Hungary 2026: McLaren explains Piastri call

Reports from Autosport and Motorsport.com say McLaren explained Oscar Piastri’s Hungary strategy after traffic behind Carlos Sainz hit his race.

McLaren’s explanation of Oscar Piastri’s strategy call in Hungary has emerged through reports from Autosport and Motorsport.com after the team’s fight at the front with Lando Norris. Both outlets reported that team principal Andrea Stella set out the thinking behind McLaren’s second pitstop sequence, while Formula1.com reported that Stella later praised the way Norris and Piastri raced each other.

Autosport and Motorsport.com reported that Piastri’s radio frustration followed his second stop, which dropped him into traffic behind backmarker Carlos Sainz. Those reports said Piastri described the blue-flag incident with Sainz as unacceptable, but accepted McLaren’s strategy despite the setback. Formula1.com also reported that changing wind conditions across the weekend played a part in how Norris’s race developed.

Norris arrived in Hungary fifth in the drivers’ championship on 128 points and has 11 wins and 16 poles from 161 Grands Prix with McLaren. Piastri was seventh on 92 points before the weekend and had entered 79 Formula 1 races since his 2023 debut, adding extra weight to the reported scrutiny around McLaren’s call.