Hamilton demoted from second after Hungary qualifying incident
Lewis Hamilton lost his second-place grid slot for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix after stewards penalised him three places for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying. The Ferrari driver drops to fifth on the grid for Sunday's race at the Hungaroring.
Hamilton loses P2 grid slot
Lewis Hamilton qualified second for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix but was demoted three places to fifth following a stewards investigation into an incident during Q3. The penalty stems from Hamilton impeding McLaren driver Oscar Piastri at Turn 1.[1][2]
Lando Norris took pole position ahead of the demoted Hamilton. The FIA stewards confirmed the three-place grid drop after reviewing the qualifying session at the Hungaroring.[3]
Hamilton will now start alongside Max Verstappen on the third row for Sunday's race.
Related reading
- [1]Hamilton loses P2 after Qualifying incident in Hungary (formula1). Accessed 2026-07-25.
- [2]Lewis Hamilton under investigation by Hungarian GP stewards over impeding (motorsport). Accessed 2026-07-25.
- [3]Lewis Hamilton hit with costly grid penalty after Hungary offence (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-07-25.