The grid for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix has been disrupted after qualifying, as the FIA announced three-place grid penalties for Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli on Saturday afternoon.
Qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix saw reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris clinch his 17th pole position, his first pole of 2026, ending Mercedes' unbeaten run in GP qualifying this first half of the season.
The McLaren driver, who last season secured victory at the race, would split the front row with seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, as the Brit finished P2 just 0.012 seconds behind.
The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli completed the second row in third and fourth, respectively.
Meanwhile, Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri, who took victory at the Hungaroring in 2024, crossed the finish line fifth, sharing the third row with four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
However, the scenario changed for teams and drivers when the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) handed Hamilton a three-place grid penalty for unnecessarily impeding Piastri's car during Saturday's qualifying.
The driver from Maranello will line up P5 on the grid for tomorrow's race.
The incident took place at Turn 1, and according to the Swewards, "Car 44 was travelling at a significantly reduced speed on the racing line while Car 81 (Piastri) was approaching on a push lap."
Piastri exceeded track limits to avoid Hamilton's car by running wide on his final attempt, eventually aborting the lap.
Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur assessed the team's journey thus far in Hungary, asserting: "The positive aspect of today is the level of competitiveness we have shown. Of course, losing pole by one hundredth of a second and then receiving a three-place grid penalty with Lewis for impeding is frustrating."
"Charles starts from the front row, and Lewis is still close enough to fight, so our objective remains the same: to maximise every opportunity and bring home the best possible result," he concluded.
Then came the confirmation that Mercedes driver Antonelli had also been handed a three-place grid drop for not slowing down sufficiently under single yellow flags at Turn 14.
The drivers' championship leader will start the race from P7.
The official document issued by the FIA notes that the speed reduction occurred for "a very short period, and in fact the car's speed when passing the scene involving Car 3 (Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen) was slightly higher than that on the previous push lap."
"However, in mitigation of penalty, we considered that the driver did make a reduction in speed, albeit, in our determination, an insufficient and unsustained one," the document adds.
"Further, the driver had limited time and distance to react. Hence, a slower penalty is applied."
The Dutchman spun on his last lap, half a second slower than Norris.
"You turn into the corner, and the rear just snaps away. If you take wing off the car, you get understeer, and if you add wing, it just breaks away like that. It is impossible to drive," he commented, visibly disappointed with the lack of downforce during the session.
The new provisional starting grid features Norris on pole, Leclerc P2, Piastri third and Verstappen fourth.
Hamilton is fifth, starting side by side with George Russell in sixth place; Antonelli will line up P7 alongside Red Bull Racing's Isack Hadjar.
Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad and Audi Revolut F1's Nico Hulkenberg complete the top 10.
Afterward, the Italian teenager outlined: "My final lap was strong, probably my best of the weekend so far. I lifted on the final corner because of the yellow flag for Max (Verstappen), and I lost just under two tenths of a second. Unfortunately, that wasn’t deemed sufficient by the stewards."
"Tomorrow is not going to be easy," he further remarked. "Overtaking is going to be difficult, and we are now starting much further back than we could have been. We will be doing everything we can to fight for the win."
Updated.