Race stewards have handed Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton a three-place grid penalty for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Officials ruled he unnecessarily impeded McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at Turn 1 during the final moments of Q3.
The decision drops Hamilton from second to fifth on the starting grid. That triggers an immediate shakeup at the front of the pack. Charles Leclerc moves up to the front row to start alongside pole-sitter Lando Norris. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli slides up to third. Piastri advances to fourth.
If you are watching the lights go out on Sunday, keep an eye on the third row. Hamilton will now start directly alongside former rival Max Verstappen.
The incident occurred while Hamilton was on a cool-down lap after missing out on pole position by just 0.012 seconds. He told stewards he couldn’t see Piastri approaching in his mirrors. He also claimed Ferrari failed to warn him over the team radio in time. Piastri rejected that defense completely.
“It was just Lewis not looking in his mirrors, the yellow flag wasn’t my problem,” Piastri stated.
The penalty deals a severe blow to Hamilton’s pursuit of a historic 10th pole position at the Hungaroring. It also massively benefits McLaren. The team is now heavily favored to secure its third consecutive victory at the circuit following wins by Piastri in 2024 and Norris in 2025. They already hold the outright constructor record with 13 victories at the Hungarian Grand Prix.