Ferrari has taken responsibility for Lewis Hamilton’s grid penalty during the Hungarian GP. The penalty followed after Hamilton accidentally impeded Oscar Piastri in Q3. The Australian had to abort his last fast lap as a result. Hamilton, who had initially secured a spot on the front row, was demoted three places and will start from P5 on Sunday.
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Hamilton seemed on track for a historic tenth pole position at the Hungaroring, but was ultimately beaten by Lando Norris by just 0.012 seconds. During his second attempt in Q3, Hamilton was significantly slower than in his first lap, after which a spin by Max Verstappen in the final corner caused yellow flags. This led to confusion at Ferrari regarding Piastri’s position, who was on a fast lap.
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Team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged that the team had made a mistake by not warning Hamilton in time that Piastri was approaching. “We warned him (Hamilton, ed.), but much too late,” Vasseur reacted afterwards. “If anyone made a mistake, it was us.” Hamilton stated to the FIA stewards that he had not seen Piastri. “I suddenly heard that he was right behind me in the corner; I had no idea he was coming,” he clarified during the press conference. “It was not intentional, of course.”
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