Lewis Hamilton and the championship‑leading Kimi Antonelli have both been handed grid penalties that will reshuffle the starting order for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The penalties stem from separate incidents during qualifying, and they illustrate how quickly fortunes can change in Formula 1.
Ferrari’s veteran Hamilton was the first to be penalised. After the qualifying session, stewards imposed a three‑place grid drop on him for impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the end of Q3.
The incident occurred when Hamilton, having completed his final flying lap, slowed unexpectedly on the racing line as he crossed the start‑finish line. Piastri, on a push lap, approached Turn 1 and was forced to abort his attempt, losing valuable time. After reviewing video, telemetry, team radio and in‑car footage, the stewards concluded that Hamilton had unnecessarily blocked Piastri and therefore demoted him from his provisional second‑place start to fifth on the grid.
The situation grew more complicated when the Mercedes driver was subsequently handed a second three‑place penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow‑flag conditions after Max Verstappen spun at the final corner. The stewards determined that while Antonelli did lift off the throttle, his speed remained higher than the previous lap and was deemed an insufficient reduction.
Normally a five‑place drop would apply for such an infraction, but the panel took into account the partial mitigation and reduced the sanction to three places. As a result, Hamilton now starts the race from fifth position. Antonelli, who leads the Drivers’ Championship by 45 points over Hamilton, also sees his starting position altered.
Originally qualifying fourth, the three‑place penalty pushes him back to seventh on the grid, placing him behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell. The revised top ten for the Hungarian Grand Prix now reads 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). Hamilton’s recent record with the stewards has not been kind.
This marks his third penalty in as many race weekends. He previously received a five‑second in‑race penalty for a false start at Silverstone and, the week before, a penalty for a first‑lap collision with Russell in Belgium. In an Instagram post on Saturday evening, Hamilton 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 went on to acknowledge the mental toll of consecutive penalties, yet he stressed his determination to stay positive: "I always do my best to keep positive – sport is always about the highs and lows, but it's also in 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 take away from the progress we've been making 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 ultimately claimed pole position after topping the final qualifying session, benefitting from Hamilton’s penalty which promoted Charles Leclerc to the front row.
Oscar Piastri moved up to third, while Max Verstappen, who had originally qualified sixth, finished fourth. The incident that led to Hamilton’s penalty unfolded during the final moments of Q3. Hamilton was the first driver to complete his last timed lap, and after crossing the finish line he reduced his speed considerably.
As he entered Turn 1, his Ferrari inadvertently blocked Piastri, who was on a fast push lap. The stewards summoned both drivers and team representatives, and after a thorough review they concluded that Hamilton had unnecessarily impeded Piastri, resulting in the three‑place grid drop. Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur defended his driver, stating that any fault lay with the team’s communication: "We told him about Piastri but it was far too late.
If there's a mistake, it's our mistake." Hamilton himself explained his perspective, saying he was unaware of Piastri’s approach because he had just completed a fast lap and had not received the radio warning in time. He added, "I thought everyone came out behind me. I was the first out, so I thought everyone had finished the lap." The timing of Hamilton’s run also raised questions. He had been sent out early for his final attempt, whereas a later run might have avoided the clash with Piastri.
Norris, who was the second‑last driver to take the track, managed to improve his time on his final lap, edging Hamilton out by a razor‑thin margin of 0.012 seconds to secure pole. Antonelli’s penalty stemmed from a separate incident at the Hungaroring’s final corner. While approaching the corner, a yellow flag was displayed as Verstappen’s Red Bull entered the runoff area.
Antonelli claimed he lifted off the throttle as soon as he saw the flag, but the stewards found his speed reduction insufficient. They noted that although he did decelerate compared with his previous lap, the reduction was not sustained enough to meet the safety standards required under yellow‑flag conditions. Consequently, they imposed a three‑place grid penalty instead of the standard five‑place sanction, citing mitigation for his partial compliance.
Both drivers expressed disappointment but remained focused on the race ahead. Antonelli told Sky Sports F1, "The yellow flag came while I was entering the corner so I tried my best to lift. I did lift but gave up quite a bit of minimum speed compared to before. It was a shame." The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend schedule includes a range of support races and events: an F3 Feature Race at 7:35 am, the Porsche Supercup at 9:05 am, an F2 Feature Race at 10:20 am, followed by the build‑up to the main Grand Prix from 12:30 pm.
The race itself is slated for 2:00 pm, with post‑race analysis and commentary later in the afternoon. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, and can be streamed via NOW without a long‑term contract. In summary, the grid penalties handed to Hamilton and Antonelli have reshaped the starting order for the Hungarian Grand Prix, adding an extra layer of intrigue to a weekend already filled with high stakes.
While Hamilton grapples with a string of recent penalties, Antonelli must manage the pressure of defending his championship lead from a less favourable starting position. Both drivers and their teams will be looking to maximise performance and recover valuable points in what promises to be a fiercely contested race at the historic Hungaroring.