Hungary – Editorial Hits and Misses

The Tops

Hamilton still as strong

This Hungarian Grand Prix was another demonstration of Lewis Hamilton’s speed and talent. Starting from pole, the 90th of his career, ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, the Briton only relinquished the lead during pit stops. A domination as impressive as last week in Austria during the Styrian Grand Prix. The six-time world champion even allowed himself a final pit stop at the end of the race to put on soft tires for the fastest lap on the track.

A record-breaking Sunday as Hamilton now totals 8 victories in Hungary, allowing him to equal the record for most wins on the same circuit, previously held by Michael Schumacher with 8 victories at Magny-Cours.

In 2 weeks, Lewis Hamilton has just silenced his critics, who accused him of easing off a bit during the first Grand Prix of the season, held at the Red Bull Ring. His last two victories allow him to take the lead in the championship, with what seems to be his only rival this season: his teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Lance Stroll finally reveals himself?

What a weekend for the Canadian! Nicknamed the pink Mercedes, the Racing Point was touted as the only rival to the “Black Arrows.” Ultimately, the rain never came, and the two Mercedes and Max Verstappen quickly took the lead, but Lance Stroll had a very good start to the race. Starting 3rd, the Canadian had beaten his teammate Sergio Pérez for the second consecutive time on Saturday.

Lance Stroll managed to hold on to that valuable podium position throughout the start of the race, but Valtteri Bottas got the better of the RP20, which couldn’t keep up with the leaders for the rest of the race. However, Stroll was much faster than the drivers behind him as he finished notably 20 seconds ahead of Alexander Albon’s Red Bull.

Would the Hungarian Grand Prix finally be the turning point in the Canadian’s career, revealing him as a solid mid-field driver rather than just a pay driver, a reputation he has carried with him since his arrival in Formula 1 in 2017?

The opportunism of Haas

Finally, a point for the American team! After two very challenging initial races for Haas, it’s highly likely that the entire team is very pleased with this 9th place clinched this Sunday by Kevin Magnussen, which became 10th after a ten-second penalty imposed by the stewards.

The reason? The team’s bold strategy to have its drivers stop before the start to fit dry tires… Something that is forbidden but greatly influenced the team’s result. It’s important to highlight Kevin Magnussen’s race management, as he avoided unnecessary battles as he might have done before. The Dane knew that a good result was possible at the finish, and that’s why he optimized his race as best as he could.

Romain Grosjean was a bit less fortunate with a broken front wing following a bold overtake by Albon, but anyway, considering how quickly Carlos Sainz was gaining on Kevin Magnussen towards the end of the race, there was little chance that the Top 10 could have included the Frenchman as well.

Finally, Haas’s instinct allows them to no longer occupy the last place in the constructors’ standings! The American team leaves the wooden spoon to Williams, who has not yet scored a point in 2020.

The Flops

McLaren misses out on its Grand Prix

It’s probably the biggest disappointment of the weekend. After two excellent opening Grand Prix, which saw Lando Norris finish 3rd and then 5th, and Sainz in 5th and 9th, the Spaniard could only manage a meager 10th position in Hungary. A result that caused the Woking team to lose the second spot in the constructors’ standings to Red Bull.

The problem doesn’t actually come from the MCL35, which didn’t seem particularly in difficulty this weekend, but rather from the strong form of the Racing Point and Red Bull cars, combined with Ferrari’s comeback, which pushed McLaren further down the standings. However, be careful not to string together disappointing results because the papaya-colored cars have a great opportunity this year.

Lack of reliability and boldness at AlphaTauri

The white and navy blue single-seaters were eagerly anticipated this weekend. Historically very strong in Hungary, Pierre Gasly was the only one to make the Italian team shine on Saturday, advancing to Q3, outpacing Alexander Albon’s Red Bull. However, repeated engine problems affected the Frenchman’s car while Kvyat struggled to make his machine work. While the Norman started 10th on the grid, the Russian only started 17th and was beaten once again in qualifying by his teammate.

In the race, the lack of reliability once again affected Gasly’s car, forcing him to retire. Meanwhile, Kvyat missed out on a strong result. Indeed, like the two Haas drivers, the driver of car number 26 had suggested to his team to switch to dry tires even before the start.

Ultimately, AlphaTauri did not take this risk despite the low grid position of the Russian driver. A cruel and surprising lack of opportunism, especially considering that it was Faenza’s greatest strength in 2019. If Kevin Magnussen finished 10th thanks to this strategy, who knows what position Kvyat could have finished in with a much better car than the VF20.

Esteban Ocon absent from the race

Weekend mixed for the French driver! Qualified 14th behind his teammate Daniel Ricciardo by only 81 thousandths, Esteban Ocon started three places behind the Australian, 11th at the lights out this Sunday.

It was already noticed during the first two Grand Prix, but starts seem to be a problem for the native of Evreux. This Hungarian Grand Prix was no exception, as Ocon lost 3 places at the start. He only regained them thanks to strategy, but once behind Kvyat’s AlphaTauri, he was never able to overtake it, so much so that, in the end, he was the one who got overtaken by Lando Norris!

When we see Ricciardo finish 8th, we can only be disappointed by the meager 14th place brought in by Esteban Ocon. Let’s hope the British Grand Prix in two weeks will turn out better for him!