Lando Norris fumes after McLaren team orders allow Oscar Piastri to win Hungarian Grand Prix
By Phil Duncan, at the Hungaroring
A furious Lando Norris was forced to give up the second Formula One victory of his career after he followed a McLaren team order to allow Oscar Piastri to win a controversial Hungarian Grand Prix.
A mediocre getaway from pole position at the Hungaroring saw Norris drop behind team-mate Piastri as well as Max Verstappen, who was forced to give back second place after passing off the track.
But Norris was handed an inadvertent lifeline by McLaren when they pulled him in for his second tyre change two laps earlier than his team-mate in order to protect second place from Lewis Hamilton, who had already pitted and was closing in on the undercut. The decision propelled Norris into the lead, and he held a five-second advantage over Piastri as the Australian was assured McLaren would “manage the situation”.
However, the Englishman faced a barrage of orders from his race engineer, Will Joseph, to give the place back to Piastri despite Norris’s pursuit of Verstappen for the world championship. Norris slowed down on the main straight with three laps remaining to allow Piastri to take the lead.
McLaren's team radio towards the end of a hectic Hungarian Grand Prix 📻 pic.twitter.com/mufwTRjwLz
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024
Earlier in the race Hamilton had collided with Verstappen on lap 63 of 70 as they duelled for third place with Mercedes accusing the Dutchman of “arriving out of control”.
Max and Lewis collide! 💥
What is going on in this race? 👀 pic.twitter.com/V2vcBUqS3c— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024
Norris could, and probably should, have arrived in Hungary with four consecutive victories under his belt, but for mistakes by driver and team. But he also admitted he craved a clean start that would have allowed him to control Sunday’s 70-lap affair.
Unfortunately for him, that failed to materialise. Norris complained of a failure with his throttle on his drive to the grid and his mechanics scrambled to resolve the problem in the minutes leading up to the race.
Norris was strapped in for the start but when the five lights went out he fell down the order. He aggressively swooped over to his right to defend from Piastri, allowing Verstappen to assume the racing line unchallenged. As the trio slammed on the brakes for the first corner, the were line astern with Piastri taking the apex and the lead while Verstappen ran off the track.
He came back on in second place and Norris was frantically on the radio demanding the stewards take action. The incident was soon under investigation and Verstappen was advised by his Red Bull team to give the place back to Norris, which he duly did on lap four.
Norris and Piastri pitted for new tyres on lap 17 and lap 18 respectively while Verstappen, bemoaning the handling of his machine, was left out on lap 21, demoting him to fourth behind Hamilton. On lap 35, Verstappen attempted to move back ahead of Hamilton but he ran off the road. “The thing just doesn’t f------- turn,” Verstappen said. “It is unbelievable.”
Norris headed into Sunday’s race 84 points behind Verstappen and a win would have allowed him to take a sizeable chunk out of the Dutchman’s lead. He was called in for his second pit stop on lap 45, to cover off Hamilton, while Piastri stopped two laps later. When it all shook out, Norris emerged at the head of the field before he was told to “re-establish the order” by the McLaren pit wall.
At one stage, it looked certain that Norris would ignore the order, before Joseph pleaded with him to trade positions on numerous occasions. “We know you will do the right thing,” said Joseph before he added: “The way to win a world championship is with a team and you are going to need Oscar and you are going to need the team.” Joseph added: “You have proved your point.”
Norris slowed down on lap 68 with Piastri moving ahead as McLaren landed their first one-two finish in nearly three years. “The team asked me to do it, so I did it and that is it,” Norris said afterwards.
Piastri takes maiden win after McLaren radio wars: as it happened
04:08 PM BST
More from Stella
I don’t know any race driver that when he is leading a race that would be happy to [give up the lead]. I would be extremely worried, you would hear me extremely concerned if Lando would say so. It’s true, that for a driver if we want to be competitive in the championship... he will need the support of Oscar, he will need the support of the team.
04:07 PM BST
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella speaks to Sky Sports F1
I think there was a little bit more than that single comment and message from Will [Verstappen’s race engineer], there is an entire approach to our racing - team and drivers. None of us can go alone. That’s the message that we discuss on Sunday morning. With race drivers you need to refresh this message, that’s why we have this meeting every Sunday and we are extremely pleased with how our drivers are supporting McLaren and for me that’s the news today. The message is that there’s 1-2 in qualifying and 1-2 in the race.
04:05 PM BST
Udpated constructor standings
McLaren now up into second ahead of Ferrari with just 51 points in it at the very top.
Red Bull, 389pts
McLaren, 338pts
Ferrari, 322pts
Mercedes, 241pts
Aston Martin, 69pts
RB, 33pts
Haas, 27pts
Alpine, 9pts
Williams, 4pts
Sauber, 0pts
04:03 PM BST
Updated driver standings
Verstappen, 265pts
Norris, 189pts
Leclerc, 162pts
Sainz, 154pts
Piastri, 149pts
Hamilton, 125pts
Perez, 124pts
Russell, 116pts
Fernando Alonso, 45pts
Lance Stroll, 24pts
The gap down to 76 points but that would have been 69 had Norris won. Verstappen might also lose fifth and with it two points if he gets a penalty for the Hamilton collision (which he should do, really).
04:00 PM BST
The first time we have heard the Australian national anthem on the podium since...
...McLaren’s last one-two finish, when Daniel Ricciardo led home team-mate Lando Norris.
03:58 PM BST
Damon Hill gives his take
The issue is not what was agreed before the race. The issue is that people pay to see a race. Not a display. It always leaves a bad taste. But in the next few hours, weeks, years, people will debate the rights and wrongs of this kind of thing. But remember Austria 2002. #f1
— Damon Hill (@HillF1) July 21, 2024
03:54 PM BST
Race winner Oscar Piastri speaks
This is really the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of an F1 podium. Obviously a bit complicated at the end but thank you to the team for an amazing effort and an amazing car. It’s a hell of a lot of fun racing with McLaren. It’s a beast at the moment, it’s fast in every condition. I think today we had it under control completely and what an amazing feeling to be able to secure the car with a 1-2 like that.
On the team order situation:
The longer you leave it the more you get a bit nervous. It was well executed by the tam and I think it was the right thing. With the different strategy we had yes my pace was not as quick as I would have liked in the last stint.
03:52 PM BST
Norris speaks
An amazing day for us as a team, that’s the main thing. I think a long way clear of the rest so we did it in style. Of course to Oscar, he got me off the line and controlled the race well.
On the Piastri incident:
The team asked me to do it, so I did it. Yeah...
Rowing back a bit on what he was saying in the car, then. I guess that makes sense and he probably knows his mistake as frustrated as he probably still is.
03:50 PM BST
Lewis Hamilton speaks after his podium
Yeah, congratulations to McLaren on the 1-2, that’s my old original family. For us today, the team has done a great job to continue on with pushing this car. Ultimately we didn’t have the pace of the McLarens or the Red Bull... the close battle we had at the end was a bit hair-raising but that’s motor racing.
On the Verstappen battle:
It’s not nerve-wracking. When you see the pace at which they close the gap in certain corners you just laugh to yourself. I saw him coming from a long way back and he was able to brake a lot later than me. He sent it up the inside... I stayed straight and he clipped the wheel. I think a racing incident.
He also has a word of praise and congratulations for race-winner Oscar Piastri.
03:48 PM BST
Hopefully on reflection...
Lando Norris will know that he made the right decision. He is congratulated by Lando Norris, who is cheekily grinning.
Smile if you're a 2024 Grand Prix winner 🥰#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/jcKAA5Z8fz
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024
I think, as Will Joseph said, Norris made his point that he, on balance was probably the faster driver but he did benefit by an unusual undercut that McLaren made so they could guarantee a 1-2. It’s another win that was so close, though, and the frustration is understandable. He could have taken more points out of Verstappen.
03:46 PM BST
200 podiums in F1 for Lewis Hamilton
He’s driving well in a competitive Mercedes today. Renewed his battle with Verstappen today during which the Dutchman did not exactly cover himself in glory.
HE LOVES BUDAPEST! IT'S P3 FOR LEWIS HAMILTON AT THE HUNGARIAN GP - HIS 200TH F1 PODIUM FINISH pic.twitter.com/RHbd13IjQO
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 21, 2024
03:44 PM BST
Hungarian GP: Top 10
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
Sergio Perez, Red Bull
George Russell, Mercedes
Yuki Tsunoda, RB
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
03:43 PM BST
OSCAR PIASTRI WINS THE 2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX!
Great drive. McLaren made a bit of a mess of it, to be honest but a dominant 1-2.
Piastri follows the likes of Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Damon Hill, Esteban Ocon and... Heikki Kovalainen in taking his first grand prix victory in Hungary.
“Thanks for the co-ordination. Sorry I made the swap a little more painful than it needed to be but thanks.”
03:41 PM BST
FINAL LAP
Norris does not have DRS on Piastri on the pit straight so it is going to take a mistake from Piastri. He made one before and that was partly what caused the problem in the first place. Without it he was outside of the undercut range.
Anyway, what a dominant showing from McLaren today. Verstappen is in fifth and may well slip down to sixth after a penalty.
03:40 PM BST
Lap 69 of 70 - Norris has DRS on Piastri
But can he make it count? He is probably going to have one more attempt, assuming nothing strange happens in the next 20 or so corners...
03:39 PM BST
Lap 68 of 70 - Norris isn’t going to give this one up I feel
Will he come again?
03:38 PM BST
Lap 67 of 70 - Norris is slowing down on the straight...
... is he going to do it? Yes he is. He loses five seconds on the straight and Oscar Piastri takes the lead.
“Yeah, you don’t need to say anything,” Norris says after he does it, following the team order.
Can he fight back in the final couple of laps?
03:37 PM BST
Watch: Hamilton and Verstappen collide at turn one
Max HITS Lewis! 💥
What is going on in this race? 👀 pic.twitter.com/C1zIjTkLfT— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024
03:36 PM BST
Lap 66 of 70 - Piastri speaks
“The longer we leave this, the riskier it gets,” he says. He’s not wrong. They are dominating the opposition here today but what will the mood be after the race?
03:35 PM BST
Lap 65 of 70 - Top six and gaps
NOR
PIA +6.0
HAM +10.4
LEC +23.9
VER +25.7
SAI +26.8
More words to Norris.
“The way to win a championship is not by yourself. You are going to need Oscar, and you are going to need your team.”
03:34 PM BST
Lap 64 of 70 - Another grumpy exchange between Verstappen and his race engineer
Verstappen thinks he moved under braking but Gianpiero Lambiase says he does not even want to get into a discussion about it on the radio, calling it “childish”. “Let the stewards do their thing”.
Meanwhile, Norris leads Piastri by 5.8sec and clearly has absolutely no intention of giving up the lead to his team-mate. McLaren are going to take a terrific one-two but it is going to have a bitter aftertaste.
03:33 PM BST
Lap 63 of 70 - Verstappen and Hamilton collide!
Verstappen goes deep up the inside and locks up with the two cars coming together as Verstappen tries depserately to slow his car down. Hamilton’s front right against Hamilton’s rear left. The car jumps and he’s lucky not to go into the barrier. That should be a penalty for Verstappen, who has been noted.
Norris is told again:
“He can’t catch you up, you’ve proved your point and it really doesn’t matter,” he is told.
03:31 PM BST
Lap 62 of 70 - Forget the battle for the lead
It’s Hamilton vs Verstappen again as the former runs the latter wide at turn two and three. No love lost there.
Verstappen complains. Again.
03:30 PM BST
Lap 61 of 70 - Piastri loses more time
4.8sec the gap is now. Verstappen not in contention now so it is just which order the two orange cars finish in.
03:29 PM BST
Lap 60 of 70 - Norris has more chatter in his ear
He is told that both cars are using too much tyre life.
“Just remember every single Sunday morning meeting we have,” he says.
“Yeah, well tell him to catch up then please,” comes the response.
03:27 PM BST
Lap 59 of 70 - Norris not really responding to his team again, it seems
Norris has a few backmarkers to get past so Piastri might be able to gain some ground. You do also have to point out that Piastri made a mistake and lost a few seconds to Norris. Had he not done that then McLaren wouldn’t have this problem.
Verstappen 1.4sec behind Hamilton for that final podium position.
03:26 PM BST
Lap 58 of 70 - Top six and gaps
NOR
PIA +4.1
HAM +13.5
VER +15.4
LEC +17.5
SAI +20.3
Norris is told that the team are very “stressed” about the tyre life. But he is lapping pretty quickly now. And his lead continues to extend.
03:24 PM BST
Lap 57 of 70 - Verstappen finally gets Leclerc for fourth
Hamilton is two seconds further up the road and 14sec the gap is to the leader Norris. Norris is again told he is using too much tyre life.
“I know you’ll do the right thing,” Norris is told from race engineer Will Joseph.
This could turn out to be a bit of a mess but Norris does have a point, having squandered race-winning positions in the last few races.
03:23 PM BST
Lap 56 of 70 - I am not sure Piastri currently has the pace...
...to get right on the back of Norris as it stands. If he does, will Norris give the spot back? It doesn’t seem like it.
Hamilton is a further nine seconds behind Piastri and in third.
03:22 PM BST
Lap 55 of 70 - Norris isn’t going to give the place back to Piastri, it seems
He is told to save tyres and that they want to let Oscar past. “Well, you should have boxed him first, then,” he says. “It doesn’t matter,” comes the response. “It does... to me,” is Norris’s sign-off.
Oof.
3.4sec the gap is between Norris in the lead and Piastri in second.
03:20 PM BST
Lap 54 of 70 - Verstappen right on the back of Leclerc for fourth
He isn’t past yet, though.
03:20 PM BST
Lap 53 of 70 - Norris leads Piastri by 3.5sec
This was the exchange on the radio a few laps ago between LN and his race engineer.
Team: “Lando, radio check please.”
Norris: “Yes, loud and clear.”
Team: “OK, save the tyres in turn four and turn 11 then please.”
03:19 PM BST
Lap 52 of 70 - Into the final stint
Verstappen, having stopped later, has fresher tyres than the two McLarens as well as Hamilton ahead in third.
Norris’s strategy now is to remain clear enough of Piastri so that he will not be forced to give the place back.
Verstappen could end up in the fight for victory here but he needs to clear Leclerc and then Hamilton.
Verstappen has more effin’ and jeffin’ on the radio about taking too much out of the tyres, complaining about a poor strategy.
03:16 PM BST
Lap 51 of 70 - Some interesting comms from McLaren
Piastri is told Norris will give him the place “once” he gets to him. They do not want Norris to give up too much race time. Have they engineered an avoidable situation here just so they can absolutely guarantee a 1-2 finish? How close does Piastri have to be for Norris to hand the place back? Within DRS range? Within 1.5sec? Within touching distance.
This is a nice headache to have for McLaren but it is still a headache.
03:14 PM BST
Lap 50 of 70 - Piastri sets his fastest lap of the race
But it’s slower than Norris’s so 3.6sec is the gap between leader Norris - who has been told to hand back the lead at his convenience - and his team-mate Piastri in second.
03:13 PM BST
Lap 49 of 70 - Top six and gaps
VER
NOR +5.6
PIA +9.0
HAM +13.0
LEC +14.2
SAI +26.8
This changes when Verstappen pits. 2.3sec this time in the box, which is not too bad.
03:12 PM BST
Lap 48 of 70 - 2.7sec is the gap between Norris and Piastri
That will be the last stop of the race all things being normal. Norris has been told to “re-establish the order at your convenience”. Piastri then runs a bit wide, kicking up bit of dust if not gravel. Will he do so? And when and where? And that, obviously, does not mean it is the deal done for McLaren, even if he does.
03:10 PM BST
Lap 47 of 70 - Where will Piastri come out?
Well, behind Norris but by how much?
03:09 PM BST
Lap 46 of 70 - McLaren on the radio to race leader OP
Lando pitted to “cover Hamilton” and they will “manage that situation” they tell Piastri. That means, I assume, they can switch positions at some point. Does that work, though, if Norris is then right on the back of his team-mate? I don’t know. Norris is clearly pushing now on his out lap, having set the fastest second and third sectors on his out-lap.
In comes leader Piastri. Norris will have the lead after this so let’s see how McLaren manage this.
03:07 PM BST
Lap 45 of 70 - Norris is coming into the pits
That is an interesting move for McLaren, giving the man behind the potential for an undercut... the gap was two seconds as he moves onto the medium tyres.
03:05 PM BST
Lap 44 of 70 - Forget what I say about Verstappen being out of contention
He is now lapping 0.7sec or so faster than the leaders and is putting himself back in contention, albeit with eight seconds to make up to get onto the rear of Norris.
03:03 PM BST
Lap 43 of 70 - Full race order
PIA
NOR
VER
SAI
HAM
LEC
PER
RUS
STR
TSU
ALO
BOT
RIC
HUL
ALB
MAG
OCO
SAR
ZHO
OUT: GAS
03:03 PM BST
Lap 42 of 70 - Mad Max
He is on the radio again, having finally overtaken Hamilton, albeit by the Mercedes man coming into the pits.
It’s quite impressive how we let ourselves get undercut and just completely ---- my race.
03:02 PM BST
Lap 41 of 70 - We finally see a replay of Piastri running wide at turn 10
That explains some of the deficit. Not sure it lost him two seconds but there we go. He is now 1.9sec ahead.
03:00 PM BST
Lap 40 of 70 - Piastri has settled down a bit
He extends his lead to 1.6sec. We haven’t seen much of that battle on our screens for a while, which is odd as it was so close and for the lead. Hamilton finally stops.
02:59 PM BST
Lap 39 of 70 - Norris told “OK to race”
“But still the mid-40s.” Not sure what that means. No word on how Piastri lost three seconds nearly over two laps, mind you. Or any replay. McLaren can’t surely throw this one away can they? Well, if they took each other out... that won’t happen though.
02:58 PM BST
Lap 38 of 70 - Hamilton and Verstappen’s battle resumes
It is hard to overtake here, however much Hamilton is struggling with his tyres. I think this pretty much rules Verstappen out of contention for the victory here, barring anything strange.
This was Verstappen’s latest tirade on the radio:
“This thing just doesn’t f------ turn. It’s unbelievable.”
02:56 PM BST
Lap 37 of 70 - Piastri’s lead comes down still
Just 1.3sec now. They are about to approach backmarkers...
02:55 PM BST
Lap 36 of 70 - We could be about to have a battle for the lead
Piastri faster in sectors one and three but Norris takes a couple of tenths out of his team-mate on the last lap. Leclerc, in fifth, is closing up on the HAM-VER battle, just 2.5sec behind it.
02:54 PM BST
Lap 35 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps at half distance
PIA
NOR +1.6
HAM +8.0
VER +9.0
LEC +11.3
SAI +20.4
ALO +51.4
STR +53.6
PER +54.0
TSU +57.0
02:53 PM BST
Lap 34 of 70 - Piastri sets another slow lap
Norris was 0.6sec faster...
Meanwhile Verstappen makes a mess of overtaking Hamilton in the first part of the lap. Hamilton locked up at turn one, Verstapen got a better exit through two and went around the outside at three but too fast and ran wide as Hamilton took third back.
Lewis ⚔ Max pic.twitter.com/0ZBDnF63uL
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024
Norris is still eating into Piastri’s lead and fast... the gap down to 1.6sec.
02:51 PM BST
Lap 33 of 70 - A very slow lap for Piastri
He lost nearly two seconds to Norris. Did he lock up or run wide somewhere? He must have done. Verstappen, meanwhile, is right on the back of Hamilton for third.
Gasly told to retire the car from somewhere towards the back of the grid.
02:49 PM BST
Lap 32 of 70 - Piastri leads Norris by 4.4sec
Hamilton gets the rear end out at turn 12. Verstappen will eat him up in the next lap or so, I would suggest. The Red Bull will have DRS by the end of the lap.
02:47 PM BST
Lap 31 of 70 - When was McLaren’s last 1-2
Well, Italy 2021 when Daniel Ricciardo led home Lando Norris. Not sure that was a “true” 1-2 as they were not the fastest car that day. They are today.
02:45 PM BST
Lap 30 of 70 - Piastri leads by four seconds over Norris
Verstappen now within two seconds of Hamilton for third. Eight seconds off the lead, is Hamilton. Can’t imagine Hamilton will be too tricky a customer for Verstappen on current pace.
02:44 PM BST
Lap 29 of 70 - Leclerc, in fifth, sets the fastest lap
As Perez pits for the first time and comes out in 15th... a tricky race. It might come to him now but let’s see...
LAP 30/70
Perez pits! He's back out behind Bottas on a set of mediums. Meanwhile, team mate Verstappen is closing in on Hamilton 💪#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/MHkEUMVHcN— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024
02:43 PM BST
Lap 28 of 70 - Verstappen has pace to match the leaders currently
Albeit he is 10 seconds behind Piastri with Hamilton and Norris between them. I wouldn’t rule him out of contention for the win just yet though Piastri is yet to put a foot wrong.
02:42 PM BST
Lap 27 of 70 - Piastri leads Norris by 3.6sec
The Australian just set the fastest lap of the race, which added 0.4sec onto his lead.
Hamilton will be within the clutches of Verstappen in five or six laps at this rate, if not even sooner. Alonso on the charge as he gets Hulkenberg for 11th.
02:39 PM BST
Lap 26 of 70 - Hamilton’s pace is falling off a cliff
His last lap was nearly 0.8sec slower than Verstappen and the lead McLarens, too. Verstappen now only 4.7sec off Hamilton, which was about seven seconds when Verstappen came out after pitting.
02:38 PM BST
Lap 25 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps
PIA
NOR +3.1
HAM +5.5
VER +10.4
LEC +17.6
TSU +20.6
RUS +21.4
SAI +21.5
PER +24.5
GAS +34.9
02:37 PM BST
Lap 24 of 70 - Verstappen, indeed, sets the fastest lap
Hamilton’s last lap was not all that, nearly a second off Verstappen. Has Hamilton taken too much life out of those hard tyres early in the stint?
02:36 PM BST
Lap 23 of 70 - Hamilton is rapid at the moment
He is just 1.7sec behind Norris ahead. Verstappen’s pace looks good though so he may well end up coming into that fight in 10 or 15 laps.
Leclerc pits from the lead.
02:35 PM BST
Lap 22 of 70 - Leclerc assumes the race lead
But he has not stopped. What is Verstappen’s pace like on these tyres? Let’s see.
02:34 PM BST
Lap 21 of 70 - Leader Verstappen in the pits
Sainz for Ferrari, too, it seems. Verstapepen will surely come out behind Hamilton here, but by how much? Three second stop by Red Bull. Not up to their usual standards.
LAP 22/70
Verstappen stops - he's back out SEVEN SECONDS off Hamilton. Lewis is flying on the hard tyre, setting fastest lap after fastest lap#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/QhUyMdPdR5— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024
Verstappen comes out in fifth ahead of Tsunoda but 6.3sec behind Hamilton, albeit with tyres that are five laps fresher.
02:33 PM BST
Lap 20 of 70 - Norris has good pace
He is eating, slightly, into his team-mate’s advantage. He did have those tyres on a lap sooner so they will be in better shape currently. Let’s see what Piastri has in his pocket.
An interesting strategic tyre-offset battle in the offing here. Could we see Verstappen chasing down the leaders in the final laps? Well, maybe chasing down Hamilton for third... but let’s see.
Ferrari going for a one-stopper with Leclerc? Sounds like it.
02:31 PM BST
Lap 19 of 70 - It’s a good stop from McLaren
Piastri comes out clearly ahead of his Norris by about three seconds. So he has lost about half a second in all that, perhaps a bit more. Verstappen assumed the race lead but has not pitted. Leclerc and Sainz behind him likewise.
Hamilton currently the fastest man on track with a 1:23.350.
02:29 PM BST
Lap 18 of 70 - Verstappen not having a good time
I can’t brake, I can’t enter corners. Front and rear is really bad.
02:29 PM BST
Lap 17 of 70 - Norris stops from second
I don’t think he will have enough pace to undercut his team-mate, surely, he will likely be in this lap. Red Bull are keeping Verstappen out. Maybe they knew they would lose the place for certain and want to have fresher rubber at the end. It might have been their only choice.
02:27 PM BST
Lap 16 of 70 - Norris’s lap times are fine
Roughly matching that of his team-mate and a little faster than Verstappen, who is now nearly four seconds behind. He will want to keep extending that to cut off the risk of the undercut. Meanwhile, Mercedes pit Hamilton in the hope of undercutting Verstappen and I think he might have a good chance of doing that... surely Verstappen stops now?
02:25 PM BST
Lap 15 of 70 - A bit of field spread at the front
Piastri leads Norris by 3.3sec who leads Verstappen by 3.5sec who leads Hamilton by 1.1sec and Leclerc by 1.8sec. Actually the battle for third is looking interesting.
02:23 PM BST
Lap 14 of 70 - Top 10 update
PIA
NOR
VER
HAM
LEC
SAI
STR
TSU
BOT
RUS
02:23 PM BST
Lap 13 of 70 - Interesting message from McLaren
Norris is told his race is with Verstappen, not Piastri ahead. Well, “we believe” was the exact phrasing. Has he got problems?
02:21 PM BST
Lap 12 of 70 - Piastri looking calm in the lead so far
Verstappen has slipped back further from Norris, losing 0.4sec to him the last time. Hamilton nearly within DRS range of the lead Red Bull.
02:21 PM BST
Watch: Verstappen lets Norris through... under duress
Max lets Lando past, and he is NOT happy 😡 pic.twitter.com/jgME0G53E1
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024
02:20 PM BST
Lap 11 of 70 - And just as I say that...
Piastri takes 0.25sec out of Norris to extend his own lead to 3.2sec. The difference between the two McLaren drivers over the last couple of years has largely been in the race and that has been as a result of Norris’s better tyre management. That will be crucial today.
02:18 PM BST
Lap 10 of 70 - Piastri leads Norris by 2.6sec
The gap is fairly stable. Verstappen is losing a couple of tenths a lap to the two McLarens it seems, with Hamilton just 1.2sec further behind and in fourth.
02:16 PM BST
Lap 9 of 70 - The undercut working well
Magnussen jumps Ricciardo, having stopped a lap earlier and moving onto the hards.
MAG heads into the pits 👊
Soft ❌
Hard ✅#HaasF1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/rdWsOJ08uQ— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) July 21, 2024
02:15 PM BST
Lap 8 of 70 - Top six and gaps
PIA
NOR +2.6
VER +4.6
HAM +5.6
LEC +7.0
SAI +10.8
02:14 PM BST
Lap 7 of 70 - A few stoppers now
Alonso, who was on the soft tyres, and Ricciardo in the RB. Verstappen has dropped back out of DRS range from Norris. Russell now into the points. Perez in 12th albeit aided by those two stops.
02:12 PM BST
Lap 6 of 70 - Piastri leads Norris by 2.5sec
Verstappen a further second behind Norris. Looking back at the replay was it really a wise move for Norris to move over so extremely on his team-mate? Maybe, but I wonder if it cost him the lead.
02:09 PM BST
Watch: Piastri takes lead at start as Verstappen and Norris duel
IT'S LIGHTS OUT, AND AWAY WE GO IN HUNGARY 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
Oscar Piastri takes the lead! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/LiI3PwzEuq— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024
Verstappen says he was driven off the road and is chuntering to his team about the FIA’s decision over the team radio. He now has DRS on Norris.
“Ok, so you can just run people off the track now? You can tell the FIA that’s how we’re going to drive from now onwards...” he said.
02:09 PM BST
Lap 4 of 70 - Verstappen has been told to let Norris through
And he does that at turn two. He’s not happy with the decision but he goes along with it. Piastri is 2.7sec further up the road.
02:07 PM BST
Lap 3 of 70 - Top 10
PIA
VER
NOR
HAM
LEC
SAI
ALO
STR
ALB
MAG
02:06 PM BST
Lap 2 of 70 - Verstappen holds second
Piastri has 1.5sec or so up the road. Verstappen has been noted for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, which he surely did. He hasn’t given the place back but would lose 1.6sec at least if he had to give it back to Norris. But the penalty would be harsher were he not to.
02:05 PM BST
THE 2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO!
No throttle troubles for Norris who gets a good start but so does Piastri. Norris then focuses his attentions on moving over on his team-mate and squeezing him as he does but Piastri has the inside line and takes the lead at turn one! Norris and Verstappen run wide, Verstappen off the track but the Dutchman keeps his boot in and moves up to second ahead of Norris. Norris wants Verstappen to give that place back and he might well have to...
Verstappen ran off at Turn 1, Norris wants the place back 📻#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/2dzUstxlRN
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024
Hamilton fourth, Leclerc fifth and Alonso sixth. Not sure what happened to Sainz but he has dropped back. -
02:02 PM BST
Sounds like McLaren have fixed the throttle on Norris’s car
Good stuff. Doesn’t mean he will keep the lead, though we will find out very shortly.
02:01 PM BST
We are nearly ready to get going
The formation lap is under way...
The top six drivers are on medium tyres, both Aston Martins in seventh and eight are on the softs. A couple of drivers further down and out of position (Russell, Perez) on the hards. Albon and Magnussen on the softs.
01:58 PM BST
Your track for today
01:49 PM BST
Hungarian GP: Final starting grid
1. NOR 2. PIA
3. VER 4. SAI
5. HAM 6. LEC
7. ALO 8. STR
9. RIC 10. TSU
11. HUL 12. BOT
13. ALB 14. SAR
15. MAG 16. PER
17. RUS 18. ZHO
19. OCO
PIT LANE: GAS
01:47 PM BST
Problems for Norris?
He is on the radio to his team saying the throttle is not right. It appears his team are changing something on the start. Oh dear. You never want this and obviously even less when you are starting from pole.
"Just confirming, something's definitely not right with the throttle" 💬
Lando Norris pre-race radio 📻 pic.twitter.com/XdtxrgNgMa— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024
01:44 PM BST
Strategy chat from Pirelli
Looks to be a certain two-stopper. Good.
The #HungarianGP is a race where the classic two-stop is the clear favourite. On paper, the quickest option is to start on the Medium before then bringing in the Hard. Clearly, the number of available sets of these two harder compounds will determine the teams' decisions. pic.twitter.com/zrsSFDYPrD
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) July 21, 2024
01:36 PM BST
Paddy Lowe interview: I worked with Mansell, Hill and Hamilton, but another driver stood out the most
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with former Williams, McLaren and Mercedes man Paddy Lowe about his time in F1 and his new project, Zero Petroleum. As ever, hearing about his exploits with some of the most successful cars of F1 modern era was fascinating and was his insight into some of the top drivers he worked with.
01:28 PM BST
Looks to be a scorcher in Hungary today
Here’s a bit more on the prospects for today’s race.
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX WEATHER FORECAST
Turning partly cloudy to mostly sunny by the afternoon. Afternoon highs of 29–32°C with generally light and variable winds. The risk of a passing shower is low (10–20%).https://t.co/0eNsvpXk9J#F1 | #HungarianGP 🇭🇺 pic.twitter.com/RcjkHMuPz1— MeteoMotorsport (@MeteoMotorsport) July 21, 2024
01:19 PM BST
Yuki Tsunoda also had a smash in qualifying
RED FLAG 🟥
Yuki crashes out, leaving a TENSE 2:13 of qualifying remaining 👀 pic.twitter.com/I82Q8XSI6T— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 20, 2024
You do wonder if they drop Perez from that Red Bull seat pretty sharpish, who would step up. It would be harsh on Tsunoda if he did not get it given how he has performed this year, with six points finishes and 22 points (compared to two and 11 for Daniel Ricciardo). I am not sure he is the benchmark they want, though. If it’s not Tsunoda then it’s either Ricciardo or Liam Lawson, both of which would be odd choices in a different way.
What do Red Bull really need, though? Just someone to consistently finish in the top six, really. Ideally top-four and take points off their rivals.
01:13 PM BST
Watch: Sergio Perez bins it in Q1
Sergio Perez loses it and hits the barriers and he's out of Q1 ❌ pic.twitter.com/cK5KxuWlYs
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 20, 2024
01:06 PM BST
As for the constructors
Well, as it stands I am not sure I can see Red Bull winning it. For the last two seasons it was possible to carry Perez as a passenger (OK, he wasn’t appalling in 2022, winning two rounds) but it is becoming a real problem for Red Bull now.
For McLaren to overhaul Red Bull they need to average 6.5 points more than Red Bull per round. Since Miami they have averaged 6.17 points more per round (28.5 vs 22.33) and that is with a slightly unfortunate Norris DNF. Of course, Red Bull’s lead might be protected by the top four teams all taking points off one another, but it does seem that McLaren has the all-round fastest car... and two drivers who are performing.
01:02 PM BST
Driver standings before Hungary
Despite winning only three of the last seven rounds, Verstappen has increased his advantage. I wouldn’t exactly call his 84-point advantage unassailable but with 12 rounds to go, Norris would need to outscore him by seven points on average every race weekend. Of course, throw in a couple of DNFs or lower finishes and that is possible but I just cannot see it being done.
12:54 PM BST
Final positions after qualifying
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1min 15.227secs
Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:15.249
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:15.273
Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:15.696
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:15.854
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:15.905
Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:16.043
Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:16.244
Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) RB 1:16.447
Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) RB 1:16.477
Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 1:16.317
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Kick Sauber 1:16.384
Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:16.429
Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 1:16.543
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:16.548
Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:17.886
George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:17.968
Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Kick Sauber 1:18.037
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:18.049
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:18.166
12:47 PM BST
Lando Norris has been in contention for almost every race since May
Here are where he has qualified and where he finished for the races since Miami:
Miami: 5th > 1st
Imola: 3rd > 2nd
Monaco: 4th > 4th
Canada: 3rd > 2nd
Spain: 1st > 2nd
Austria: 2nd > DNF
Great Britain: 3rd > 3rd
I think that this does not really reflect the true failure to convert potential into results. The last three rounds, in particular, have seen Norris, if not exactly throw away victory, then certainly squander an advantage. Still, with team-mate Piastri behind him it will be a good chance to win a second race of the season. You’d say that he should have won at least one other since that maiden win in Miami.
12:39 PM BST
Good afternoon F1 fans
Welcome to our live coverage for the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix from the Hungaroring, just a short drive outside of Budapest. Qualifying yesterday followed the trend that has been set in the last few months. The guaranteed Max Verstappen dominance has well and truly gone. After taking the first seven pole positions of the year, the Dutchman has now just taken one from the last six.
In a slightly changeable and stop-start qualifying yesterday, Verstappen was again in the mix but could not quite extract the lap time from the Red Bull in a way that the two McLaren drivers did. It was Lando Norris who took his second pole of the season with team-mate Oscar Piastri second, making it a first McLaren front-row lockout for quite some time.
Mercedes, who have again come to the fore as a race-winning force in the last month or two, did not enjoy a competitive session. Lewis Hamilton, last round’s winner at Silverstone was only fifth, more than sixth tenths of a second off the ultimate pace. George Russell failed to even make it into Q2, though that was more because of tactical and strategic errors rather than an outright lack of pace.
There was more misery for Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. As was the case at Silverstone, he crashed out of qualifying and will start down the grid. After a decent start to the season (four podiums in the first five rounds), his best finish in the last six races is a solitary seventh place.
He now sits sixth in the drivers standings and, despite signing a new contract earlier this year, is in real danger of losing his Red Bull seat. It is easy to see that his current performances are likely costing Red Bull the constructors’ title as they are fighting with one hand tied behind their backs.
Anyway, the race gets under way at 2pm BST and we will be here for all the build-up, live updates and reaction from the race.