Lewis Hamilton hit with major penalty before Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has been handed a three-place grid penalty ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Lando Norris pipped his compatriot to pole in Hungary and will start tomorrow’s Hungarian Grand Prix from the front of the grid for the first time in 2026, beating the Ferrari driver by just 0.012 seconds on the final lap.

Hamilton has previously taken pole at the Hungaroring on nine occasions but could not make it 10.

His team-mate Charles Leclerc finished third, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli completed the top four, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in fifth.

And it was Piastri who was involved in an incident with Hamilton at Turn One. Hamilton faced an investigation after qualifying for impeding Piastri near the end of the session.

The Australian later appeared frustrated as he gestured towards the Brit.

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Both drivers were summoned to the stewards alongside team representatives, with Hamilton suggesting he was told of Piastri’s approach too late.

“I was told literally when he was at the apex behind me, so I had no idea he was coming,” Hamilton told PlanetF1.com.

“Everyone came out behind me. I was the first out, so I thought everyone had finished their lap.

“I think Charles was the car that was behind me when I left the pit lane, as far as I was aware.

“Crazy because it’d been [a] clean [session] and obviously it wasn’t intentional.”

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also admitted they made a mistake before the impeding incident.

He said: “We told him, but far too late. If there's a mistake, it's our mistake.”

Hamilton handed three-place penalty for Hungarian GP

Later on Saturday (July 25), it emerged that Hamilton had been handed a three-place grid penalty, meaning he will start tomorrow’s race in fifth rather than second.

Leclerc, Antonelli and Piastri have been promoted one place on the grid.

A statement from the FIA read: "The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton), the driver of Car 81 (Oscar Piastri), team representatives and reviewed video, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence.

"At the approach to Turn 1, Car 44 was travelling at a significantly reduced speed on the racing line while Car 81 was approaching on a push lap.

"The driver of Car 44 explained that he had just completed a fast lap and did not receive the team's radio message regarding the approaching Car 81 until the latter was already in close proximity. He further stated that, due to the positioning of his car on the track, Car 81 was not visible in his mirrors.

"Car 81, which was on a push lap, was forced to take avoiding action by running wide and being obliged to abort the lap.

"Having examined the available evidence, the Stewards determined that Car 44 unnecessarily impeded Car 81 during Qualifying.

"In accordance with the FIA F1 Regulations and the established penalty guidelines for this type of infringement in Qualifying, the Stewards impose a three-place grid penalty on the driver of Car 44."

Revised Hungarian GP grid top 10

1) Lando Norris, McLaren

2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

3) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

4) Oscar Piastri, McLaren

5) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

6) Max Verstappen, Red Bull

7) George Russell, Mercedes

8) Isack Hadjar, Red Bull

9) Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

10) Nico Hulkenberg, Audi