Oscar Piastri left the Hungaroring with a lingering sense of displeasure after the McLaren driver went from leading the race for over 20 laps to making contact with Williams’ Carlos Sainz and eventually retiring from the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP due to suspected gearbox issues.
The Aussie moved up to third on the grid after Lewis Hamilton received a three-place penalty for impeding the McLaren driver during qualifying on Saturday, with Kimi Antonelli dropping three spots from P4 thanks to failing to slow sufficiently under yellows. On Sunday, Oscar Piastri attained the lead of the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP on lap 1 after Lando Norris went wide heading into Turn 2.
Despite his best efforts to fend off Norris, Piastri’s day went from bad to worse following a slew of incidents that resulted in his teammate taking the win.
A strong start for Oscar Piastri at the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP
According to Piastri, his stint on the medium tyres felt acceptable enough to feel in control throughout the opening stint, but his battle began the moment he switched to the hard compound tyres. Hungary is notoriously difficult to follow another F1 car around, but Lando Norris was able to stay within a second throughout.
“Yeah, no, the start was good, the first lap was very good,” Piastri shared in the print media pen.
“Then it went pretty downhill from there. I felt like from that aspect I did the right things.”
The Hungaroring proved just how demanding the track was on the tyres, thanks to its tight, twisty corners and extreme heat levels that kept the tyres from their adequate operating window.
The struggles weren’t unique to Piastri; the choice proved formidable for much of the grid on Sunday, with front runners like Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli complaining about constant grip issues.
“I think the first medium stint was okay, but then on the hard, I was nowhere. The fact I led half the race today, feeling as difficult as it was, is at least somewhat of a plus.”
Gearbox issue ends Piastri’s Hungarian GP prematurely
One of the weekend’s biggest mysteries was understanding the mechanical issue that left both the driver and the McLaren pit wall confused.
On lap 56 of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Piastri’s MCL40 slowed down and ultimately came to an abrupt stop as he reported a suspected gearbox issue over the radio.
When talking about the incident, the 25-year-old revealed, “The gearbox, I don’t know what broke, but I lost all gears.”
Piastri believed victory wasn’t out of reach despite Norris’ pace
As Piastri led the race, Lando Norris told McLaren over the radio to pit him first, believing he had the pace to extend his advantage in clean air. Despite the Briton’s request, McLaren denied him access to a pit stop, prioritising the race leader.
Recalling the moment, Piastri once again reiterated that the medium tyres gave him the confidence to maintain his lead and steadily build a gap to Norris.
While he did not feel comfortable on the hards, victory was still in his hands thanks to the difficulties of passing at this venue. That was until Carlos Sainz accidentally intervened.
“On the medium, yes,” he said when asked if he felt in control. “On the hard, I felt like I was still in the box seat to win the race, but it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“I didn’t really feel in control on the hard, no. I felt like the car was significantly worse for some reason. Even with how difficult it was, I felt like I could maintain enough of a gap that I wasn’t going to be overtaken.“
He continued that holding on until the end of the race would’ve been an arduous task.
“Whether I could have held it to the end of the race, I don’t know. It was very tough on the hard for me.”
Oscar Piastri’s reflection over McLaren F1 radio outburst
Piastri also reflected on his frustration over team radio after emerging behind traffic during the pit stop cycle. While he admitted he was angry and said some harsh words in the heat of the moment, he ultimately accepted McLaren had made the correct strategic decisions to cover Lewis Hamilton.
“It was fine. When they turned to my stop, that was to cover Lewis and that was fine. In the moment, again, I was upset that I lost the lead of the race through no fault of my own.”
One of his post-race reflections included understanding the idea that McLaren couldn’t compromise on not pitting Norris to protect Piastri’s position.
“I felt maybe the team could have not pitted Lando if it was a two-car race. But I know it’s not a two-car race. I know Lando’s got his own race to try and win and there’s other people.
“They can’t just not box Lando because of something out of his control and out of my control. It’s fine. I was just very, very pissed off in the moment.”
He admitted the team had to manage both McLaren drivers fairly rather than prioritise his position. Ultimately, though, strategy became extraneous, as a gearbox failure ended what could’ve been a potential 1-2 for the team.
