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Oscar Piastri’s hopes of winning at the Hungarian Grand Prix came to an epic end when the McLaren driver retired with a gearbox problem and was running close to the front.
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The Australian was forced to halt abruptly on the circuit before he escaped, as his run in the title race ended in a disappointing way.
On team radio Piastri instantly alerted his engineers to the problem.
Piastri said, “I lost the gearbox!”
Race Control then put the Virtual Safety Car in to help the marshals recover the stranded McLaren, moments later.
Gearbox Failure Ends Piastri’s Race
After a brilliant front row qualifying and a strong pace in the early part of the race, Piastri was in a position to be a strong contender for all the time he was in the race. But then disaster struck, and his gearbox gave way, forcing the Australian to park the car.
It is a big loss for Piastri and McLaren, too, as they had accumulated some Championship points in one of the most crucial periods of the season.
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“I lost the gearbox!”
Oscar Piastri has parked up off the track and he’s out of the race.
The Virtual Safety Car is now active.#F1#HungarianGP
— The Formula (@TheFormulaF1) July 26, 2026
McLaren started the weekend fast at the Hungaroring, but it was not to be for Piastri as his team failed to make the most of it. Lando Norris, on the other hand, started on pole and was dominant for much of the Grand Prix.
Virtual Safety Car Changes Race Strategy
Lewis Hamilton had an unfortunate incident in the pit lane as the Ferrari driver was found speeding. The British legend is reported to the stewards and was given a 5-second penalty.
Now, however, the team’s attention will be squarely on finding the exact cause of McLaren’s gearbox failure, as he and the rest of the team hope to avoid anything like that from happening through the rest of the season.
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This story was originally published July 26, 2026 at 7:32 AM.