Piastri takes Hungary win after team order controversy

Oscar Piastri has taken his first grand prix victory in Hungary, a race overshadowed by a team order controversy at McLaren.

Lando Norris overtook Piastri in the final pit stop phase of the race and was instructed over the team radio to let the Australian by, despite being over three seconds ahead.

Piastri held the lead for much of the grand prix ahead of Norris until the final stops of the race, and from there, Norris looked as though he would hold on to the position until the chequered flag.

However, with just a handful of laps remaining, Norris pulled over to let Piastri through.

Lewis Hamilton took the final spot on the podium after a late-race battle with Max Verstappen, which saw them make contact at Turn 1. 

The opening stint

Piastri got the better launch off the line as the lights went out and challenged Norris into the first corner, overtaking his team-mate in the process.

Norris also slipped behind Verstappen however four laps later, Verstappen was instructed to hand back back the position after being placed under investigation for overtaking off the track at Turn 1.

Hamilton was the first of the front-runners to pit for Hard tyres on lap 16, and was followed in across the next two laps by Norris and Piastri respectively.

Red Bull opted to leave Verstappen out for longer, pitting the Dutchman on lap 21.

The stop ensured he dropped back to a net fourth place, behind the Mercedes of Hamilton who pitted five laps prior.

Sainz also pitted on the same lap as Verstappen, while Leclerc ditched his Medium tyres for Hards on lap 23.

A battle for third

In the opening laps after the initial pit stops, the drivers settled into a rhythm as to not compromise the life of the tyres.

Lap 28 saw Sergio Perez peel into the pit lane to switch from the Hard tyres to the Mediums, while George Russell, who also endured a difficult qualifying session, pitted on lap 34.

Having pitted later than his direct rivals, Verstappen closed in on Hamilton in the fight for third place, moving within DRS range on lap 33.

On lap 35, Verstappen attacked Hamilton for position with the latter locking up at Turn 1. However, into Turn 2, Verstappen ran wide in his attempt to overtake around the outside.

A handful of laps later, Hamilton and Leclerc, who had joined in on the battle for third, pitted for the second time - Hamilton pitted for Hards while Leclerc switched to the Mediums.

The run to the flag

Up front, the gap between Piastri and Norris came down after the former made a mistake at Turn 11, running wide onto the run-off area.

Lap 45 saw Norris pit for another set of Mediums, with Piastri boxing two laps later and emerging behind Norris, with the Briton moving to the lead of the race.

Verstappen made his second pit stop on lap 49 and re-emerged in fifth place - albeit on a fresh set of tyres.

In the battle for the lead, McLaren pleaded with Norris to give Piastri the position, and finally, with just three laps to go, Norris let Piastri through.

Hamilton took the final spot on the podium, surviving the battle with Verstappen that saw them make contact at Turn 1 towards the end of the race.

Leclerc was fourth ahead of Verstappen, who was launched into the air during his battle with Hamilton.

Sainz was sixth for Ferrari while Sergio Perez and George Russell recovered to seventh and eighth respectively after their disappointing qualifying outings.

Yuki Tsunoda was ninth while Lance Stroll took the final point on offer for Aston Martin.