Hamilton Hails McLaren's Win, Achieves Milestone

Lewis Hamilton secured his 200th podium, though trailing the Red Bulls, and praised McLaren’s top finish.

Lewis Hamilton achieved his 200th career podium at the Hungarian Grand Prix, marking his 12th at the Hungaroring. The Mercedes F1 driver held off a scrappy Max Verstappen and navigated a collision caused by the Dutchman to finish third behind the duo from his former team, McLaren.

“Thanks to this incredible crowd and huge congratulations to McLaren for their one-two finish. They are my original family and it’s great to see them leading the pack again,” Hamilton stated. “For us, the team did a fantastic job pushing the car.”

“We didn’t have the pace of McLaren or Red Bull, but we hung in there and made the tyres last. The battle at the end of the race really got my adrenaline pumping, but that’s motorsport for you. Thanks to the team.”

The British driver diplomatically commented on the clash with Verstappen: “When you see the pace they had in certain corners, it was fun because that’s not something I could match. Especially in the third sector, he was catching up and braking hard. He braked on the inside, I kept straight, and he clipped my wheel.”

Finally, the seven-time world champion praised Oscar Piastri for his victory: “Incredible, well done to Oscar, he has been doing a fantastic job since he arrived and it was only a matter of time before he won. He maintained a superb pace throughout the race.”