The Hungarian Grand Prix is one of the longest continuous races on the calendar that we can expect to see until at least 2032. This is thanks to a new contract extension that was confirmed this weekend during the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull go into this race weekend with decent leads in both the Driver's and Constructor's championships. But can anyone stop them in their tracks? And, can second Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, find that all important redemption that he's been searching for? Let's see.
There was a change in format for this weekend's qualifying sessions with hard tyres used in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3. An experiment, if you will, on creating a more interesting and mixed up grid. Surprisingly it worked, with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton out-qualifying Verstappen by a tiny +0.003. McLaren and Lando Norris found themselves in P3. Their second top three qualifying in as many races. There were also surprises for George Russell, in the second Mercedes, and Carlos Sainz, in the Ferrari, who found themselves in 18th and 11th, respectively.
Race day. The lights go green and Verstappen takes the lead from Hamilton into the first corner. Oscar Piastri, who started 4th for McLaren, jumps into 2nd, with Norris stationary in 3rd. Pole sitter, Hamilton, is down to 4th. There's also a blistering start for Sainz who jumps from 11th to 6th with the soft tyres.
However, for Alfa Romeo and Zhou Guanyu, it's a different story. A slow get away off the line see's him drop to 16th after a fantastic 5th in qualifying. Replays show that after his difficult start, he was the trigger that would go onto cause mayhem at turn one. He hits the returning Daniel Ricciardo from behind, who then collides with Alpine's Esteban Ocon. Ocon then makes contact with teammate, Pierre Gasly, with both Alpines coming to a standstill. Ricciardo, Ocon and Gasly get moving once again. Unfortunately, for the latter two, it's a trip into the pits where they both retire, for the second race in a row.
Perez, who started 9th, is currently battling Fernando Alonso for 7th. Alonso, who is known for good defending around the Hungaroring, isn't making it easy for the second Red Bull driver. Eventually, Perez is through. Making the move at turn one with the help of DRS. Back at the front, large gaps are starting to form between the drivers with tyre conservation already playing a part in the race.
Lap nine and our first pitstop is underway with Alexander Albon at Williams. He puts on the hard tyre and creates a chain reaction of other stops. Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas pit the following lap to cover the Williams, but a slow stop for Tsunoda at Alpha Tauri sees him fall behind Bottas and Albon at the pit exit. Bottas then goes on to set the fastest lap of the race.
A few laps later there is movement down at Ferrari with Sainz coming in to get rid of the soft tyre. He switches to the hards and returns to the track in 11th. The pitstop window is well and truly open now with some of the front runners also diving into the pitlane. Hamilton and Norris make their stops without any issue. The same can't be said for Charles Leclerc in the leading Ferrari. His stop is disastrous at 9.4 seconds long. An issue with the left-rear causing this. Consequently, he takes a tumble down the order. Things are better at McLaren with a 2.0 second stop for Piastri. Unfortunately for the rookie, it's not enough to keep a net 2nd on the track, as his teammate's attempt at the undercut has worked like a charm. In all this pitstop "chaos," Verstappen continues on out front, over 20 seconds ahead of Perez and Alonso. All three are yet to stop, eventually coming in on lap 23, lap 24 and lap 20, respectively. Verstappen retains his lead.
Fresh rubber for Norris gives the Brit a new fastest lap of the race with a 1:23.499. However, it's Perez, now on the mediums, that's flying through the field. After his stop, the Mexican returned to the track in 7th, behind the Ferrari of Sainz. He quickly catches the Spaniard and passes him into Turn 1, moving up to 6th and demoting Sainz to 7th, who is now under threat from his teammate; Leclerc. One lap later, Perez makes another move taking 5th from Russell. The Mercedes driver is yet to pit but dives in at the end of the lap. The second Mercedes, and pole sitter, Hamilton, is struggling to keep up the pace with the top three of Verstappen, Norris and Piastri. To rub salt in the wound, Perez is now only 4.4 seconds behind Hamilton and is catching at a rate of knots. Perez's engineer motivates his driver over team radio, telling him: "Gap seven seconds. Podium is on."
In the mid-field, Russell is also on a mission after switching to the mediums. A strategy similar to Perez's. He passes Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas, Tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri and quickly catches up to the back of Alonso in the Aston Martin. Elsewhere, it's a tough day for Haas driver, Kevin Magnussen, who finds himself in 16th after being passed by Albon and then Ricciardo, a few laps later.
The Perez v Hamilton battle is brewing nicely with the Red Bull just about in DRS range of the Mercedes. Perez takes a lunge going into Lap 42, but Hamilton is quick to shut that door. However, Red Bull decide to go for the undercut, pitting Perez at the end of the lap. Piastri joins him in the pitlane. However, a 1.9 second stop for the Red Bull sees Perez exit right behind the McLaren.
There is more movement in the pitlane with stops for Leclerc, Alonso, Norris and Russell. It's a better stop for Leclerc who manages to undercut his teammate for track position. But, for Aston Martin and Alonso, it's slow. Another stubborn left-rear. Norris gets back out comfortably ahead of Piastri and Perez, whereas Russell jumps Alonso. Although things looked better for the Ferrari driver, Leclerc; he quickly finds himself under investigation for speeding in the pitlane and is punished with a 5 second time penalty.
Perez is still on the move, chasing down the final net podium spot. With the help of DRS, Perez challenges Piastri into Turn 1 but the young rookie doesn't make it easy. They're still squabbling over position going into Turn 2 with Piastri squeezed onto the grass. He eventually has no choice but to yield. Perez takes 4th with Norris his next target. This quickly becomes 3rd when Hamilton, sitting in 2nd, comes in for his second stop. He swaps to the mediums and tumbles down to 5th behind Norris, Perez and Piastri. Talking of Piastri, he's just received a track limit warning at Turn 4. One more and it could be a penalty.
There is also a battle commencing for the last points positions. Bottas finds himself in 12th behind the Williams of Albon but even with DRS there is just no way he can squeeze the Alfa Romeo through. Back at the front, it's still Verstappen leading after making his second stop. He sets the fastest lap of the race with a 1:20.504 - 1.5 seconds quicker than the previous fastest lap.
Not far to go now and Perez has left Piastri, who is now under threat from Hamilton, behind. With DRS, Hamilton dives down the inside of Turn 1 and takes 4th from Piastri. Russell is also gaining on the driver in front. This time Carlos Sainz. Will he manage to pass him and cut down the gap to Leclerc. Remember, the latter has a 5 second penalty. But, back to Perez. He's only 3.6 seconds behind Norris and catching. However, Norris is stuck in the midst of back markers and is slowly loosing his cool.
Entering the final 5 laps and things are winding down bar, the odd battle, here and there. Bottas has dropped away from Albon but Russell now finds himself in DRS range of Sainz and eases past on the start/finish straight. The back markers have somewhat worked in Norris' favour, the gap to Perez seems to have stalled between 3-4 seconds, with the Red Bull driver not making anymore gains. As the laps go by, Perez's pace drops and Hamilton makes gains towards the podium. With two laps to go, he's very nearly in DRS range.
A yellow flag. The first since lap one. Logan Sargeant takes a spin at the chicane and is passed by Tsunoda and Zhou. He comes into the pits at the end of the lap and switches off, retiring the car. But out front, it's Verstappen who takes the chequered flag with another dominant win, finishing 33.7 seconds ahead of everyone else! Norris finishes 2nd with Perez holding onto the final podium spot. Hamilton, who couldn't get in DRS range to Perez, settles for 4th. After his amazing start, Piastri comes home 5th and his followed in by Russell, who takes advantage of Leclerc's penalty. Leclerc, Sainz, Alonso and Stroll round out the points.
So, there it is. Another race done and dusted. And, one for the history books, in fact, with Red Bull breaking the record for most consecutive wins which now currently stands at 12. Incredible.
Only one more race to go until the Summer break!
Comments