Ferrari driver was deemed responsible for impeding Oscar Piastri’s fast lap during qualifying at the Hungaroring
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Lewis Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix. The decision was announced by the stewards this Saturday, following an investigation into an incident involving the Ferrari driver and Oscar Piastri during qualifying. Hamilton drops from second to fifth on the grid, which will have Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Kimi Antonelli in the top three positions. Piastri, who would have started behind the Briton, now starts from P4.
The incident occurred at 4:59 PM, on the approach to Turn 1 of the Hungaroring. According to the stewards, Hamilton was driving at a significantly reduced speed on the ideal racing line, while Piastri was approaching on a fast lap.
The McLaren driver had to deviate from his line to avoid a collision and was forced to abandon his attempt.
Hamilton explained to the stewards that he had just completed a fast lap and did not receive the message from Ferrari in time, warning him about Piastri’s approach. The Briton also stated that, due to the position of his car on the track, he could not see the McLaren in his mirrors.
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The stewards analyzed images, telemetry, radio communications, and recordings from the cameras installed in the cars. After the evaluation, they concluded that Hamilton unnecessarily impeded Piastri during qualifying.
“On the approach to Turn 1, car 44 was circulating at a significantly reduced speed on the racing line, while car 81 was approaching on a fast lap,” the document stated.
According to the decision, Piastri “was forced to take evasive action, going wide and being forced to abandon the lap.”
Hamilton was deemed responsible for an infringement of Article B4.1.1 of the Formula 1 regulations. Following the guidelines established for impeding cases during qualifying, the stewards applied a three-place grid penalty.
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