FIA launches Lewis Hamilton investigation over Oscar Piastri incident
The FIA has launched a stewards' investigation
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton is under investigation by the FIA stewards after impeding Oscar Piastri’s McLaren in qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was forced to settle for second place in qualifying in Budapest as Lando Norris, the McLaren driver and reigning world champion, secured his first pole position of the F1 2026 season.
Lewis Hamilton under investigation by FIA stewards after Oscar Piastri incident
The FIA has confirmed a penalty for Lewis Hamilton since this article was published
The Ferrari driver was involved in an impeding incident with Norris’s teammate Piastri in the closing moments of the session.
Piastri encountered a slow moving Hamilton at Turn 1 at the start of his final Q3 lap.
The Australian went on to qualify fifth, 0.477 seconds slower than teammate Norris.
The FIA stewards have launched an investigation into the incident with Hamilton and Piastri summoned.
Both drivers, along with team representatives of Ferrari and McLaren, are required to visit the stewards at 1800 local time in Budapest.
Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference, Hamilton revealed that he was informed too late that Piastri was approaching.
He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I was told literally when he was at the apex behind me, so I had no idea he was coming.
“Everyone came out behind me, I was the first out, so I thought everyone had finished their lap.
“I think Charles was the car that was behind me when I left the pit lane as far as I was aware.
“Crazy because it’d been [a] clean [session] and obviously it wasn’t intentional.”
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The investigation against Hamilton comes after the seven-time world champion questioned Ferrari’s decision to go out first for the final Q3 runs.
He explained: “Lando did the job and did a great lap and I didn’t on the last one and it is what it is.
“I don’t know why we went first and that was a bit of a shock to me. I definitely wouldn’t have chosen to go first, but it is what it is.
“I had a clean out-lap. When I started my lap, already in Turn 1, I had a snap and I was already a tenth and a half down and it just cascaded from there.
“The last lap was the worst lap of all, and all the other laps were really good.
“So we clearly had the car to be on pole today and I just didn’t deliver. That’s tough to swallow.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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