Norris had to cede an F1 win to his teammate just before the end
At McLaren: Oscar Piastri wins his first Formula-1 Grand Prix as Lando Norris is ordered by McLaren to let him pass two laps before the end. With a furious World Champion Max Verstappen finishing fifth, there's tension in Formula 1 once again.
Max Verstappen swore over the team radio at the end of his disappointing performance at the Hungaroring, capping off his frustrating tour with a near-accident. The three-time Formula-1 World Champion failed to win the race for Red Bull for the third consecutive time, not even making it to the podium after a disappointing strategy and a personal mistake. He finished fifth.
Instead, Oscar Piastri celebrated his first Grand Prix victory as team rival Lando Norris was instructed by the McLaren command center to overtake him just before the finish. Norris had earlier benefited from a team decision that clearly disadvantaged Piastri. Like Red Bull, McLaren will face serious repercussions from this race.
Third place went to Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Verstappen, who lost eight points to his upcoming home race at Spa-Francorchamps, but still has 76 more than Norris, finished fifth. Nico Hülkenberg finished 13th in the Haas.
Verstappen's Attack on McLaren's Double Pack at the Start
Many opportunities presented themselves for Verstappen to overtake at least one, if not both, McLarens after finishing third in qualifying behind Norris and Piastri.
The ideal opportunity would be at the start. So, Verstappen attacked immediately as the red lights went out. Norris tried with all his might to defend his third pole position of his career against his teammate Piastri, pushing inwards where the Australian only had the track wall to his right. Norris' gas pedal, which had caused issues during the warm-up lap, functioned perfectly for him.
Verstappen seized the opportunity and attacked the McLaren duo in the Papaya Orange livery. The three cars entered the first turn almost side by side, it was tight. Piastri was on the inside, Norris in the middle, and Verstappen on the outside. Norris had to make a wide turn, he left the track, came behind Piastri, but in front of Russell.
Now began the great complaints and accusations. Norris complained that Verstappen had gained an advantage. Verstappen was boiling in his cockpit - and it wasn't just the nearly 30 degrees in Budapest. His team urged him to let Norris pass to avoid a potential penalty. "Okay, I guess you can just push people off the track," Verstappen retorted.
New Test for Friendship between Verstappen and Norris
The investigation initiated by the race stewards shortly after the maneuver was dropped. A repercussion was sure to follow. Memories resurfaced of Verstappen's duel with Norris in Spielberg, where the cars touched, Norris was eliminated, and Verstappen salvaged fifth place. Norris demanded an apology, put their friendship in question - only to withdraw his demands a few days later and no longer care about them. And Verstappen valued their friendship more.
The order of finish before the summer break was now set. Piastri, who finished second in Austria, led Norris, Verstappen, and Hamilton. Far behind were Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez, focusing on damage control.
After a crash in qualifying, he had to start from position 16, Hungary and Belgium might have their final trials in a week, he is at risk of losing his cockpit during the summer break at Red Bull.
Team principal Christian Horner commented cryptically in Hungary, "We can't run on one leg." In the end, Perez finished seventh.
However, Verstappen's weekend did not go as hoped with over 300,000 spectators, despite the new features on the RB 20. During the race, he also complained about the brakes, but then drove the fastest lap. Hamilton put pressure on him two weeks after his return with his overall 104th career win. The seven-time champion was behind Piastri and Norris after the first tire change and ahead of Verstappen.
With nine poles and eight wins, Hamilton is the Hungaroring specialist. However, he couldn't catch up to Piasti and Norris. Instead, Verstappen suddenly regained strength and was close to Hamilton after more than half the race distance. But both Hamilton and Leclerc in the Ferrari made their second tire change, which only made Verstappen even more angry.
McLaren did better - at least for a while, and that was only from Norris' perspective, who benefited from an earlier second tire change. Normally, the better-placed driver is lapped back first. In this case, not so, McLaren informed Piastri that they would manage the situation. The most intriguing question: Would Norris let Piastri pass? The team reminded him forcefully of Sunday meetings and in the end, he let him by.
And that despite Verstappen lifting his rear end off the ground in a move against Hamilton and losing more points. Piastri's joy was dampened by the first win after the tactical chaos. The race engineer at Red Bull scolded Verstappen: You're childish.
Verstappen expressing his disappointment towards Red Bull's strategy and his own mistakes in the race, affecting his chances of winning, was reminiscent of his past challenges with Ferrari (Formula-1).
Lewis Hamilton's third place finish in the Mercedes and Charles Leclerc's fourth in the Ferrari added fuel to the ongoing tensions between their respective teams, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari (Formula-1), as both Verstappen and Leclerc were aiming for a higher podium position.
Despite McLaren's instructions to Lando Norris to let Oscar Piastri overtake him, Max Verstappen's aggressive driving style and overtaking maneuvers during the race continued to create chaos and controversy in Formula 1.
