Home F1 Hungarian GP: Piastri scores first win in tricky McLaren 1-2 finish

Hungarian GP: Piastri scores first win in tricky McLaren 1-2 finish

21/07/2024

Oscar Piastri registered his first F1 win in Hungarian GP in a McLaren 1-2 with Lando Norris second ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

It was a clean start from the Top 3 in F1 Hungarian GP at Hungaroring in dry conditions as Oscar Piastri took the challenge from his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to take the lead of the grand prix. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the outside line into Turn 1.

But had to go off the run-off to gain a place on Norris. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton passed the McLaren driver and punched towards Verstappen, but it didn’t work as Norris retook third from Hamilton who had Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc right behind him.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso gained a place to be sixth from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who lost out to fellow Spaniard. The other Aston Martin of Lance Stroll was seventh from fast starters Williams’ Alexander Albon and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in the Top 10.

Both the Visa Cash App RB drivers dropped out of the Top 10, as Norris complained about Verstappen passing him off track. After few laps of back and forth, an unhappy Dutchman gave up track position to the the Brit to make it McLaren 1-2 again.

Hamilton was close fourth from Leclerc, as Sainz repassed Alonso for sixth. The pit stop saga begun behind the Top 5 drivers. Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg was the first to pit and was followed by several others, switching to the hard compound.

Stroll was seventh from Yuki Tsunoda, Stake F1 Team’s Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes’ George Russell in the Top 10 just after 10 laps were done. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez also gained to be 11th after several drivers around him pitted.

The leader started to pit after Lap 15 with Hamilton being the first to do so. Verstappen and Leclerc went the furthest where the Dutchman lost track position to Hamilton which was a net third. But he had tyre advantage to catch the Mercedes driver.

At the front, Piastri had a comfortable F1 Hunagrian GP lead over Lando Norris, as Hamilton was being chased by Verstappen. Behind them, Leclerc and Sainz stationed itself in no mans land, with the fight on for seventh among several drivers.

Verstappen tried to pass Hamilton and did so in the Turn 2-3 sequence but went wide to allow the Brit to retain third. They went on for few laps before the Brit pitted, just when Leclerc joined the party. The Monegasque played smart by pitting early.

While Hamilton kept track position, Leclerc passed Verstappen, who went long in his second stint. McLaren, meanwhile, used a strategy which helped Norris to take the lead of F1 Hungarian GP, from Piastri in an overly complicated call from the pitwall.

They asked Norris to slow and give up the win to Piastri but the Brit hung on to a 3s gap. He argued that they should have pitted the Australian first. Behind the Top 2, Hamilton had third from Leclerc until Verstappen came along behind the Monegasque.

It took him couple of laps to finally get ahead of Leclerc in the chase of third but Verstappen continued to be furious on the radio due to the strategy handed to him. Sainz was sixth from Perez, Russell, Tsunoda and Alonso in the Top 10.

While the Norris and Piastri discussion continued and started to become uncomfortable, Verstappen made an angry pass on Hamilton which led a collision between the two. The Dutchman tried a move at Turn 2-3 but didn’t work on the previous lap.

He tried again at Turn 1 but locked-up and the wheels touched to send Verstappen in the run-off. He went airbourne before landing hard and losing out to Leclerc. It allowed Sainz to close up on the Dutchman but the Red Bull kept his nose ahead.

With three laps remaining, Norris finally let off and allowed Piastri to take the F1 Hungarian GP lead and his eventual first grand prix win in dramatic conditions. The Australian made it yet another first win for a driver at the Hungaroring circuit.

Norris had to be content with second in McLaren 1-2, as Hamilton secured third after a hard drive from Leclerc. Behind him, a furious Verstappen was fifth from Sainz, with Perez and Russell climbing up to seventh and eighth from the back of the field.

Tsunoda was ninth as Stroll rounded out the Top 10 after Alonso lost the last point to end up 11th. Visa Cash App RB’s Daniel Ricciardo was 12th from Hulkenberg, Albon and Magnussen in the Top 15, with Stake F1 Team’s Valtteri Bottas in 16th.

Williams’ Logan Sargeant ended up 17th ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Stake F1 Team’s Zhou Guanyu to round out the 19 runners after Alpine’s Pierre Gasly retired due to a suspected hydraulic issue.