McLaren's Oscar Piastri retired from the Hungarian Grand Prix with a gearbox failure after making contact with Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr. while lapping him, ending what had been a promising afternoon for the Australian driver.
Piastri had been running in second place when he caught Sainz's Williams on lap 39. Sainz appeared unaware of Piastri's approach at Turn 3, resulting in light contact that damaged Piastri's McLaren. The Australian continued for several laps but ultimately pulled over on lap 56 with a terminal gearbox issue, triggering a Virtual Safety Car.
The retirement came after Piastri had lost the lead to team-mate Lando Norris during the pit-stop phase. Piastri had led from the opening lap after a superb start, passing Norris when the world champion ran wide at Turn 2 while defending. But McLaren's strategic call to pit Piastri first allowed Norris to undercut his team-mate and reclaim the position.
Sainz was handed a five-second time penalty for the collision with Piastri. The Williams driver later admitted the incident was "impossible to avoid" in traffic.
Piastri's exit elevated Max Verstappen to second place, with Kimi Antonelli completing the podium. Norris went on to secure his first victory of the 2026 season — his first win since clinching the world title at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
"I don't know what happened, to be honest. I just kept losing the rear, I had like three or four big snaps. It felt horrible," Norris said of his poor start. "But I was pushing like hell to try to force him into a mistake or something. My pace today was probably some of the best pace I've ever had. The car was beautiful to drive and I felt very confident, so a great race."
The result leaves McLaren with mixed emotions — celebrating Norris's long-awaited win while contemplating what might have been with a potential 1-2 finish before Piastri's mechanical failure.
Sources
- Crash.net — Lando Norris takes first win of F1 2026 as drama hits rivals at Hungarian GP: https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/1101924/1/lando-norris-takes-first-win-f1-2026-drama-hits-rivals-hungarian-gp
- Sky Sports — Hungarian GP: Lando Norris wins first race of 2026 Formula 1 season after early Oscar Piastri squabble: https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13567065/hungarian-gp-lando-norris-wins-first-race-of-2026-formula-1-season-after-early-oscar-piastri-squabble
