The Australian converted third on the Hungarian GP grid into the lead within two corners, passing Charles Leclerc at Turn 1 before sweeping ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris when the pole-sitter ran wide at Turn 2.
Piastri controlled the first half of the race and stayed ahead through the opening pit stops, with McLaren later bringing him in for a second time to protect his position from Lewis Hamilton.
He still appeared likely to remain in front once Norris stopped, only for his afternoon to turn while lapping Carlos Sainz on Lap 38.
Sainz moved back towards the racing line at Turn 2 and struck the McLaren, sending Piastri briefly onto the grass and costing him the time Norris needed to complete the overcut one lap later.
“For me, there’s no excuse at all,” Piastri said after the race.
“That’s got to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen on a race track.
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“I don’t really care what excuse you give.”
Second place remained within reach until a gearbox failure brought Piastri to a halt on Lap 56, leaving him empty-handed after leading more than half the grand prix.
“It’s definitely a lost chance, yes,” he said when asked if he felt he had lost a win in Budapest.
“The pace wasn’t great at all on the hard tyres, but I felt like as long as I held track position, I had a decent chance of hanging on to the end.
“It wasn’t going to be pretty, but I felt like it was possible. From that point on, pretty much everything that could have gone wrong, even the things you never think of, did go wrong.”
The retirement completed a miserable outcome, but Hungary may also have provided the strongest evidence yet that Piastri can still win before the season is over.
McLaren introduced a major upgrade package for the weekend and immediately produced its most convincing performance of 2026.
Norris topped final practice, took pole and secured the team’s first grand prix victory since the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Both cars had the pace to fight for the win and appeared headed for a one-two finish before Piastri’s failure.
That represented a major shift from the opening 10 rounds, when McLaren struggled to match Mercedes and Ferrari under the new regulations.
Mercedes won eight of the first 11 races, while Ferrari claimed the other two victories before Norris finally broke their grip in Budapest.
Piastri has reached the podium only twice this year, finishing second in Japan and third in Miami.
Japan was another significant opportunity lost after an unfortunately timed Safety Car disrupted a race in which he had shown the speed to lead before Kimi Antonelli eventually won.
His first retirement of 2026 dropped him to seventh in the drivers’ standings, 36 points behind Norris and 127 points behind championship leader Antonelli.
The contrast with last season is stark.
After 11 rounds in 2025, Piastri had already won five races and held a 15-point championship advantage over Norris.
But his previous seasons also show that a breakthrough can arrive well beyond the opening phase of a campaign.
Piastri’s maiden grand prix victory did not come until Round 13 of his second F1 season, when he won in Hungary in 2024 before adding another victory in Azerbaijan four rounds later.
Even during his unsuccessful 2025 title challenge which fell away significantly in the second half of the season, he still added victories in Belgium at Round 13 and the Netherlands at Round 15 after the midpoint of the campaign.
There are now 12 rounds remaining following Malaysia’s addition to the calendar, leaving Piastri with numerous opportunities if McLaren’s Hungary pace carries across to other circuits.
Norris acknowledged the Hungaroring was particularly well suited to the car, but said he believed the team could continue fighting at the front.
“I certainly believe we can still win races,” he said.
For Piastri, the question is whether those victories will also come his way.
He has been close in Japan and closer still in Hungary, only for circumstances outside his control to deny him on both occasions.
If McLaren’s upgrade has genuinely closed the gap, another chance should arrive.
But if Budapest was merely a circuit-specific peak, time could begin to run short.
So in this week’s poll we’re asking — will Oscar Piastri win a race this season?
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