Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli will start the Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 from lower positions after both drivers received three-place grid penalties following incidents during qualifying at the Hungaroring.
The FIA stewards handed Hamilton a three-place penalty after he was found guilty of impeding Oscar Piastri during the final moments of Q3. The Ferrari driver was judged to have been driving too slowly on the racing line after completing his lap, forcing Piastri to take avoiding action while attempting to complete his flying lap.
Hamilton had originally secured second place in qualifying, but the penalty drops him down to fifth on the starting grid, making his race strategy more challenging as he loses valuable track position at the beginning of the race.
Meanwhile, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli also received a three-place grid penalty after failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flag conditions during Q3.
The incident occurred when a yellow flag was shown after Max Verstappen experienced a spin on track. The FIA determined that Antonelli did not reduce his speed enough in the affected sector, resulting in a penalty that moves him from fourth place on the grid to seventh.
The penalties have significantly changed the starting order for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lando Norris will remain on pole position, while Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri benefit from the penalties applied to Hamilton and Antonelli.
With both drivers starting further back than expected, Hamilton and Antonelli now face an additional challenge at the Hungaroring, a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult and qualifying position often plays a crucial role in race results.
Updated Starting Grid – Hungarian Grand Prix 2026:
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing
- Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari (-3 positions)
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes (-3 positions)
