'Pretty bad': Lewis Hamilton criticises Ferrari after losing points at Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton expressed frustration with his Ferrari team after he dropped points in the title battle against Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lando Norris returned to form, with the defending world champion claiming his first race victory of the season.

At the Hungaroring Hamilton crossed the line in fourth place on the track but a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane demoted him to fifth in the official classification. The penalty cost him positions in a race that saw McLaren’s Norris take the win, Max Verstappen finish second for Red Bull and Antonelli come home third. Hamilton questioned the team’s strategy after being handed the penalty.

Hamilton lost a place as a direct consequence of the five-second penalty imposed for speeding in the pit lane, a sanction that altered his on-track result into a fifth-place finish. The demotion was decisive in the race outcome for the Ferrari driver, who had been competing for maximum points in the championship fight. Team calls and the execution of the stop were focal points of his post-race frustration.

The outcome at the Hungaroring affected the dynamics between Hamilton and his nearest rival, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, in what remains a closely fought title battle. Hamilton’s failure to convert his on-track position into a stronger classified result has immediate bearing on his chase for the championship. The penalty and its timing were cited by Hamilton as central to the lost opportunity.

McLaren’s Lando Norris emerged as the winner of the Grand Prix, reclaiming momentum with the season’s first victory for the defending world champion. Max Verstappen secured second place for Red Bull, while Antonelli completed the podium in third. The podium order underlined a competitive race among the front-running teams.

Ferrari will need to assess the sequence that led to the pit-lane infringement and the team’s tactical decisions during the stop, amid Hamilton’s public airing of dissatisfaction. The five-second penalty remains the official reason for the change from fourth on track to a fifth-place classification. Hamilton’s questioning of the strategy reflects the immediate fallout for the Scuderia.

The race at the Hungaroring delivered a significant weekend for Norris and a frustrating one for Hamilton, whose penalty curtailed what had been a stronger on-track showing. The classified results — Norris first, Verstappen second for Red Bull and Antonelli third — stand, and Hamilton’s fifth-place finish will be scrutinised by his team as they aim to respond in coming events.