Lewis Hamilton suffers SHOCKING first lap as Daniel RICCIARDO caught in turn 1 tangle

Hungarian Grand Prix

Hamilton suffers SHOCKING first lap as RICCIARDO caught in turn 1 tangle

The seven-time world champion has work to do after a horror start to the race

Joe Ellis

Sunday 23 July 2023 15:11 Updated: 20:01

Lewis Hamilton had an awful first lap at the Hungarian Grand Prix, losing three places in the first sector.

Max Verstappen got down the inside into Turn 1 and edged him wide, opening the door for Oscar Piastri to sneak into second.

Lando Norris then went all the way around the outside of Hamilton at Turn 2 thanks to his brand-new medium tyres.

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Meanwhile, three cars tangled in the midfield – leaving Esteban Ocon out of the race with a mangled rear and Daniel Ricciardo running right at the back of the pack.

Nightmare scenario

For the general F1 fan, the last thing anybody wanted to see was Verstappen leading out of the first corner and heading towards another victory.

But credit to the Dutchman, his start was good enough to deny Hamilton the inside line and give him control of the field.

By taking his arch-rival wide, Piastri was given a clean run to take second while Norris was held up on the outside of that battle.

Hamilton had enough of looking at the back of a McLaren at Silverstone as Norris kept him at bay so he would quite like to get past them and chase after Verstappen once more if he can.