5 uncanny similarities between McLaren's last two '1-2' finishes in F1 ft. Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen collision

McLaren pulled off a magical 1-2 finish at the recently concluded Hungarian Grand Prix. The duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri held off the challenges set by Mercedes and Red Bull on repeated occasions, with the latter winning the race while the former finished as the runner-up. This was the first time McLaren occupied the first two spots on the podium since the 2021 Italian GP.

McLaren's 1-2 at Budapest finally paid off after years of development and months of having the fastest car. As of now, Zak Brown's team is riding high and one can expect them to pull off more similar finishes in the future.

Prior to that, let us take a look at the 2024 Hungarian GP and the 2021 Italian GP, which are quite identical in terms of statistics.

Below are five facts that make the two races quite similar:

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#1 An Australian driver beat Lando Norris

Lando Norris was the runner-up on both occasions after an Australian driver beat him. In Hungary this time around, Oscar Piastri beat the Brit to claim the first Grand Prix win of his career. Piastri was leading almost the whole race, and after a team order in the latter stage, he was able to claim the win.

During the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo, another Australian driver, claimed the victory ahead of Norris. After Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen collided in Turn 1, he inherited the lead and went on to win the race.

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#2 McLaren put in team orders

In Hungary, McLaren asked Lando Norris to fall back and give the race lead to Oscar Piastri after the Papayas called for a miscalculated strategy earlier. Although Norris initially hesitated, in the end, obeyed the team's order to allow Piastri to take the victory.

In Monza three years ago, McLaren asked Lando Norris not to push Daniel Ricciardo and maintain the pecking order. Norris obeyed the calls and finished the race in P2, behind the Honey Badger.

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#3 Mercedes in P3

In Hungary, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished the race in P3, behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as he held off repeated attacks by Max Verstappen.

In Monza, the-then Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas (currently in Kick Sauber) took the final podium place behind Ricciardo and Norris.

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#4 Charles Leclerc at P4

Charles Leclerc came home in P4 at Hungaroring, ahead of Max Verstappen in P5, and behind Lewis Hamilton in P3.

Interestingly, the Ferrari driver was also present in P4 in Monza after he finished the race ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Perez in P5.

#5 Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen collision at Turn 1

At Hungaroring, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton made contact at Turn 1 which threw the Dutch driver airborne. In doing so, Verstappen lost his place and conceded positions.

Interestingly, Verstappen and Hamilton were the championship protagonists in 2021 and in Monza, they took themselves out after they collided in Turn 1.

Besides these five facts, here are two more additional statistics for our readers:

In Budapest, Piastri started the race from P2 and went on to win the race.

In Monza, Ricciardo started the race from P2 as well and took the victory.

One more...

In the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri led the race right after the race started. He was followed by P2 Max Verstappen in a Red Bull, P3 Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes, and P4 Lando Norris in a McLaren.

Similar to this, the 2021 Italian Grand Prix also saw Daniel Ricciardo lead the race at Turn 1, followed by Red Bull's Verstappen, Mercedes' Hamilton, and McLaren's Norris.