Piastri wins the Formula1 Ashes at Hungaroring

Claiming victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri secured his inaugural Grand Prix win, becoming the one hundred and fifteenth unique winner in history and the seventh different winner of the season following thirteen races. Noteworthy is the fact that he is the fifth Australian racer to achieve this feat, with the most recent occurrence happening in 2021 at Monza with Daniel Ricciardo.

Oscar began the race impressively by seizing the lead from the first turn and maintaining it throughout. Prior to the race, many fans were worried about McLaren's strategy and the mental readiness of both drivers. However, McLaren effectively handled both drivers, executed well-timed pit stops, and managed the race successfully.

Early on during the attempted overtake of Norris by Verstappen, the Red Bull driver went off track but was able to overtake the McLaren. Verstappen was eventually instructed to allow Norris to regain his position. The thrilling battle between Hamilton and Verstappen for third place unfolded dramatically. Although Verstappen managed to pass Hamilton, he quickly went off track, allowing Hamilton to reclaim third place. Despite making another attempt to overtake, the cars made contact, causing the rear of the Red Bull to lift off the ground before going off track. A yellow flag was immediately waved, but Verstappen managed to rejoin the track and was shown the green flag, placing him in fifth position.

The biggest drama point of all was the instructions by McLaren's race engineer Will Joseph asking Norris to give way to Piastri. Initially, the instructions came across very politely and it was not farfetched at all. Piastri was leading the majority of the race. He pitted and due to strategy, Norris would have passed him. But McLaren made the decision that Piastri should be allowed to reclaim first. Norris obviously would not have been on board, but not until maybe with three laps to go. He did yield, allowing his teammate to reclaim first and claim his first Grand Prix win.

Next up is the Belgian GP, and the McLaren team seems to be in high spirits. They are clearly making progress; their performance has been consistently strong, and they are now closing in on Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship. This marks the third consecutive race that Max has not claimed victory, and the lower his position, the closer the gap becomes in the constructors' championship. This situation underscores the significance of having a reliable teammate and the ability to outperform competitors.

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