MOGYOROD, Hungary — Team orders came into play during Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix despite the fact that the winning McLaren team swept the top two positions.
Oscar Piastri dominated the race after taking the lead at the green flag, but needed team officials to order his teammate Lando Norris to let him pass in order to become the seventh different Formula 1 winner this season.
It was Piastri’s first Formula 1 victory.
Norris was pitted first by the team during the second round of pit stops and successfully undercut his teammate and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton to lead the race.
McLaren assured Piastri that Norris would cede the lead back to him but for several laps Norris refused. He finally gave way with three laps remaining and finished two seconds behind Piastri as McLaren finished one-two.
“[It’s] very, very special,” said Piastri. “This is really the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of an F-1 podium. Obviously, a bit complicated at the end but I put myself in the right position at the start, and thank you to the team for an amazing effort, and amazing car. It’s a hell of a lot of fun racing for McLaren so I can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to be in F-1, and to be able to win together 18 months in is an incredible feeling.”
Norris took the high road post-race.
“The team asked me to do it, so I did it, and that’s it,” he said. “An amazing day for us as a team. I think that’s the main thing.
“I’m so happy. It’s been a long journey to get to achieving this on merit, and that’s exactly what we did today, and a long way clear of the rest, so we did it in style as well.”
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, claimed the final podium position in third for Mercedes, having faced drama of his own after contact with Max Verstappen during a late-race battle.
Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari, while Verstappen dropped down to fifth.
“The team has done a great job to continue making progress with our car. We knew we didn’t have the speed of Oscar or Lando (Norris) today, but we were able to secure the final spot on the podium,” Hamilton said. “It was a challenge at times to keep Verstappen behind whilst also making the tyres last. Our battle at the end was a little hair-raising but that’s motor racing. I’m really happy to be back on the podium and for another solid points haul. We now head to Spa looking to finish the first half of the season on a high.”