- Oscar Piastri takes the lead at the Hungarian Grand Prix
- He surprised Lando Norris and Max Verstappen on the first lap
- Piastri aims to win his first Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri surprised everyone by leaving Lando Norris and Max Verstappen speechless and taking the lead in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
But it was an incredible – if prolonged – act of generosity from the British star that resulted in Piastri taking his first ever Grand Prix win in the most terrifying of team tussles in Budapest.
In a stunning move that once again demonstrated the Australian’s credentials as a world champion of the future, the 23-year-old kept his cool as he went wheel-to-wheel in a three-way race into the first corner as the lights went out.
Occupying the inside line thanks to his P2 qualifying position in Saturday’s penalty shoot-out, Piastri moved in front of McLaren team-mate Norris, forcing the Briton to go wide, which in turn pushed Verstappen off the track.
Verstappen returned to the track in second position and while the Melbourne native stretched his legs at the front, Norris and the Dutchman spent the next few laps fighting over the incident, with the Red Bull ace forced to hand over the baton.
As the race progressed, Norris gradually closed the gap on Piastri, while Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton threatened from behind. In an attempt to prevent the Red Bull and Mercedes stars from taking the top two spots, McLaren called the Briton into the pits for a second tyre change.
Oscar Piastri surprised Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the Hungarian Grand Prix
The Australian was aiming to win his first Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.
But it inadvertently meant Norris was ahead of Piastri after the Australian made his change, meaning McLaren had a decision to make.
McLaren ordered Norris to hand the position back to his team-mate, but the Briton refused to comply amid increasingly frustrated calls from the garage.
As social media was flooded with complaints from fans claiming Piastri was being “duped” by Norris and the team, the Briton showed a surprising change of heart with three laps remaining.
He moved aside in the final straight, allowing Piastri to overtake him and thus take the victory.
Piastri has enjoyed a solid second season with Papaya, although he has been unable to secure the first Grand Prix victory that his driving has earned him.
Norris, who took pole position on Sunday, expressed full confidence he could convert his front-row start into a win before the lights went out.
“I hope to win, and if I don’t, it’s not been a good day,” he said. “The car is feeling good, I’m driving well, so it’s clear what the target is.”
More to follow.