Piastri takes first win amid team orders row
By Alan Baldwin
Australian Oscar Piastri took his first Formula One win in a McLaren one-two at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday after Lando Norris reluctantly handed back the lead on team orders three laps from the end on an afternoon of high drama.
Lewis Hamilton took third for Mercedes, his 200th Formula One podium coming despite a late collision with Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen, who came off worse and finished fifth.
“Very, very special. This is really the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of an F1 podium,” Piastri said before the ceremonies.
“Obviously, a bit complicated at the end, but I put myself in the right position at the start, and thank you to the team for an amazing effort and an amazing car.”
He apologised over the radio at the chequered flag for it being more “painful” than necessary.
The fifth Australian to win a grand prix seized the lead from pole-sitter Norris at the start as Verstappen took second with a short-cut after being forced wide.
Verstappen had to give the place back as stewards’ investigated and Piastri was ahead until Norris came in for his second stop to cover against Hamilton, with Piastri staying out and losing out.
McLaren told Norris to re-establish the order “at his convenience” with more than 20 laps remaining but the gap between only grew larger and the Briton showed no sign of complying.
“I know you’ll do the right thing,” Norris was told with 14 laps to go after the team repeated that they wanted Piastri to win. “Well you should have pitted him first,” he replied.
“Lando, he can’t catch you up. You’ve proved your point,” the Briton was told when he moved six seconds clear with six laps remaining.
“The way to win a championship is not by yourself. You’re going to need Oscar, and you’re going to need the team,” Norris was told, before eventually complying.
“The team asked me to do it, so that’s it,” he said in his pre-podium interview, making no attempt to hide his unhappiness.
Behind them, Verstappen was also turning the air blue on the radio to the Red Bull pit wall as he struggled with his car’s brake balance and questioned the strategy.