Lewis Hamilton and championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli have both been handed grid‑drop penalties that will reshuffle the starting order for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The penalties stem from separate incidents during qualifying and have left the two drivers in markedly different positions for the race.
Initially, Ferrari’s Hamilton was slapped with a three‑place grid penalty after the stewards concluded he had impeded McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri at the end of Q3. The infringement saw Hamilton, who had originally qualified second, demoted behind Antonelli, who had posted a fourth‑place time. Shortly thereafter, Hamilton incurred a second three‑place penalty for failing to reduce his speed sufficiently when a yellow flag was displayed following Max Verstappen’s spin on the final corner. This second sanction moved Hamilton further back, leaving him to start the race from fifth place.
Antonelli, who leads the Drivers’ Championship by 45 points over Hamilton, was also penalised, though his case was slightly different. The Italian driver was investigated for not slowing enough as he approached the Hungaroring’s final turn while Verstappen’s Red Bull was in the run‑off area. Although the stewards acknowledged that Antonelli had lifted off the throttle compared with his previous lap, they judged the reduction to be inadequate and unsustained. Instead of the standard five‑place drop for a yellow‑flag violation, the penalty was mitigated to a three‑place grid demotion, placing Antonelli in seventh on the grid behind his teammate George Russell.
The revised grid now looks as follows: 1) Lando Norris (McLaren), 2) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 3) Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 4) Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 5) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 6) George Russell (Mercedes), 7) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 8) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), 9) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), 10) Nico Hulkenberg (Audi). This arrangement reflects the cumulative impact of the two separate penalties on the top‑end of the field. Hamilton’s string of steward interventions has now reached three consecutive race weekends. He previously received a five‑second in‑race penalty for a false start at Silverstone and was later penalised for a first‑lap clash with Russell in the Belgian Grand Prix.
In an Instagram post on Saturday evening, the seven‑time world champion expressed his frustration: "Sometimes you just can't catch a break. Another weekend when I've been feeling great throughout all the sessions, but then it just falls apart.
To go from being so close to pole to then starting P5 is extremely frustrating." He continued, "I always do my best to stay positive – sport is about the highs and the lows, but it’s also about the margins. Every point counts and you have to seize every opportunity.
After three penalties in three weekends, it’s becoming difficult to hang on to that positivity. Still, I won’t let the setbacks erase the progress we’ve made as a team. With the pace we have, I’m hopeful we can get something out of the race tomorrow.
The car has been feeling better and better, and we’ve been competitive all weekend. Tonight we’ll keep working hard together to give ourselves the best possible chance tomorrow. I always enjoy this track, so keep the faith and send good vibes for the race." McLaren’s Lando Norris secured pole position after topping the final qualifying session, a result that was cemented by Hamilton’s penalty which promoted Charles Leclerc to the front row. Oscar Piastri moved up to third, while Max Verstappen, who originally qualified sixth, was promoted to fourth.
The incident that triggered Hamilton’s first penalty involved him completing his final Q3 lap first and then slowing as he crossed the start‑finish line. Piastri, on a push lap behind him, was forced to take evasive action because Hamilton’s Ferrari appeared to block the McLaren through Turn One. After reviewing video, telemetry, team radio and in‑car footage, the stewards concluded that Hamilton had unnecessarily impeded Piastri and issued the three‑place grid drop. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur accepted responsibility, stating, "We told him about Piastri but it was far too late.
If there’s a mistake, it’s our mistake." Hamilton himself explained, "I was told literally when he was at the apex behind me, so I had no idea he was coming. I thought everyone came out behind me.
I was the first out, so I thought everyone had finished the lap." A separate controversy surrounded Antonelli. After Verstappen spun at the final corner, a yellow flag was displayed.
Antonelli admitted that he tried to lift off the throttle as he entered the corner but claimed he lost significant speed. The stewards, however, determined that his speed reduction was insufficient, leading to a three‑place grid penalty rather than the usual five places, citing the mitigating factor that he did slow down to some extent. The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend also features a packed schedule of support races, including an F3 feature race, a Porsche Supercup sprint, and an F2 feature race, all leading up to the main event at 2 pm local time.
The race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with streaming available via NOW for viewers without a contract. In summary, the grid penalties have reshaped the starting order, placing Hamilton in fifth and Antonelli in seventh, while Norris enjoys the coveted pole. Both drivers have expressed determination to overcome the setbacks, emphasizing the fine margins that define Formula 1 competition.
The upcoming race promises to be a test of resilience for the penalised drivers and an opportunity for their teams to capitalize on any strategic advantage they can extract from the Hungaroring’s demanding layout.