Hamilton, Antonelli receive grid penalties for Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli have been issued grid penalties for the Hungarian Grand Prix, altering the starting order for Sunday’s race. These penalties were imposed following incidents during qualifying sessions.
Lando Norris of McLaren secured pole position after topping the qualifying session. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, will now start in third place. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari moves up to second on the grid, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will begin the race from fourth.
Hamilton’s penalty and team response
Ferrari’s Hamilton received a three-place grid demotion. This penalty was for impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the conclusion of Q3. The incident occurred as Hamilton slowed down after completing his final lap, appearing to block Piastri through Turn One as Piastri began his timed attempt.
Stewards reviewed video, telemetry, team radio, and in-car video evidence before determining that Hamilton had unnecessarily impeded Piastri. Hamilton explained that he had just finished a fast lap and did not receive his team’s radio message regarding Piastri’s approach until it was too late. He also stated that Piastri’s car was not visible in his mirrors due to his car’s positioning on the track.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur took responsibility for the incident, stating that any blame lay with the team, not Hamilton. Vasseur indicated that the warning to Hamilton about Piastri was delivered “far too late.” Hamilton himself expressed surprise, noting he thought everyone had finished their laps as he was the first out.
The penalty means Hamilton, who had been fastest on the first runs by just over 0.1 seconds from Norris, will now start fifth on the grid. He was a second slower on his second run compared to his first and expressed dissatisfaction about being sent out first for that run, stating he “didn’t deliver” despite having “the car to be on pole.”
Antonelli’s penalty and altered grid
World championship leader Kimi Antonelli also received a three-place grid penalty. This was for failing to slow sufficiently for yellow flags after Max Verstappen spun at the final corner. Antonelli, who originally qualified fourth, will now start seventh, behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who starts sixth.
The stewards concluded that Antonelli did not slow down enough under the single yellow flags. Antonelli commented on the situation, stating that while P3 was potentially achievable, the car felt more “alive” in Q3 after some adjustments. He acknowledged the yellow flags were a “shame” but a part of racing.
The revised top 10 grid positions for the race after the penalties are:
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
Verstappen’s spin also affected Russell, who was forced to slow. Russell later experienced a water leak on his final run, which sprayed water onto his rear tyres, leading him to pull over immediately after crossing the line to avoid engine damage.
Alonso’s progress and track conditions
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin made a significant advancement, progressing out of the first qualifying session for the first time this season. This occurred on the weekend Aston Martin introduced a virtually new car. Alonso will start 16th, 2.8 seconds off pole position, a relative pace two seconds faster than the team had managed for some time.
The veteran Spaniard expressed relief and optimism, feeling that the team had understood the car’s weaknesses and was moving in the right direction. He noted that while previous updates earlier in the season had not been effective, there is now a change in optimism within the factory.
Drivers encountered challenging track conditions at the Hungaroring, with the surface breaking up, particularly in the final two corners. Norris specifically mentioned the difficulty in judging the grip level in those sections. The Hungarian Grand Prix race is scheduled for 2pm on Sunday, July 26, with build-up starting at 12:30pm.
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Source: skysports.com
