Lewis Hamilton produced one of the most pounding triumphs in Formula One history as he won the Hungarian F1 GP.
Max Verstappen astoundingly denied Mercedes another top two completion by holding off Valtteri Bottas to take second spot – even though he slammed his Red Bull into a barrier breaking the vehicle’s front wing in wet conditions before the race.
The Red Bull mechanics got busy on the framework to guarantee his fixed vehicle was on the grid for the green lights – Verstappen made sure their efforts were not in vain and powered from his starting position of 7th to third, capitalizing on a botched start from Bottas.
Red Bull Racing’s technicians should be applauded for their fast fixes on Verstappen’s F1 car. They showed the one thing that is most importan for a pit team in Formula 1 – cooperation. What’s more, they were working against the clock with under twenty minutes to prepare their vehicle before the beginning of the race. As fans held up anxiously, Verstappen’s vehicle was prepared with around 30 seconds to go “I want to say a big thank you to the mechanics because they saved the day. You guys are legends. Thank you so much!” said Verstappen after the race.
So unequivocal was Hamilton’s exhibition here at the Hungaroring – one that took him to the head of the title standings – that he could afford the luxury of stopping for new tyres and was able to put in the quickest lap and guarantee an extra point.
Before that tyre change and only 4 lamps to go, Hamilton held a half-minute preferred position over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, was significantly further in front of Valtteri Bottas in a similarly kitted out Mercedes, and had lapped Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
This was Hamilton’s 8th win at the circuit – bringing his tally in line with with Michael Schumacher’s most successes at a solitary circuit. Now Hamilton as 2 wins under his belt he now commands the lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
This second F1 setting of the championship was no where near the same as the first – given the many cornered design of the Hungaroring, a circuit that has affirmed the prevalence of Mercedes’ bundle for one more season, making fans wonder if there is another team that can step up to challenge them.
Alex Albon out paced Verstappen’s advancement by climbing eight spots from thirteenth on the start to cross the line fifth, and his driving tactics demonstrated a driver more positive about his vehicle than he had been in qualifying, however he was helped by mistakes by Vettel who did not have a great run.
Vettel managed to out drive Perez late on, while Ricciardo bagged 4 points with his deliberate drive in 8th in front of the two McLaren racers who dropped out of the running early on.
It was not a race that Nicholas Latifi will want to remember as a bump against Sainz in the pit exit gave him a puncture and set off a troublesome outing that finished with 5 stops, while Pierre Gasly’s drive was ruined by gearbox issues.