Piastri Wins First F1 Race after Norris Obeys Team Orders in 1-2 for McLaren at Hungarian GP

 McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri (R) is congratulated by McLaren's British driver Lando Norris on the podium after the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring race track in Mogyorod near Budapest on July 21, 2024. (AFP)
McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri (R) is congratulated by McLaren's British driver Lando Norris on the podium after the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring race track in Mogyorod near Budapest on July 21, 2024. (AFP)
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Piastri Wins First F1 Race after Norris Obeys Team Orders in 1-2 for McLaren at Hungarian GP

 McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri (R) is congratulated by McLaren's British driver Lando Norris on the podium after the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring race track in Mogyorod near Budapest on July 21, 2024. (AFP)
McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri (R) is congratulated by McLaren's British driver Lando Norris on the podium after the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring race track in Mogyorod near Budapest on July 21, 2024. (AFP)

Australian driver Oscar Piastri won his first Formula One race after teammate Lando Norris handed him back the lead to complete a McLaren one-two at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

That outstanding result came after a long and at times awkward back-and-forth between the British team and its top driver before Norris finally obeyed orders to let Piastri back in front.

Piastri started second behind pole-sitting Norris and beat him to the first turn. Norris then got ahead after a pit-stop strategy that favored him despite being behind his teammate, but he eventually listened to team orders and let Piastri take the victory.

"This is the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of the podium," the 23-year-old Piastri said. "A bit complicated at the end, but I put myself in a good position off the start.

"I had a lot of trust in Lando, and I think it was a fair decision to swap us back at the end."

Lewis Hamilton finished third behind the papaya-colored pair for his record-extending 200th career podium.

Points leader Max Verstappen finished fifth behind Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari and has now gone three races without a victory. Verstappen still leads the standings with 265 points to Norris' 189 but the Dutchman has seen Red Bull's speed advantage evaporate this summer.

RADIO DRAMA

McLaren's huge victory will also be remembered for the team debate over which driver would finally come out on top.

At first, the team told Piastri that the pit strategy was to ensure Norris could keep Hamilton at bay, while asking Norris to give the place back "at his convenience."

As the laps ticked by and Norris didn't budge, McLaren told Piastri that he could get back in front when he caught up with Norris. Finally, the team turned to pleading with Norris just to let Piastri by.

"I know you will do the right thing," the team told Norris. After a long silence, Norris replied "tell him to catch up then please."

The tension was building until Norris eased up and allowed Piastri past with two laps to go.

Piastri and Norris exchanged a brief handshake while taking off their helmets and after both were congratulated by McLaren staff and other drivers.

"I don’t know any driver who when leading the race is happy to swap back, that’s not the nature of drivers," McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said. "That’s why we have to recall our principles ... in these battles, Lando will need the support of Oscar and the support of the team."

Lando had no harsh words before stepping onto the second spot on the winners podium, even though he had come so close to adding to his maiden F1 win in Miami in May — and to chipping further into Verstappen's advantage in the standings.

"An amazing day as a team, that is the main thing. I am so happy. It has been a long journey to achieve this on merit," Norris said after his 12th career runner-up finish. "Oscar had a good start. (His win) was coming at some point, and he deserved it today."

When asked directly about the decision to cede his lead, Norris said curtly: "The team asked me to do it so I did it, that’s it."

Piastri, for his part, took a long breath when asked how he spent the 20-laps trailing Norris before admitting it was an anxious spell.

"The longer you leave it, the more you get a bit nervous, but yeah, I think it was the right thing," he said.

Piastri became the seventh different winner in 13 races this season that started looking like another cruise for the three-time defending champion Verstappen but has now turned into a fight. Red Bull saw its lead in the constructors championship reduced to 389-338 over McLaren, after Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez continued to struggle and finished seventh.

Piastri was a champion in F3 and F2 before he made the jump to the motorsport’s elite competition last season with McLaren. It was the Melbourne native's first victory in 35 F1 races. He finished runner-up twice recently, in Monaco and Austria. His previous biggest F1 achievement was winning the sprint race at Qatar in 2023.

Born in April 2001, Piastri became the first F1 winner born in this century.

VERSTAPPEN VS HAMILTON

While McLaren was unchallenged on the track, Hamilton and Verstappen delivered the most exciting driving at the Hungaroring.

Hamilton had already held off Verstappen during a long stretch before the Dutchman tried again to pass him on the final laps with third place at stake.

But as Verstappen lunged past Hamilton on the inside of a right-hand corner, he locked his front wheels and his back clipped Hamilton's Mercedes, sending the Red Bull's rear airborne before veering off the track. Verstappen got back into the race but had lost a place to Leclerc in the process.

"The close battle we had at the end was a bit hair-raising, but that is racing," Hamilton said.

Carlos Sainz was sixth in the other Ferrari. Mercedes' George Russell was eighth, behind Pérez. Yuki Tsunoda of RB and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll closed out the points positions.

The Hungarian GP marks the start of the second half of the season. Next up is the Belgian GP on July 28.



Swiatek and Rybakina Serve up Bagels en Route to Victories at Indian Wells 

Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a backhand in her match against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 09, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a backhand in her match against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 09, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Swiatek and Rybakina Serve up Bagels en Route to Victories at Indian Wells 

Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a backhand in her match against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 09, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a backhand in her match against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 09, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Defending champion Iga Swiatek crushed Dayana Yastremska 6-0 6-2 and 2023 champion Elena Rybakina powered past Britain's Katie Boulter 6-0 7-5 to reach the fourth round of Indian Wells on Sunday with displays of dominance.

Swiatek, seeded second, is aiming to become the first woman to win the tournament three times and the Polish player looked eager to do so in as little time on court as possible, reeling off 10 games in a row and needing just 65 minutes to see off her Ukrainian opponent.

"At the end I got a bit tired, it's always hard to finish a match like that but I'm happy that I kept my intensity up in the last game to close it," she said.

"I had control from the beginning so I'm happy with the performance for sure."

It was Swiatek's second bagel set of the tournament after she overwhelmed Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-0 in her first match.

The five-times major champion has not won a title since her triumph at Roland Garros in 2024, her longest drought since winning her first major title in 2020.

She served a one-month suspension in October for a failed drug test and has seen Aryna Sabalenka take her world number one ranking but said the California desert is an ideal setting to get back to winning ways.

"It's amazing, I love coming here," she said.

"I already have my routine so it feels like home. It's for sure the place to be and a great place to play tennis."

Swiatek will face 15th seed Karolina Muchova in the round of 16 after the Czech player beat her compatriot Katerina Siniakova in the afternoon.

After cruising through the first set, Rybakina fell behind 5-3 in the second before regrouping.

She stretched to hit a sensational defensive shot in a game where she broke back for 5-5 and broke again on match point to seal the win.

Rybakina, who missed last year's tournament due to an illness, will play ninth-seeded teenager Mirra Andreeva in a rematch of their Dubai semi-final, which the Russian won in three sets en route to becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1000 title.

Andreeva is coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, who the 17-year-old said was keeping her focused.

"She already told me that she booked a court at 12 p.m," she told reporters after her night match. "I see not much time passed from the match... she's just like this, but it's not bad."

Ukrainian Elina Svitolina upset 14th seed Danielle Collins 6-2 6-4 and will face another American, fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the next round after she breezed past China's Wang Xinyu 6-2 6-1.

Svitolina's countrywoman Marta Kostyuk beat American wildcard Caroline Dolehide 6-3 6-3.

MEDVEDEV, TSITSIPAS ADVANCE

On the men's side, Stefanos Tsitsipas showed off his impressive athleticism and defense, leaping for overheads and speeding around the court to beat Italy's Matteo Berrettini 6-3 6-3.

"I'm approaching these matches with determination and willingness to just leave it all out there on the court," Tsitsipas said.

"I want to get out there on the court and be a gladiator, and that's how I approach every single match I get to play."

The Greek eighth seed will face battle-tested Holger Rune after the Danish player dug deep to outlast Frenchman Ugo Humbert 5-7 6-4 7-5 with the backing of the crowd on center court.

"I tried to be brave," Rune said of his play over the final two games of the match.

"The energy on this court was truly amazing."

Daniil Medvedev was on court for just 10 minutes before his American opponent Alex Michelsen was forced to retire due to illness after two games.

The Russian fifth seed has lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells final the past two years, and the Spaniard is once again on the opposite side of the draw.

Medvedev will next face popular American Tommy Paul, who notched his 50th win at a Masters 1000 tournament with a 6-3 7-5 victory over Britain's Cameron Norrie.

Unheralded Japanese player Yosuke Watanuki was all smiles while upsetting American Frances Tiafoe 6-4 7-6(6) to notch the biggest win of his career.

"I tried to enjoy today," said Watanuki, who is ranked world number 349. "Even though I missed a terrible backhand, it is Indian Wells, center court. So even though I missed, I was happy,"

Tallon Griekspoor toppled 29th-seeded Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Sunday after stunning top seed Alexander Zverev in the previous round.

Griekspoor pounded 10 aces and broke Mpetshi Perricard's mighty serve twice en route to the win.

Southern California native Marcos Giron came from behind to beat Alexei Popyrin 5-7 6-3 6-3 in a match where the struggling Australian converted just one of his 15 break point chances.

It is the 31-year-old Giron's first time reaching the fourth round of the tournament.