Hamilton 3-place drop for impeding Piastri
F1 · penalty · 2026-07-26
Lewis Hamilton was handed a three-place grid penalty after stewards ruled he unnecessarily impeded Oscar Piastri on the approach to Turn 1 during Q3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix on 25 July 2026. Hamilton had qualified second, just 0.012 seconds behind Lando Norris, and was placed under investigation immediately after the session. The penalty dropped him from P2 to P5 on the grid, with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur publicly acknowledging the team's error in failing to give Hamilton adequate warning. Hamilton went on to finish 12th in Sunday's race.