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Lewis Hamilton came to Budapest in strong form – fastest in second practice, provisionally quickest in Q3 – and left with a fifth-place finish, a pitlane speeding penalty, and a 50-point championship deficit to Kimi Antonelli. The weekend that began with Ferrari looking like genuine pole contenders ended as the third consecutive race in which Hamilton collected a penalty of some kind.
The Hungarian Grand Prix race showed Hamilton crossing the line fourth before a five-second penalty for exceeding pit lane speed limits under the virtual safetycar dropped him behind teammate Charles Leclerc. That penalty was compounded by what Hamilton described as a pit strategy call he had no time to push back on.
In his post-race interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton identified where he felt the afternoon slipped away. “I definitely don’t think we should have taken the stop,” he said. “But the call came literally just before the pit lane entry and I didn’t have time to debate. And you’ve got to trust that there’s a decision that’s been taken, but in hindsight, my tyres were turning fine and I was probably going to lose out to Max, but I think I could have kept third at least. And then yeah, just opened up the door to all the penalties after that.”
It wasn’t the only moment this weekend where Ferrari’s timing cost Hamilton. In qualifying, the team notified him about Oscar Piastri‘s approaching car too late to act, earning him a three-place grid drop that turned a front-row start into fifth on the grid. Team principal Fred Vasseur admitted: “We told him [Piastri was coming], but far too late. If there is a mistake, it’s our mistake.”
The race itself saw Lando Norris dominate from pole to flag, winning by 15 seconds over Max Verstappen with Antonelli completing the podium. Hamilton spent the closing stages chasing Antonelli on softer rubber but was unable to pass before the pitlane penalty sealed his fate to behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton has now picked up penalties at three straight race weekends – jumping the start at Silverstone, making contact with George Russell at Spa, and the pitlane violation in Hungary – a run of incidents the seven-time champion knows cannot continue.
“The last three races for me have not been great,” he told Sky Sports F1. “Lots of mistakes, my mistake at Silverstone that cost dearly, and then obviously the last race as well. So, yeah, and then this weekend. So, a lot of penalties in the last three races, so I’ve got to work hard to not give them any opportunities to give me any penalties.”
Whether the optimism holds is the real question heading into the summer break. Antonelli’s championship lead now stands at 50 points – roughly two race wins – with 11 of 22 rounds complete. Hamilton’s requires clean weekends if he wants to climb ahead of the young Italian, and Hungary was not that.
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The Hungarian Grand Prix race showed Hamilton crossing the line fourth before a five-second penalty for exceeding pit lane speed limits under the virtual safetycar dropped him behind teammate Charles Leclerc. That penalty was compounded by what Hamilton described as a pit strategy call he had no time to push back on.
The Pit Stop That Changed Hamilton’s Race
In his post-race interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton identified where he felt the afternoon slipped away. “I definitely don’t think we should have taken the stop,” he said. “But the call came literally just before the pit lane entry and I didn’t have time to debate. And you’ve got to trust that there’s a decision that’s been taken, but in hindsight, my tyres were turning fine and I was probably going to lose out to Max, but I think I could have kept third at least. And then yeah, just opened up the door to all the penalties after that.”
It wasn’t the only moment this weekend where Ferrari’s timing cost Hamilton. In qualifying, the team notified him about Oscar Piastri‘s approaching car too late to act, earning him a three-place grid drop that turned a front-row start into fifth on the grid. Team principal Fred Vasseur admitted: “We told him [Piastri was coming], but far too late. If there is a mistake, it’s our mistake.”
The race itself saw Lando Norris dominate from pole to flag, winning by 15 seconds over Max Verstappen with Antonelli completing the podium. Hamilton spent the closing stages chasing Antonelli on softer rubber but was unable to pass before the pitlane penalty sealed his fate to behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton’s View on the Second Half of the Season
Hamilton has now picked up penalties at three straight race weekends – jumping the start at Silverstone, making contact with George Russell at Spa, and the pitlane violation in Hungary – a run of incidents the seven-time champion knows cannot continue.
“The last three races for me have not been great,” he told Sky Sports F1. “Lots of mistakes, my mistake at Silverstone that cost dearly, and then obviously the last race as well. So, yeah, and then this weekend. So, a lot of penalties in the last three races, so I’ve got to work hard to not give them any opportunities to give me any penalties.”
Whether the optimism holds is the real question heading into the summer break. Antonelli’s championship lead now stands at 50 points – roughly two race wins – with 11 of 22 rounds complete. Hamilton’s requires clean weekends if he wants to climb ahead of the young Italian, and Hungary was not that.
Continue reading...
