BUDAPEST.- Oscar Piastri won his first race Formula 1 and completed the 1-2 of McLaren after Lando Norris finished second in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The incredible result came after a long and at times awkward exchange between the British team and its main driver until Norris obeyed orders and let Piastri through.
Piastri started second behind Norris and passed him on the first lap. Norris then took the lead after a strategic stop on the track that favoured him despite being behind his teammate, but he eventually listened to orders and let Piastri through for the win.
“This is the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on top of the podium,” said the 23-year-old. “It was a bit of a struggle at the end, but I got into a good position from the start. I trusted Lando and I think it was a fair decision to make the change at the end.”
Lewis Hamilton finished third, taking his podium finish to 200.
Max Verstappen, the leader of the standings, finished fifth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and made it three races without a win. The Dutchman has a 265-point advantage to Norris’ 189.
DRAMA
But McLaren’s victory will be remembered for the team’s debate over which driver would ultimately come out on top.
The team initially told Piastri the pit strategy was to ensure Norris could keep Hamilton at bay, but Norris was asked to step down “when convenient”.
However, they continued to add laps and Norris failed to deliver and McLaren informed Piastri that he could regain the place when he caught up with his teammate. Eventually, the team implored Norris to let Piastri pass.
“We know you’ll do the right thing,” the team told Norris. After a long silence, Norris replied, “Tell him to catch me, please.”
Tensions grew until Norris calmed down and allowed Piastri to overtake him with two laps remaining.
Piastri and Norris exchanged a greeting as they removed their helmets and were later congratulated by McLaren staff and other drivers.
“A great day as a team, that’s the most important thing. I’m very happy. It’s been a long journey to achieve it on merit,” said Norris. “Oscar started well. He was going to win at some point and he deserves it today.”
