Oscar Piastri delivered a blunt assessment of Lewis Hamilton after the Ferrari driver impeded the McLaren during Q3 at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. The incident prevented Oscar Piastri from completing his final flying lap and left him unable to improve on fifth place, while Lewis Hamilton appeared likely to face a grid penalty.
It remains unclear whether a communication error with the Ferrari pit wall or a momentary lapse in concentration following an underwhelming lap caused Lewis Hamilton to misjudge Oscar Piastri’s position on the circuit. However, it appeared very difficult for the seven-time world champion to avoid a grid drop of at least three positions for impeding the McLaren in Q3.
The incident came on an important qualifying day for Lewis Hamilton, whose remarkable Hungaroring record had strengthened expectations surrounding Ferrari before the session.
Oscar Piastri criticises Lewis Hamilton over Hungary Q3 impeding
Oscar Piastri, understandably, did not react well to the misunderstanding with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1. The McLaren driver gave a direct account of what happened shortly before he was due to begin his final flying lap.
“What happened there? Simple, Lewis didn’t look in his mirrors,” Oscar Piastri said.
“It’s a shame because that prevented me from doing my lap. The car has clearly been very quick, judging by where Lando is as well. On my side, I tried to improve it. It wasn’t easy, but the performance is clearly there.”
Lando Norris’ position at the front of the field underlined the potential of the McLaren, but Oscar Piastri was denied the opportunity to show whether he could extract more performance from the car on his decisive Q3 attempt.
Missing first practice leaves Oscar Piastri chasing throughout the weekend
Oscar Piastri also admitted that missing the opening practice session, when he handed his McLaren over to Leonardo Fornaroli, had placed him at a slight disadvantage during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
“I feel like I’ve been chasing all weekend, in a way,” Oscar Piastri explained. “I feel I could have done with another practice session to get on top of things, which unfortunately I don’t have.”
The disrupted preparation made it more difficult for Oscar Piastri to find the ideal balance before qualifying. Despite those challenges, the Australian believed the underlying speed of the McLaren was evident, making the loss of his final Q3 lap particularly frustrating.
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