Hamilton loses P2 after Qualifying incident in Hungary - Formula 1

What the report says

Formula 1 reported that Lewis Hamilton has been given a three-place grid penalty for the Hungarian Grand Prix after a qualifying incident at the Hungaroring involving McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. Hamilton had originally qualified second for Ferrari, but the penalty drops him to fifth on the starting grid.

The incident occurred during the closing stages of qualifying as the top-10 runners prepared their final attempts. Hamilton had briefly gone fastest before McLaren’s Lando Norris improved to take pole position. Piastri was on a push lap when he came upon Hamilton at Turn 1, where the Ferrari was moving slowly on the racing line. Piastri had to run wide, exceeded track limits and abandoned the lap, leaving him fifth before the penalty was applied.

According to Formula 1, stewards reviewed evidence including video, telemetry, team radio and onboard footage, and heard from Hamilton, Piastri and team representatives. The stewards found that Hamilton had unnecessarily impeded Piastri. Hamilton told officials he had just completed a fast lap and did not receive the warning about Piastri’s approach until the McLaren was already close; he also said Piastri was not visible in his mirrors because of the position of his car.

The revised grid order promotes Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Piastri by one place, with Piastri moving to fourth. The decision matters because it changes the competitive picture near the front of the grid at a circuit where track position is often especially important.