The Hungaroring in Budapest is often nicknamed a ‘Mickey Mouse track’, mainly for its likeness to karting tracks with many tight corners and the absence of any long straight stretches. This means that whilst overtaking can be quite difficult, many drivers favour it for being a rather playful drive. Add to that changeable weather and high tyre degradation and you get an enjoyable weekend of racing.
Curious about who got to relive their childhood at the karting track and who were starkly reminded that stakes are way higher here? Be sure to read up on the top of the class contenders and struggle bus riders from the Hungarian Grand Prix:
Top of the class:
Max Verstappen – Qualifying: 10th | Race: 1st
Power issues got the best of Verstappen’s RB18 in qualifying, forcing the Dutchman to limp back to the pits in his last run whilst the other drivers on track got one last shot at improving their times. It meant the Dutchman was stranded in 10th and was looking at a very difficult Sunday, as the Hungaroring isn’t a track known for easy overtaking.
The main aim on Sunday was to close the gap to the front as much as possible in an attempt to minimize potential damage to his strong lead in the championship standings, but Verstappen accomplished much more than that. He felt at home in Budapest whilst dark clouds loomed, expertly weaving through the pack with well-placed overtakes and an excellently thought-out race strategy. He brought the car home in first, the perfect end to a thrilling afternoon, a result which now extends his lead in the Drivers’ Championship by 80 points.
The only wobble on the Sunday was his spin, but considering he managed to turn it into a neat-looking pirouette, he will be quickly forgiven for that little mishap.
Mercedes
George Russell – Qualifying: 1st | Race: 3rd
Lewis Hamilton – Qualifying: 7th | Race: 2nd (+FL)
Mercedes can also be pleased with the way they closed out the last race before the summer break. Before delving deeper into the race, however, it must be said that George Russell’s first pole on Saturday was a true beauty. When signing the dotted line on his Mercedes contract he might have expected this day to arrive earlier than it did, but after the trials and tribulations earlier in the season this first pole will be especially memorable and welcome.
George didn’t quite manage to hold onto P1 on Sunday. He seemed to have the pace in the early stages of the race, but eventually laptimes began to drop off. He drove excellently, however, which allowed him to cling to the fringes of the podium despite being surrounded by cars way faster than him.
His teammate Lewis drove an equally stellar race. He came from seventh to cross the line in second, sending a clear message to Ferrari that they need to start looking behind them rather than in front when it comes to the Constructors’, especially if they keep rolling the dice for their strategy calls.
One can only wonder what could have been had Lewis not had the DRS issue in Qualifying on Saturday, but overall the Silver Arrows have every reason to celebrate.
Sebastian Vettel – Qualifying: 18th | Race: 10th
Vettel shook the world by creating an Instagram account early on in the week, but his subsequent announcement to retire, whilst expected, was felt by the whole sport. When on Saturday he qualified 18th, his worst result in Hungary since 2007, it seemed that the time was right.
Those who thought so were fooled, however, as Seb Vettel showed the fans exactly what they’ll be missing once he’s gone. He survived a tangle with Albon on lap one, before steadily climbing in standings alongside teammate Lance Stroll for points, only for the German to overtake the Canadian only a handfull of laps before the chequrered flag fell.
It is also a testament of Vettel’s character that he gave the team a hand with fixing his car before quali after a brush with the wall in the wet conditions of FP3, certainly will be a miss come 2023.
Then for an honourable mention…
The honourable mention of the day goes to Lando Norris, who once more outperformed his MCL36 to demolish teammate Ricciardo in both qualifying and the race. He might have travelled backwards throughout the race, from 4th to 7th, but that was to be expected with the likes of Verstappen, Perez and Hamilton lining up at the start behind him.
The Struggle Bus:
Ferrari Strategy
Considering Ferrari were so quick to point a finger and blame individual team members for less-than-stellar results in previous years, it is honestly quite impressive that nobody has been sacked yet. It’s probably a good thing that the Italian-native team are treating this more like a team sport and present a united front to the world, the results are nothing to write home about after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory once again.
That they have nothing to say doesn’t mean that it’s quiet in Italy, however, as the headlines in Italian papers spell out the issues loud and clear. Headlines include, but are not limited to; “Red disaster,” “This man [Leclerc] deserves more” and “Ferrari disaster, Verstappen masterpiece”.
Unsurprising, considering they compromised Leclerc’s race by putting him on hard tyres in cool conditions – A call so bad that even the worst armchair strategists and the most dedicated Tifosi had to scoff at it – leaving the Monegasque to drag his F1-75 to the finish in a lowly sixth on a day Binotto was so sure they’d be able to manage a 1-2. Carlos finished a little higher, but considering they should be fighting for both Championships a 4th position simply won’t do.
Haas
Kevin Magnussen – Qualifying: 13th| Race: 16th
Mick Schumacher – Qualifying: 15th | Race: 14th
With an upgraded package for Kmag, they were gunning for an improved result, but this dream didn’t quite ring true. The Dane was hampered by Danny Ric whilst exiting turn 1 in the opening lap and the subsequent damage forced him into the pits after a black-and-orange flag, meaning that a race full of possibilities was quickly diminished to an extra practice session as he finished out his Sunday in p16.
Kevin’s teammate Mick Schumacher was at a disadvantage due to not having the same upgrades installed, so it was expected for him not to finish high, but an invisible P14 is probably not how the German wanted to finish out the first half of the season.
Then for dishonourable mentions…
This time around, three whole teams find themselves back on the bottom of this list. Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri and Williams. Despite major upgrades, they were incapable of finishing out the first half of the season with a point score, and for some it indeed has been quite the drought. With Alfa pointless for four races in a row, five pointless finishes for AlphaTauri and eight for Williams. All of them will be spending their summer break scratching their heads and can only hope for a better second-half.
Then again, considering where Haas was in previous years, they probably shouldn’t be disappointed with collecting 34 points thus far. It’s too easy to forget how far they’ve come now they had a little taste of success.
The grid will be ready for action at the end of this month, but for now they all get to sit back and relax for a little while. Well-deserved for some, whilst much-needed for others. Be sure to tune in on Sunday 28th August at 2 pm for the Belgian Grand prix. You won’t want to miss it, considering rumour has it that Spa-Francorchamps will be disappearing off the calendar for a little while after this season. Lets hope we actually get to see a race this year!
