Hungary – Race: Summary of Strategies

Lewis Hamilton secured his first victory with the Mercedes team in Hungary, using a three-stop strategy in the hottest conditions of the entire season (with air temperatures reaching up to 35°C). Kimi Räikkönen (Lotus) finished second with two stops, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who was third for Red Bull. The German extends his championship lead over Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) before the summer break.

All the drivers except for Sergio Pérez, Jenson Button (McLaren), Mark Webber (Red Bull), Adrian Sutil (Force India), Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber) and the two Marussia drivers started the race on the soft P Zero Yellow tires, designated this weekend alongside the medium P Zero White.

The first of the leaders to make a pit stop for fresh tires was poleman Hamilton on the 9th lap. He then switched to mediums, leaving the lead to Vettel, who stopped two laps later and rejoined the track behind the Briton.

At the 14th lap, Webber, having started on medium tires, took the lead, delaying his stop until the 23rd lap. Button, who also started with the hardest compound, opted for a different strategy, using the soft tires for his second stint. Webber was the only driver to use the soft tires for his final stint, exploiting the peak speed of the softest compound, to finish 4th after starting 10th on the grid. Button, on the other hand, finished in 7th position after starting 13th.

Hamilton stopped two more times after taking the lead, on the 31st and 50th laps, maintaining his advantage over the Red Bulls in all circumstances. His closest rival in the race was ultimately Räikkönen, who still conceded 10 seconds despite one less stop. The Finn and the two McLaren drivers were the only ones to dare a two-stop strategy.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director: The extremely high temperatures meant that everything on the cars, including the tires, was put to the test. Nevertheless, both compounds offered very good performances. We witnessed a great variety of strategies, providing a close race and brilliant overtaking maneuvers. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes used their tires to perfection, in the hottest conditions of the year, to secure a well-deserved victory from pole position. A well-thought-out tire strategy clearly contributed to winning, as they gained a position on track early in the race and then stopped before their direct rivals, controlling the race pace. Congratulations also to Kimi Räikkönen and Lotus for showing that it’s possible to implement a two-stop strategy with optimal tire management.

The best times of the day by compound:

– Tendres: Webber en 1:24.553 devant Button en 1:26.540 et Pérez en 1:27.540

– Mediums: Vettel en 1:24.553 devant Hamilton en 1:24.647 et Rosberg en 1:25.089

Longest race stint:

– Tendres: 15 tours par Sergio Pérez (McLaren)

– Mediums: 33 tours par Jenson Button (McLaren)

[From the official statement published by Pirelli]

To have a better view of this chart, you can use the FIA lap-by-lap feature by clicking here.