Seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton secured his 200th career podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, cementing his status as one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history. Starting from 5th position on medium tires, Hamilton made impressive gains early in the race, moving up the grid. He opted for an alternative strategy, becoming the first of the front-runners to pit on lap 17 for hard tires and again on lap 41 for another set of hard compounds.
Despite the strategy not proving to be the optimal choice, Hamilton put up a strong defense against Max Verstappen’s late charge. The two drivers made contact at Turn 1 on lap 63 after Verstappen locked up, sending the Red Bull partially airborne. Hamilton later commented on the incident, stating, “He sent it up the inside, I stayed calm. I think it was a racing accident.”
Despite the challenges, Hamilton finished the race in 3rd place, extending his record for most podium finishes in Formula 1 to an impressive 200. When asked about his overall result, he expressed gratitude to the fans and congratulated McLaren on their 1-2 finish, acknowledging the team as his “old original family.”
The Hungarian Grand Prix saw a thrilling victory for McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who claimed his first-ever Formula 1 win. Starting second behind teammate Lando Norris, Piastri made a brilliant start, taking the lead and maintaining a strong pace throughout the race. However, a strategic decision by the team to prioritize Norris’ pit stop led to Piastri losing the lead after his own stop.
In the closing stages, the team asked Norris to relinquish the position to Piastri, which he did after a lengthy radio conversation emphasizing the importance of the team over individual advantage. Piastri expressed his joy at achieving his childhood dream of standing on the top step of an F1 podium, thanking the team for providing him with a fantastic car and race. Norris finished second after a disappointing start and the team’s decision to swap positions.
The Formula 1 circus now heads to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium from July 26-28 before the summer break, with Hamilton looking to build on his impressive milestone and continue his pursuit of more success in the sport.
200 Podiums! 🏆❤️
In the time since LH’s first podium we’ve seen
– 59 different drivers in F1
– 17 new race winners
– 6 different world championsBut there’s only ever been one Sir Lewis Hamilton! 🐐❤️🔥
Advertisement🎨 x @JCDesignn pic.twitter.com/ronMM5tbmB
— Team LH (@Team_LH) July 22, 2024
