HAMILTON SCHLÄGT ZURÜCK! Ferrari-Fehler kostete ihn laut eigener Aussage den Podiumsplatz in Ungarn
Lewis Hamilton believes a second-place finish was within reach at the Hungarian GP had it not been for his late pit stop and subsequent time penalty. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, after the race, the Ferrari driver lamented the strategic decisions that ultimately cost him a podium finish.
Starting from the front row in second, Lewis Hamilton was unable to convert his strong qualifying performance into a podium finish.After initially running in podium contention, Ferrari brought Hamilton in for a second pit stop on Lap 57 to switch to another set of soft tyres.
The Briton believed he had enough pace to comfortably reach the finish on the hard compound, but the team opted to mirror teammate Charles Leclerc’s strategy. At the time, Hamilton was running fourth behind Kimi Antonelli before overtaking the Mercedes driver. He was later passed by Max Verstappen while navigating lapped traffic.
Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in third, but a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane demoted him to fifth, dropping him behind both Antonelli and Leclerc and capping off another frustrating weekend in which a potential podium slipped away.
The Hungaroring has traditionally been one of Hamilton’s strongest circuits, with the seven-time world champion holding a record eight victories at the venue. Reflecting on the race, Hamilton felt a second-place finish was achievable had it not been for the final pit stop and the time penalty.
He admitted he was puzzled by Ferrari’s decision to pit him so late in the race, believing he had the pace to remain on track and challenge for second place. In his view, the combination of the additional pit stop and the penalty ultimately denied him what could have been another podium finish.
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Asked by Sportskeeda if a win was within reach if it were not for the pitstop and penalty, Lewis Hamilton said:
“Yeah, yeah. As I said, I was P2. Should have just stayed out. But I need to go and see why the team called me in.”
Further explaining the events that unfolded, Lewis Hamilton said:
“I am not sure why we stopped at the end I got called right before the pitlane entry, so I didn’t have time to debate it. I would never have stopped if it meant that I was giving up track position. So I thought that that would not be the case. I think we probably would have lost out to Max, probably used some fresher tyres. I would imagine, maybe, in that last stint, but I think we, I may have been able to hold onto the two, he was catching me. But most likely, it would have been P3 and much better than fifth. I’ve got a bunch of points.”
Lewis Hamilton blames himself for the lack of results since the British GP
Lewis Hamilton took responsibility for missing out on podium finishes over the last four race weekends, admitting that several avoidable mistakes have cost him stronger results. Speaking after the Hungarian GP, the Ferrari driver was self-critical of his performances and expressed a desire to use the summer break to reset ahead of the second half of the season.
Since his victory at the Barcelona GP, Hamilton has narrowly missed the podium on multiple occasions. He finished fourth at both the British and Belgian Grands Prix before crossing the line fifth in Austria and Hungary. Despite Ferrari showing competitive pace during that period, the Briton believes errors on his part have prevented him from converting those opportunities into podium finishes.
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Hamilton was candid in assessing his recent form, insisting that he had made mistakes that were within his control and could have been avoided. Rather than attributing the results to the car or the team, the seven-time world champion placed the responsibility on himself and said he intends to use the summer break to recharge and return to the level of consistency and competitiveness he displayed earlier in the 2026 season.
Asked about the streak of races where he’s missed out on podiums, Lewis Hamilton said:
“Ultimately, I think the last two races have been pretty bad from my side. I mean, Silverstone was my fault with the start. You know, we did talk in the drivers briefing about the fact that they’re inconsistent with the start, just been drivers in the past that have moved and haven’t been penalised. We discussed with them, the fact that as long as you’re not moving, when the lights, the last lights are on, you shouldn’t be penalised, because I didn’t, I wasn’t out my box, and they agreed. So they’re looking into that for the future. The last race, even the driver that I collided with, said that it was just a race incident, and they gave me that one, and they dished out. That one was not needed. That’s cost me a lot of points.
He added,
“And then the one yesterday was really just unfortunate, my… I take responsibility, ultimately, on track. I should have looked in to my mirrors, but I thought everyone would have been on the end of the end of the first lap. The information I got was right at the end, right by the time he was up behind me. So that was communication error. I’ll work hard to come back and reset, still lots of positives to take. But I will try and make sure I don’t give them any reason to give any penalties.”
While Lewis Hamilton has been critical of his own performances over the last four race weekends, his consistency throughout the 2026 season remains remarkable. His lowest finish so far has been sixth place in Miami, and he remains the only driver in the top 10 of the drivers’ championship to have finished every race and scored points at every round.
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In Hungary, a five-second penalty denied Hamilton the opportunity to finish ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Nevertheless, he remains the closest challenger to the Mercedes driver in the championship standings. As it stands, Hamilton has amassed 169 points, while Antonelli leads the championship with 219, giving the Mercedes driver a 50-point advantage. George Russell sits third on 160 points, nine behind Hamilton and 59 adrift of his teammate.
With 12 rounds still remaining, a 50-point deficit is far from decisive. Hamilton has overturned comparable and even larger championship gaps during his career, and if Ferrari can continue to develop at its current rate while maintaining its competitiveness, the seven-time world champion remains firmly in contention for the title fight in the second half of the season.
