Race recap: Drama in Hungary with controversial McLaren one-two, while old rivals clash
23 July 2024Following on from a sensational race in Silverstone, the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix served up more drama than we've seen in most races this season. Starting from the top, McLaren proved it's a worthy challenger with a controversial one-two finish that saw Piastri lead Norris under team orders, while Hamilton overcame a clash with old rival Max Verstappen to secure his 200th podium in Formula One. As the series heads into the final round before the summer break in Spa, here are all the highlights and what we learned in Hungary.
Piastri claims controversial maiden win with Norris ordered into second
"It's tough, but I know what Oscar's done for me in the past," said a dejected-looking Lando Norris after allowing his teammate Oscar Piastri to pass him in the final laps of the race. "I think this is a little bit different but, yeah, at the same time I got told to let him past and I did. It's always tough when you're fighting for a win, and a win means so much to me and also to him."
For Piastri, the Australian scored his maiden victory in Formula One but only after the team ordered Norris to step aside, repeatedly. The Brit had started the race on Pole but was beaten off the line by Piastri, who built a steady lead while Norris settled for second during the first phase of the race.
After the team chose to pit Norris first, Piastri lost out on the lead, prompting calls from the team for the drivers to "re-establish the order." After a lengthy wait and a few refusals from Norris, the Brit eventually gave way, letting his teammate by and handing the 23-year-old his first Formula One race win.
"I just had to try put myself in his shoes and understand it that way," said Norris after the race. "Every driver's selfish and you have to be selfish in this game but, when you're just thinking of your own benefits, you're only thinking of the good things. But of course, I put myself in his shoes and I realised I had to do what was right."
While the win for Piastri was slightly overshadowed by the drivers' dispute, the young Australian has proved he's more than capable of keeping up with his more experienced teammate.
Hamilton claims 200th podium
Eight-time winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton headed home from Hungary after hitting the 200-podium mark in his F1 career, while securing the marque's fifth consecutive podium of the season.
Despite starting fifth, the Brit finished third overall, overcoming a clash with one of his greatest rivals Max Verstappen in the final laps of the race. With 200 podiums to his name, he extends his record as the driver with the most podium visits in history, further distancing himself from Michael Schumacher's previous record of 155.
"It was very, very tough to hold on, make those tyres last, and obviously the close battle we had at the end was a bit hair-raising but that's motor racing. I'm really happy and grateful for the points. Big thanks to the team," said Hamilton after the race.
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On the other side of the Mercedes garage, Hamilton's teammate George Russell did well to recover from a challenging qualifying session, which handed him a P17 start on the grid. Working hard, the Brit weaved his way through the pack to ultimately end the race in eighth place.
Titans Hamilton and Verstappen clash (again)
From lap 35 onwards, the two giants of Formula One battled it out for the final place on the podium but it was on lap 63 - just seven laps from the end - when the two drivers collided dramatically.
With shades of Silverstone 2021 about it, Verstappen lunged down the inside of the Mercedes into Turn 1, where he made contact with Hamilton, catapulting the rear of his car into the air and off the track. Unable to recover his position, a furious Verstappen finished fifth, two places behind the Brit, who rounded off the podium.
"I saw him coming from a long way back and he was able to brake a lot later than me. But he sent it up the inside, I stayed still, and he clipped the wheel and went over, so I think a racing incident," said Hamilton after the race.
But the Red Bull driver was less composed on the day, claiming Hamilton's moving under braking was the cause for their collision.
"I went for a move that was fully on," insisted Verstappen, "but then in the middle of the braking zone, when I'm already committed of course to the move, he suddenly just keeps [moving] right, and if I wouldn't have turned while braking straight, I would have made contact with him. So I went in the air.
"I feel like now it was not on the initial move but afterwards, during the braking zone [Lewis] keeps turning right – you cannot do that when someone's committed to the inside.
"That's why I locked up, because otherwise we would have collided anyway, because he would have just turned in on me."
Fury and frustration for Verstappen
Hungary proved to be a long and arduous afternoon for the reigning champion as almost every other word he spat over the radio was bleeped out by broadcasters.
After seeing the Dutchman come under increasing pressure this year, his fury boiled over in Budapest, at one point biting back at his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase for chiding his irresponsible racing style. "don't give me this s*** – you guys gave me this s*** strategy, okay? I'm trying to rescue what's left."
After the race, Verstappen's frustration continued, admitting the once dominant team was lagging behind McLaren. "We need to work. I mean, it's not like suddenly next weekend [in Spa] we can have new upgrades on the car, so yeah, it is a problem.
"We know that we're lacking compared to McLaren and it's of course not nice, but we have to analyse our stuff, how we can improve our overall package currently. But I don't think that's something very easily done, you know? We'll see next week how it will evolve, but at the moment, I think race pace, qualifying pace – we are behind [McLaren]."
Asked if he planned to apologise to his team for his irate radio messages, Verstappen responded firmly: "I don't think we need to apologise. We just need to do a better job. I don't know why people think that you cannot be vocal on the radio. This is a sport, you know? If some people don't like that, then stay home."
