F1 drivers to hold talks with FIA at Hungarian Grand Prix

Photo: © IMAGO

Hungarian Grand Prix

F1 drivers to hold talks with FIA at Hungarian Grand Prix

Ferrari stars Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were involved in incidents in Belgium

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 22 July 2026 18:55

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F1 drivers are set to meet with F1 governing body the FIA this weekend to discuss some recent rulings.

The 2026 season heads to Hungary this weekend for the 11th round of the season, with the three-way championship battle between Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and leader Kimi Antonelli hotting up.

Antonelli now has a 45-point lead at the top of the standings, meaning Hamilton and Russell need to start winning races regularly to have any chance of catching the young Italian.

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At the Belgian Grand Prix last time out, Antonelli claimed his sixth race win of the season, while team-mate Russell crashed out on the opening lap. But Hamilton recovered from an early penalty to finish fourth, limiting the damage in the standings to just 13 points.

But that early penalty - which ended all hope of the seven-time champion being able to challenge for the victory - was the result of a controversial decision.

Hamilton came together with Russell on the exit of turn three on the opening lap, with the pair battling for fourth position following a slipstream for Hamilton heading down the straight after Eau Rouge.

Hamilton's left front wheel went into Russell's Mercedes, spinning him around and out of the race. Hamilton pleaded his case via team radio, while even Russell claimed in his post-race interview that it was a 'racing incident', yet Hamilton was later handed a five-second time penalty.

Hamilton penalised, Leclerc let off

The decision to penalise Hamilton was made even more controversial by the fact that his team-mate Charles Leclerc was handed a no further action verdict for a very similar incident involving McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

The two cars touched when battling for third place, in the same place that Hamilton and Russell made contact just a few laps before, and some debris flew off Piastri's McLaren.

Neither driver, however, were affected too much by the incident, still being able to carry on in the race, and Leclerc escaped any punishment from FIA race stewards. He was handed a no further action verdict, with it being deemed to be a racing incident.

Drivers to discuss Ferrari driver verdicts with FIA

Now, it's been revealed that the latest meeting between drivers and FIA officials will take place at the Hungaroring this weekend, where potential inconsistencies in the Driving Standards Guidelines will be discussed.

The meeting was already scheduled ahead of the Belgian GP to take place this weekend, but those two incidents in particular will be on the agenda.

The last meeting between drivers and the FIA came at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, where it was agreed to increase the frequency of such meetings.

Piastri was left bemused by the decision not to penalise Leclerc, while Russell seemingly didn't think Hamilton should be penalised yet he was, clearly showing a discrepancy in what the drivers believe to be right, and what the decisions made by FIA race stewards are telling us.

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