Verstappen loses his head as Piastri leads unhappy Norris in McLaren one-two (2024)

Lando Norris started on pole but faced threats from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen - all of whom went into the first corner fighting for the lead

They started in first and second and finished that way - but Oscar Piastri was the one who won the Hungarian Grand Prix after team-mate Lando Norris eventually listened to orders to let him pass at the end.

The 70-lap race was, in truth, won at the first corner as Piastri got the better launch to be involved in a three-car fight for the lead with Max Verstappen. The Aussie emerged in front while Norris got second place back after the Red Bull racer was told to give it up or risk a penalty.

Circ*mstances saw Norris pitted before Piastri on both occasions during the race, the second of which allowed the Briton to undercut his team-mate. McLaren's order was for Norris to give the place back when he got the chance, though there were some doubts as to whether he would do so as he complained over the radio.

Eventually, though, a displeased Norris allowed Piastri back through to take his first ever F1 victory and become the seventh race winner of 2024. Verstappen also complained throughout the Grand Prix about his Red Bull car and strategy and collided with Lewis Hamilton late on and missed out on the podium as a result.

Norris' preparations were hampered on his reconnaissance lap as he reported a throttle issue to his team. McLaren worked hard to fix it and did so in time for the start of the Grand Prix, but that didn't prevent the Briton from having a disastrous launch off the line.

He battled with team-mate Piastri and Verstappen heading into turn one, which saw the Red Bull racer take a detour off track. By the time he came back on, he was second ahead of Norris while it was the Australian Piastri who had taken the lead early on.

Norris complained and Verstappen offered his defence, both driver lighting up the radio airwaves with their protestations. Worried that McLaren would win that argument, Red Bull told their furious driver to let the Briton back through and, after complaining, he followed that order.

It avoided a penalty, but the Dutchman was not having a good day. He was complaining about his car throughout, including one message in which he reported: "I can't brake and I can't enter corners." He was clearly unhappy with the balance of his 'upgraded' RB20, while the McLarens looked so much more comfortable.

Hamilton was the first of the front-runner to pit as Mercedes pulled off a successful undercut on Verstappen. But Red Bull were happy to wait for five more laps before bringing their driver in so that he would have a pace advantage over his old rival when he went back on track.

Verstappen thought he had got the move done at half distance, lap 35 of 70, after a Hamilton lock up into turn one opened the door. But the Dutchman carried too much speed into the next corner which saw him move past the Mercedes but then lose grip out wide and go off track.

In the end, he had to wait until Hamilton pitted for a second time to get out from behind the seven-time champion. Verstappen fumed again over the radio about the strategy which allowed him to be undercut in the first place - a fair point, considering he had fallen more than 10 seconds behind leader Piastri amid all the battling with Hamilton.

When he eventually came back across the Briton, he attempted the overtake into turn one but they collided, sending the Red Bull up into the air. Verstappen survived the contact but finished fifth, behind both Hamilton and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

After more than 20 laps of being told by McLaren to give the lead back to Piastri, Norris finally obliged with just two laps to go and the threat of a McLaren civil war had dissipated. But the Briton was definitely not happy about it one bit and told his team he didn't want to hear anything else from them over the radio.