Oscar Piastri took his first ever Formula One triumph in dramatic circumstances after Lando Norris belatedly followed McLaren team orders on the 68th lap to allow his team-mate to claim victory at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2024.
Piastri took the lead from Norris at Turn One and led for most of the race until an earlier final pit stop for the Briton put him in front.
Norris seemed set to disobey the instruction to let Piastri past but eventually relented after being reminded of his responsibilities by his engineer, Will Joseph.
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“The team asked me to do it, so I did it,” Norris said when he was asked about the controversy afterwards.
“That’s it. It’s an amazing day for us as a team. I think that’s the main thing, honestly. Oscar had a good start, got me off the line and controlled the race well. It was coming at some point and he deserved it today.”
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who was forced to allow Norris past following an incident at the start of the race, went head-to-head for third for much of the contest, Hamilton eventually claiming the spot while the reigning champion came fifth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
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Lando Norris: Hungary win ‘a dream’
“It was a bit complicated at the end but I put myself in the right position at the start,” said Norris, calling the result “very, very special”.
“The longer you leave it, the more you get a bit nervous. It was well executed by the team and it was the right thing.
“My pace probably wasn’t as quick as I would have liked in the last stint but I was still in the right position to make it happen.
🏁 RACE CLASSIFICATION 🏁
How we finished in Hungary. McLaren’s 1-2, Perez and Russell fighting back to the points and a retirement for Gasly#F1 #HUNGARIANGP pic.twitter.com/mzf87ZsGQW
— Formula 1 (@F1) JULY 21, 2024
“It’s the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of an F1 podium. Thank you to the team for an amazing effort and an amazing car.
“It’s a hell of a lot of fun, racing with McLaren. I can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity.
“It’s an incredible feeling. [The car is] a beast at the moment, fast in every condition. We had it in control completely. It was an amazing feeling.”
