Autobayng News Team
Oscar Piastri demonstrated a keen eye and quick thinking as he avoided a setback which could have cost him the lead of the Hungarian Grand Prix early on.
The McLaren driver was doomed not to finish the race for reasons beyond his control. But he was fully on top of the situation after snatching the lead from team mate Lando Norris at the start.
While Piastri led a queue comprising Norris, Max Verstappen and the Ferrari drivers, his McLaren team was alert to the threat from Lewis Hamilton behind. They summoned Piastri into the pits soon after Hamilton pitted and Verstappen responded.
However as he exited the penultimate corner on lap 15, Piastri spotted the ailing Cadillac of Valtteri Bottas ahead, smoke pouring from its front-left wheel. McLaren did not have time to tell him to stay out but Piastri made the call for himself.
“I was going to get blocked by the Cadillac,” Piastri told his race engineer Tom Stallard after choosing to pass by the pit entrance. Had he come in, he could well have been delayed behind the Cadillac, which Bottas brought to a stop after rounding the long final corner.
Piastri came in the next time by and made his pit stop while retaining the net lead of the race.
Piastri’s radio messages before his first pit stop
| Lap: 14/70 PIA: 1’25.681 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Green shape four, green shape four. Oscar, do you think this is plan A? Hamilton has pitted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Oscar, I need to know, do you think this is plan A? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | I mean, the tyres look okay, but I am struggling with the rear. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 15/70 PIA: 1’25.643 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Verstappen has pitted. Oscar, we need to choose plan A, plan B. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Oscar, we think plan A. Use the pace now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Copy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | We’re box this lap. Box this lap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Copy, box. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Piastri does not pit I was going to get blocked by the Cadillac. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 16/70 PIA: 1’28.518 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Oscar use maximum pace this lap, maximum pace this lap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Use boost now, we’re box this lap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Copy that. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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However Piastri was doomed to lose the lead of the race before his eventual retirement. Having made his second pit stop before Norris, Piastri was pushing to stay close enough to his team mate when he was badly held up by Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jnr, tangling with the latter.
| Lap: 31/70 PIA: 1’25.843 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Hamilton’s pitting, Oscar, we need to use pace now, Verstappen last lap did 25.4, tyres a couple of laps older than us? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Yeah, I don’t really have any. The car has been super inconsistent on this tyre. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Understood. Can see it’s difficult, it’ll get harder with backmarkers, but we just want good pace now, everything we can. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 34/70 PIA: 1’44.099 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Oscar this stint, make sure you set up the line for turn three. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Albon ahead should get blue flags. Albon ahead will get a blue flag. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 35/70 PIA: 1’23.896 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Lando currently one-and-a-half seconds behind your pit window. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 36/70 PIA: 1’24.135 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Opportunity turns six-seven, more progressive steer into six if you can. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 37/70 PIA: 1’25.506 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Leclerc’s just pitted from ahead of you. There’s three blue flags first. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Lando’s doing 24.7. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Should get blue flags here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 38/70 PIA: 1’26.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Come on, these need to move. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | We should get blue flags, Sainz and Alonso. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Exit turn three Mate is he fucking stupid or what? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Exit turn five Get out of the fucking way you idiot! Oh my god. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Car looks okay. Alonso ahead should get blues, Lando’s on your pit window so use pace now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 39/70 PIA: 1’24.402 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Lando’s pitting this lap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 40/70 PIA: 1’24.873 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | So you could use boost, close with Lando. Play it sensible, though. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Norris leaves the pits in front of Piastri Oscar that’s Sainz that’s cost us that. Target is to get to the end on this tyre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | Ah, mate. It’s better you don’t fucking talk to me now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Understood, I need you to get to the end on this tyre. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2026 Hungarian Grand Prix
- “It was the throttle pedal”: What Mercedes told Russell about his terrible start
- How Piastri’s quick thinking avoided a slow pit stop early in the race
- “Every opportunity I give those stewards…”: Hamilton laments fifth penalty in six rounds
- Second place “an over-performance compared to what we expected” – Verstappen
- “Disgraceful”: Wolff criticises “Teletubbies” at rival teams over blue flags delay
Browse all 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix articles
Published by
Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 – when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring journalist, Keith began running the site full-time in 2010, achieving a long-held ambition to dedicate his full attention to his passion for motor racing. View all posts by Keith Collantine
