Hungarian GP takeaways: Lando's defiance sours Piastri's 1st win

We offer our takeaways following each race weekend this year and continue the 2024 schedule with the Hungarian GP.

Moments that decided the race ?

McLaren’s awkward day

You’d never guess from the mood at McLaren that the team finished 1-2 in Hungary with Oscar Piastri securing his first career Formula 1 win.

Lando Norris spent the last 15 laps trying his best to defy team orders when asked to let his teammate overtake him before finally begrudgingly playing nice.

It was awkward. It was great theater. And you can understand where both sides were coming from.

With several laps to go, Norris voiced that he created a large enough gap – more than five seconds – over Piastri to pursue the win. But you could argue that Norris was only able to do so because he was asked to pit first in order to cover off other cars to ensure a 1-2 finish.

McLaren made the race strategy clear with plenty of time to go in the race. On Lap 47, Piastri was told to box and to not worry about Norris. On Lap 57, and with Norris stretching his lead, the Brit was told over team radio by Will Joseph to give up the position: “I know you’ll do the right thing.”

Joseph’s begging continued on Lap 61: “Just remember every single Sunday morning meeting we’ve had.”

Norris finally complied with a few laps to go, allowing Piastri to pass and claim McLaren’s second win this season.

Had Lando swapped right away, maybe McLaren would have let them race, but continuing to not listen to team orders until the end made things worse.

The bickering between Norris and the team took a lot of the shine off what was a monumental day for McLaren. Piastri was subdued in his celebration as it was obvious he understood things were uncomfortable.

“I made the swap a little more painful than it needed to be,” Piastri acknowledged post-race, noting his inability to close the gap with Norris.

He added later: “I had a lot of trust in the team and Lando. Lando was fast at the end and that was clear, but the strategy that we went onto meant it was effectively an undercut for him. I think it was a fair decision to swap us back at the end.”

This is the issue with F1 being a team sport. Teams care about maximizing results, while drivers may be more concerned with their own results. Both sides are justified.

In reality, Norris lost the race on Lap 1 when Piastri got by him. Luckily, it seemed cooler heads prevailed in the debrief.

“It was tough,” Norris said. “I think it would be tough for anyone when you’re leading the race to give it up. I was obviously put in the position, they made me box first and gave me the chance to lead the race and pull away quite comfortably.

“Therefore I think it was fair to give the position back. I don’t want to come across as a guy who is not fair. Oscar’s done a lot for me in the past and helped me in many races. He drove a better race than I did, had a better start – mine sucked – so he deserved it, and it was the right thing to do.”

It feels like Norris’ frustration stems more from multiple missed opportunities this season than just what occurred Sunday. He’s now finished second five times this season and missed an opportunity to further close the gap on Max Verstappen for the drivers’ championship.

“It hurts,” Norris said. “Anytime you’re going to give away a win and give it to someone. I know I shouldn’t have had it in the first place, which I think is the main point. … From a drivers’ championship, every point would help. I know I am a hell of a ways away from Max in the championship – I get that, no one needs to tell me that – but it’s seven points that I gave away today. Not ’cause I was switching the position, but a bad start again. That’s where I lost my race today.”

Today was a learning lesson for the team and both drivers.

Verstappen can’t control his emotions

Hungary will be a race Verstappen will want to forget.

Sunday’s competition was one of the poorest in recent memory for the Dutchman, who started his race by running wide off-track and being forced to give a position back to Norris. In a newly upgraded Red Bull, Verstappen couldn’t take advantage of the car’s previous dominance and was unable to strike against the McLarens. He struggled to pass third-place Lewis Hamilton, a driver well within DRS range, in two separate battles. Verstappen’s race climaxed in a collision with Hamilton on Lap 63. His rear-left tire collided with Hamilton’s front wing, sending Verstappen soaring and ultimately finishing P5.

Verstappen’s struggles were the result of failing to regulate emotions rather than the car or his driving ability. From the race’s onset, the 26-year-old continuously lambasted Red Bull’s strategy over the radio, swearing and criticizing the team’s decisions for letting both Hamilton and Leclerc undercut him. Verstappen’s complaints led his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, to ask him to stop being “childish” on the radio near the race’s conclusion.

While it’s normal for drivers to swear on the radio and go back and forth with race engineers about issues with their cars, Verstappen’s persistent frustrations were out of character. The three-time world champion’s unfocused, incautious approach ultimately caused his downfall in Hungary.

Driver of the Day ?

Hamilton. In what felt like a replay of the 2021 season, Verstappen and Hamilton were at odds with each other for podium positioning. As Hungaroring is a notoriously difficult track to overtake on, Mercedes called Hamilton into the pits on Lap 17 in hopes of undercutting Verstappen’s Red Bull. The strategy worked: The Silver Arrows were able to successfully keep Verstappen at bay and minimize Red Bull’s DRS advantage. When Verstappen attempted again to take a podium position on Lap 63, the Dutchman was unable to pass, making contact with the Mercedes. Even with heavy contact and Red Bull’s pace, Hamilton held on to his third-place position and move up to sixth in the driver’s championship. While the Papayas starred this weekend, Hamilton quietly put on a lesson in defense to seize his 200th podium.

They said what? ??

Piastri on 1st win: “This is the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of an F1 podium.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella: “I don’t know any race driver that when he is leading a race, would be happy to say, ‘Oh yeah, of course (swap back the position),’ That’s not possible, that’s not that nature of the drivers. I would be extremely worried if Lando would say so.”

Verstappen on interaction over team radio: “I don’t think we need to apologize, we just need to do a better a job. I don’t know why people think you cannot be vocal on a radio. This is a sport. If some people don’t like that, then stay home.”

Red Bull’s Christian Horner on Verstappen’s outburst: “Unfortunately, frustration of the driver plays out over the radio. I think you probably heard – I didn’t hear McLaren’s radio – but I guess there was a fair amount more going on on that one.”

Hamilton on Mercedes’ progress: “It’s so much fun. The year started out, we were struggling to finish in the top 10. For us to be moving forward, to be in the mix, feels great. Ultimately, we don’t have the pace of the McLarens or the Red Bulls, but we’re there and we’re progressing.”

What’s next?

The final race before F1’s summer break will be held July 28 in Belgium. Verstappen’s won the last three races at Spa.