Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of winning the Hungarian Grand Prix have been dealt a major blow after he received three-place grid penalty.
The seven-time world champion was denied what would have been a 10th pole position at the Hungaroring by just 0.012 seconds, as he was pipped to the finish line by Lando Norris in qualifying.
Penalised
Immediately after appearing to secure a place on the front row in Bupdaest, Hamilton was placed under investigation.
The Ferrari driver was accused of potentially impeding McClaren’s Oscar Piastri at Turn One in Q3.
Replays showed that, after Hamilton had completed his final attempt to improve, he slowed down around a long right-hander corner while the McLaren driver zoomed up to the back of him.
This forced Piastri to slow down, something Hamilton acknowledged in his post-qualifying interview.
He admitted he was going over the incident in his mind to figure out whether he had got in the way of another driver.
The 41-year-old said afterwards: “Ultimately, yeah, we were quickest throughout qualifying so it definitely got away from us.
“I think my mind is just elsewhere just this second because once I finished my lap I don’t know if I got in the way of someone.
“So I’m trying to just run that through my mind because I wasn’t aware anyone was coming.”
And Hamilton has now been handed a hefty punishment for his actions, receiving a three-place grid penalty.
This means he will start Sunday’s race in fifth place, rather than the second-place position he initially appeared to have secured.
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Hamilton will now face an uphill battle to clinch his ninth Hungarian Grand Prix win, where he is the most successful driver.
Stewards hand down official verdict
“At the approach to Turn 1, Car 44 (Hamilton) was travelling at a significantly reduced speed on the racing line while Car 81 was approaching on a push lap,” the stewards said.
“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.”
Immortalised
Before being dealt a huge blow in qualifying, Hamilton had been paid the ultimate tribute ahead of the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix.
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To mark the 40th anniversary of the Budapest race, the F1 legend had a corner of the Hungaroring track named after him.
This was decided by a vote from fans and a panel of experts, who chose to dedicate Turn Two of the track to Hamilton.
He wasn’t the only F1 hero to be immortalised, with Nigel Mansell and Jean Alesi also having corners named in their honour.
All three drivers have left their handprints, which will be cast in concrete and permanently installed in the circuit’s run-off area as part of the anniversary commemorations.
Other F1 royalty has also been honoured at the Grand Prix, with the late Ayrton Senna having a designated corner at Turn 13.
Meanwhile Michael Schumacher, who secured his fourth world title at the circuit in 2001, is commemorated at Turn 12.
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Hamilton now faces an uphill task to repay fans for their decision to immortalise him, as he looks to bounce back from his grid penalty.
The is Hamilton’s second most successful track overall, having won the Hungarian GP eight times, the last of which came in 2020 – one shy of his home race at Silverstone.
However, last year he finished a dire 12th, which was his first non-point-scoring finish since his blockbuster switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in the winter of 2024.
