Lewis Hamilton has voiced his frustration with Ferrari after a botched pit stop strategy and a subsequent penalty saw him drop to fifth place at the Hungarian Grand Prix, widening the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 50 points. The seven-time world champion was classified fifth after receiving a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, a sanction he described as 'pretty frustrating'.
Hamilton had been running in second place before being called in for a late pit stop under the virtual safety car. The move gave him fresh tyres but cost him track position, and he could not recover. 'I definitely don't think we should have taken the stop,' he said. 'I would never have stopped if it meant I was giving up track position.'
The Briton now trails Antonelli by 50 points heading into Formula One's summer break, having incurred a series of penalties in recent races. He hopes to reset and return stronger: 'The second half will be stronger, usually the second half is a stronger period for me.'
Lando Norris claimed his first win of the season for McLaren, outclassing Max Verstappen and Antonelli. The defending champion believes he is driving better than ever, despite Mercedes' dominance through the first half. 'I feel I'm doing a better job this year than I was last year,' Norris said, though he trails Antonelli by 91 points with 12 races remaining.
