Hungarian Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri wins his first ever F1 race in tense affair highlighted by McLaren team drama

Australia‘s Oscar Piastri won his maiden Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, but probably not in the circumstances he would have dreamed.

The McLaren driver qualified second and snatched the lead at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix from teammate Lando Norris and looked set to take claim victory after driving a commanding race.

However, Norris came in for his second pit stop earlier than Piastri, ‘undercutting’ his teammate and eventually emerging ahead after the Aussie had pitted three laps later.

McLaren’s plan appeared to be to allow Piastri to pass Norris and retake the lead that he had earned once he caught up him using his fresher tires, but he was unable to close the gap. Norris meanwhile resisted calls from his race engineer to slow down and let Piastri past, knowing that he had the pace advantage in the latter stages of the race.

It seemed as though McLaren was headed towards an embarrassing intra-team conflict that likely would have been avoided by simply pitting Piastri first, but Norris eventually eased up to let Piastri through on lap 68 of 70 to give McLaren its first one-two finish since 2021.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in third to claim a record-extending 200th career podium.

Though the celebrations felt somewhat subdued, it was still a career milestone for Piastri.

Piastri leads Norris during the race. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

“It’s very, very special,” said the 23-year-old. “This is really the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of an F1 podium.

“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 amazing car.”

Piastri won a sprint race in Qatar last season, though Sunday marked his first official Grand Prix victory, becoming the fifth Australian to achieve the feat. He is also the first driver born in the 2000s to win a race.

He admitted that the last few laps made him “nervous” and lamented his lack of pace in the latter stages of the race, but said that he “was still in the right position to make it happen, so well-executed from the team.”

It was a frustrating day for Norris, who saw the lead slip away at the start of the race after qualifying on pole position, before being forced to hand P1 over to his teammate.

His race engineer, Will Joseph, pleaded with him over team radio for multiple laps, urging him to “do the right thing” before Norris eventually gave in.

“It’s tough, but I know what Oscar’s done for me in the past,” said the Briton. “I think this is a little bit different but, yeah, at the same time, I got told to let him past and I did. It’s always tough when you’re fighting for a win, and a win means so much to me and also to him.

“Yeah, I just had to try put myself in his shoes and understand it that way. Every driver’s selfish and you have to be selfish in this game, but when you’re just thinking of your own benefits, you’re only thinking of the good things. But, of course, I put myself in his shoes and I realized I had to do what was right.”

Norris – who also congratulated Piastri on his win – won his first Grand Prix in Miami earlier this year and closed the gap on championship leader Max Verstappen, who was involved in one of the race’s most dramatic moments.

Verstappen and Hamilton battle for track position. Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

Chasing Hamilton for third, he made contact with his long-time rival after locking up and going too deep into turn one, briefly vaulting the rear of his car into the air.

This came after several heated radio exchanges of his own, with the Dutchman expressing his frustration at his lack of pace and what he believed was a poor strategy from his Red Bull team. He eventually finished fifth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen said after the race that he had no intention of apologizing to his team for his rant and that the group should focus on improving.

“I don’t think we need to apologize,” he said. “We just need to do a better job. I don’t know why people think that you cannot be vocal on the radio. This is a sport, you know? If some people don’t like that, then stay home.”

F1 next heads to Spa this weekend for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Source: edition.cnn.com