Lewis Hamilton vows to ‘give everything’ after F1 Hungarian GP grid penalty. Lewis Hamilton says Hungarian GP penalty was difficult to digest.

Lewis Hamilton will start the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix from fifth place after receiving a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying. Although the decision was difficult to digest after he had missed pole position by only 0.012 seconds, the Ferrari driver has promised to give everything in his pursuit of a recovery at the Hungaroring.

Lewis Hamilton’s disappointment was clear in Budapest on Saturday after a qualifying session in which he believed there had been a genuine opportunity to secure pole position for Ferrari. First came the narrow margin separating him from pole-sitter Lando Norris, followed by the further setback of the penalty imposed by the FIA stewards.

Lewis Hamilton drops to fifth after Hungarian GP grid penalty

Despite being warned too late by Ferrari and being unable to see Oscar Piastri in his mirrors, Lewis Hamilton was handed a three-place grid penalty. The impeding incident was sufficiently clear for the stewards to take action, with Oscar Piastri forced to abandon his flying lap.

As a result, the British Ferrari driver will line up fifth on the Hungarian Grand Prix starting grid. From the third row, Lewis Hamilton is hoping opportunities will emerge for him to regain ground during the race, although overtaking at the Hungaroring is traditionally difficult.

Lewis Hamilton promises to give everything for Ferrari

Speaking during the traditional drivers’ parade around the circuit before the start, Lewis Hamilton praised the Budapest crowd and highlighted the progress Ferrari have made with the car.

“There’s a fantastic crowd here. We have a good car, the team have done, as you know, a great job of continuing to develop this car and, as you know, it’s an amazing circuit. It’s very hot today, so it’s going to be a huge challenge, but yes, it’s a new day and there are new opportunities.

“It’s very difficult to overtake here, so strategy will be tricky. It’s also quite windy today, but anyway, yesterday was tough; knowing I was going to get a penalty was difficult to digest, but that’s how it is. We move forward, and today I’ll give absolutely everything I can for the team.”

Lewis Hamilton will therefore have to combine Ferrari’s encouraging Hungarian Grand Prix race pace with an effective strategy if he is to climb through the field from fifth and recover from Saturday’s disappointment.