Oscar Piastri Wins Maiden F1 Grand Prix in Hungary as McLaren Faces Intense Race Drama

Oscar Piastri secured his first Formula One Grand Prix victory on Sunday, though it wasn’t quite the scenario he might have envisioned.

The McLaren driver started from second position and quickly took the lead in the Hungarian Grand Prix from his teammate, Lando Norris. Piastri seemed poised to win after a strong drive. However, Norris pitted for his second stop earlier than Piastri, gaining the advantage and moving ahead after Piastri's pit stop three laps later.

McLaren's strategy was to let Piastri overtake Norris with fresher tires, but Piastri couldn’t close the gap. Norris initially resisted team orders to let Piastri pass, given his pace advantage in the final stages. McLaren nearly faced an intra-team conflict, which might have been avoided by pitting Piastri first. Ultimately, Norris relented and let Piastri through on lap 68 of 70, giving McLaren its first one-two finish since 2021.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished in third place, achieving a record-extending 200th career podium. Despite a somewhat muted celebration, Piastri celebrated a significant career milestone.

“This is very special,” said the 23-year-old. “It's a dream come true to stand on the top step of an F1 podium. The end was complicated, but I put myself in the right position, and I’m grateful to the team for their amazing car.”

Piastri, who previously won a sprint race in Qatar, marked his first official Grand Prix win on Sunday. He is the fifth Australian to achieve this and the first driver born in the 2000s to win a race. Although he admitted feeling nervous in the final laps and lamented his lack of pace, he praised the team’s execution.

Norris, who lost the lead after starting on pole position, eventually had to concede to Piastri. His race engineer, Will Joseph, repeatedly urged him to let Piastri pass, which Norris did reluctantly. Norris acknowledged the difficulty of the situation but understood the team’s perspective.

Norris, who earlier won his first Grand Prix in Miami, also closed the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen. Verstappen, involved in one of the race's most dramatic moments, made contact with Hamilton while fighting for third. After several heated radio exchanges and expressing frustration over his team’s strategy, Verstappen finished fifth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen stated post-race that he felt no need to apologize for his outburst, emphasizing the importance of focusing on improvements.

The Formula One season moves on to Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.