged yellow flag infringement during Q3, triggered after Max Verstappen spun at the final corner in the dying moments of the session. Antonelli secured fourth on the grid, but the qualifying session marked a significant setback for Mercedes, who failed to claim pole position for the first time this season. Compounding the team’s difficulties, George Russell managed only seventh after coming to a mysterious halt on track during the session, leaving the Silver Arrows with considerable ground to make up on race day.
As the controversy brews ahead of the race, it serves as yet another reminder of the razor-thin margins drivers operate within—where fractions of a second can dictate not just race outcomes but reputations.
