He eventually finished ahead of the Frenchman and so collecting a few points was not the worst way to complete his 41st birthday weekend. 8.įernando Alonso: First of the lapped runners, Alonso was unhappy with his team-mate Esteban Ocon’s defensive tactics in front of him early on – signs of cracks in the bromance? That did not prove difficult given the French team’s questionable strategy, and even a slow first pit-stop did not prove a hindrance to the McLaren man. Lando Norris: No surprise that Norris was passed by Hamilton and Verstappen in quick succession, and from then on it was all about keeping the Alpines behind him. Goodness knows what will be going through Leclerc’s mind in the four weeks until the next race.

There were shades of Silverstone without the Safety Car as he was out there on hard tyres while all his rivals had the ‘sexier’ softs and mediums, which meant the Monegasque was powerless to stop himself tumbling down the order. 7.Ĭharles Leclerc: For the umpteenth time this season – it feels like, anyway – a great chance for Leclerc to win went begging and, in contrast to Paul Ricard, this one was definitely not his fault. Starting 11th, one place behind Verstappen, he was unable to make the same progress and wound up fifth – the one silver lining being he got ahead of Leclerc. Sergio Perez: Helmut Marko had been quoted as saying before the race that Perez was already on his summer break – with a new Red Bull contract already in the bag – and there was not too much evidence to dispel that theory in Hungary. We will regroup and come back stronger after the summer break There are some things to learn from today. With these lower temperatures and track conditions, we were simply not fast enough to fight. 🇭🇺 Today was a tough day for the whole team. This was more of a solid than spectacular effort and he did not appear to have quite the same pace as Leclerc before his team-mate’s strategy went badly wrong. 9.Ĭarlos Sainz: While not as impressive as last week, Sainz did not have as fast a car under him comparatively as he had in France. He did nothing wrong, holding off Carlos Sainz at the start, leading for the opening stint and later executing a fine move on Leclerc when the Ferrari was struggling for pace on hard tyres.Ī weekend that will have helped Russell’s development considerably, with the further experience of competing at the front sure to benefit him. George Russell: A sense of déjà vu as the exact same French Grand Prix podium line-up was repeated seven days on, although you sense there may have been a tinge of disappointment for Russell after his first F1 pole. There is a formidable challenge coming from the other side of the garage at Mercedes, but no question Hamilton is responding to it superbly.

Like the previous week Hamilton made a strong start, making up two positions, and a favourable strategy meant he could get past Carlos Sainz and then George Russell to bag his fifth straight podium finish and second consecutive P2.

Lewis Hamilton: This could have been a record-breaking ninth Hungaroring triumph but for a DRS problem in qualifying, the seven-time former World Champion admitted. Max Verstappen: Not quite a perfect performance, but it is difficult to quibble with what Verstappen produced on a day when he and Lewis Hamilton showed they arguably remain in a class of their own.Ī two-place gain at the start was followed by passes on the Alpine duo and from the moment the Dutchman closed up on the leading trio, there appeared to be a certain sense of inevitability about the outcome.Ī spin that meant he had to overtake Charles Leclerc for the lead a second time was an anxious moment, but the Red Bull driver was soon back in control and turned the screw further in what is looking an increasingly futile championship chase for his Ferrari rival. Here are our driver ratings for a race in which the only retirement came just a few laps from the end. It was a race when both before and during, the identity of the winner was up for much discussion as Mercedes produced another compelling argument that they are ready to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari on a regular basis.īut yet again, this weekend was added to the ever-growing list of ones that got away for Charles Leclerc, as Hungary joined Monaco and Britain in the column of potential wins tossed away by Ferrari’s baffling strategy calls. A mid-race spin aside, Max Verstappen produced a World Champion’s drive in the Hungarian Grand Prix from 10th on the grid to victory.

F1 2021 driver ratings