Mercedes has won every Russian Grand Prix to date – the seven since it joined the F1 calendar in 2014, and even the pre-Formula 1 grands prix in 1913 and 1914
There has been a Russian driver present at every running of the Russian Grand Prix so far
Sochi is the only Winter Olympics host city to have also staged a Formula 1 race, though four other current F1 cities – Melbourne, Montreal, Barcelona and Mexico City – have hosted the Summer Olympics
In 2014, Nico Rosberg locked up at the first corner, causing him to pit, and then did the remainder of the race on one set of tyres and recovered to finish second
The Weather
The Quotes
Christian Horner | “You’re always learning but he’s a hard racer, it’s part of his characteristic, it’s part of why he has the following that he does. you know when he’s in the car he’s going to give 110%. And I think that also has an impact on the driver he’s racing, because you know he’s going to go for it.”
Toto Wolff | “I think the change of approach is that Lewis pretty much decided not to bail out anymore when he thinks that the corner is his. Now it needs two to tango, it needs two to understand each other on track, when a collision can be avoided.”
Daniel Ricciardo | “Once I was in the lead and it had been a while since I’d had that feeling, fortunately it felt very familiar and it felt like home.”
Valtteri Bottas | “At this situation, how the situation is, yes I would [move aside for Lewis] because we are here as a team and we need to make sure we win both titles, not only the constructors’ but also the drivers’. At the moment, Lewis has a greater chance of that, so that’s the situation at the moment.”
The Friday Form
Practice 2 Top 5
1 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:33.593 | 19 Laps
2 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:33.637 | 22 Laps
3 | Pierre Gasly | 1:33.845 | 22 Laps
4 | Lando Norris | 1:34.154 | 17 Laps
5 | Esteban Ocon | 1:34.402 | 23 Laps
Practice 1 Top 5
1 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:34.427 | 25 Laps
2 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:34.638 | 23 Laps
3 | Max Verstappen | 1:34.654 | 13 Laps
4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:35.117 | 22 Laps
5 | Sebastian Vettel | 1:35.781 | 23 Laps
Mercedes continued their Sochi dominance with Valtteri Bottas heading a Silver Arrows 1-2 in both practice sessions.
It was confirmed that Max Verstappen would start from the back for the race – after taking on a new power unit – but the Dutchman complained that he could not overtake anyone with his current top speed, so Red Bull will need to ensure that he is able to do so by Sunday.
It’s shoeys all round…except for the title rivals.
Image credit: Getty Images
Daniel Ricciardo won his first race since leaving Red Bull in 2018 on an extraordinary Italian Grand Prix weekend.
McLaren were legitimate challengers in Monza and took advantage of the leading teams’ messy weekends to claim a first victory since 2012, with Lando Norris making it a 1-2 for the papaya team.
After a poor start in the sprint race, Lewis Hamilton found himself fourth on the grid and, with teammate Valtteri Bottas starting at the back after taking a new engine, it was Max Verstappen and Ricciardo who lined up on the front row.
The Honey Badger nailed his getaway and comfortably beat the Red Bull to the first corner. From there, he never looked back.
Hamilton also got a good start, passing Norris for third and then challenging Verstappen into the second chicane of Variante della Roggia. The reigning champion got himself alongside the Red Bull but – not for the first time this season – was run out of road on the outside and rejoined the track behind Norris.
Image credit: Getty Images
It would not be the rivals’ final meeting on track.
The first stint of the race was a tale of the two title contenders failing to pass the McLaren in front of them, largely thanks to their excellent straight-line speed and strong traction out of the final corner.
Ricciardo triggered the sole round of pit stops when he came in on lap 23, but the series of events leading to the biggest moment of the weekend began when Verstappen responded one lap later.
The usually flawless Red Bull pit crew suffered a sensor issue which led to a painful, 11-second stop for the championship leader and saw him fall behind Norris.
Mercedes – despite Hamilton having started on the harder tyre compound – knew this was their chance to jump Verstappen and brought car number 44 in two laps later. It was another poor stop, however – at a little over four seconds – and saw Hamilton rejoin right between Norris and Verstappen.
The Dutchman tried to stick it out around the outside of Turn One but ran out of road and bounced over the sausage kerbs. That sent him straight on into Hamilton and, as his right rear rode over the left rear of the Mercedes, he suddenly found himself sitting on top of his rival’s car.
Image credit: GPblog NL
Despite Hamilton’s efforts to reverse out from underneath the Bull which had so rudely mounted him, both were out of the race and the Safety Car was called.
The race restarted on lap 30 with Charles Leclerc delighting the Tifosi by having moved up into second with a cheap pit stop during the Safety Car period.
Not for long, though, as Norris bravely kept his foot in at almost 200 mph with two tyres on the grass through Curva Grande to retake the position from the Ferrari.
After a brief challenge on his teammate for the lead, McLaren decided to call the race off and focus on securing a scarcely believable 1-2.
Behind them, Bottas continued his inspired charge through the field. The Finn had topped qualifying on Friday and won the Sprint on Saturday but started at the back for the main event after taking on a new engine.
He fought his way up to fourth on the road, which became a podium once Sergio Pérez was hit with a five-second time penalty for overtaking off the track. The Mexican also recovered well from a disappointing qualifying but would ultimately claim fifth – splitting the two Ferraris – once the penalty was applied.
Out front, though, it was all about the McLarens, who completed another wave of of orange celebrations – after Verstappen’s win at home seven days before – as they crossed the line in first and second.
What a tale of redemption for the team and their Aussie driver, who had struggled so badly to adapt to his new car in the first part of the season.
Image credit: AFP
He appears to have succeeded in mentally resetting over the summer break and his eighth F1 victory will perhaps be the most satisfying of his career to date.
Now we wait to see what the Woking team can do with the regulations reset for next season. If they continue on their current trajectory, they could well be fighting for victories on a far more regular basis.
Breaking Down the Latest Hamilton-Verstappen Incident
Just as the battle at the front was becoming more amicable once again – with Hamilton appearing genuinely please for his rival’s home success – we get another flashpoint.
There was much debate over the culpability in their dramatic clash at Silverstone, and that will likely be the case again over the next fortnight.
Predictably, the drivers blamed each other. But the stance of Christian Horner – and even the ever-outspoken Helmut Marko – that it was a racing incident shows an effective admission of guilt on this one.
It usually takes just the slightest hint of accountability from Hamilton for them to go on the media warpath, encouraging their followers to raise their pitchforks to the sky.
There was an element or irony in elements of the Red Bull camp’s reaction in Italy. Firstly, Verstappen’s protestations that Hamilton should have left him more space are somewhat hypocritical, considering his approach to a very similar situation with the roles reversed on lap 1.
And, in hindsight, after having made such ridiculous accusations to the extremes of Hamilton having practically committed attempted murder in Silverstone, playing off an incident where their driver’s car struck Hamilton’s helmet as no big deal also seems a little incongruous.
Image credit: AFP
The stewards decided Verstappen was predominantly to blame and have handed him a three-place grid penalty for the next event. Not that it will matter considering the likelihood of Red Bull taking an engine penalty in Sochi.
From this writer’s point of view, the penalty feels about right. The Dutchman entered the chicane behind Hamilton but his overspeed meant that he was probably justified in sticking his car on the outside initially.
However, despite Hamilton leaving just about enough space to do so, it was clear that the trajectory and speed at which Verstappen entered was only going to result in one outcome, unless Hamilton basically parked his Mercedes on the outside of the second corner and waved him through.
That is the point at which most drivers on the grid – including Hamilton himself earlier in the race – would bail out of the move and take to the escape road. But Verstappen is not most drivers.
His sheer bloody-mindedness means that he will almost never back out of a confrontation. Since joining the sport – even as a 17-year-old – he has epitomised the Ayrton Senna ‘back out or we crash’ mantra.
Personally, I would much rather see a hard battle over the course of a series of corners or laps, with two racers battling it out right on the edge.
Image credit: XPB Images
Hamilton and Fernando Alonso demonstrated that in Hungary this year – and many times before – as have plenty of other drivers.
That is surely what we want to see. Whilst these monumental crashes are great for the drama, and will be spoken about for years, it is a shame that the most referenced points of this incredible season will be the leaders ending up in the gravel, rather than battles for the ages like Alonso andMichael Schumacher at Imola in 2005.
It almost brings a question to Verstappen’s wheel-to-wheel ability. The 23-year-old is clearly spectacularly fast, but at what point do we consider him to be poor in wheel-to-wheel combat? The instances of him forcing drivers off the road outnumbers his on-the-edge battles at an increasing rate.
He surely has the ability and spatial awareness required, but whether he chooses to do so is the bigger issue.
There is a very fine line between hard driving and poor driving.
The Italian Grand Prix in 60 Seconds
Answering the Burning Questions
How will the Sprint Qualifying format play out this time around? Once again, we had a crazy weekend – but whether the format was instrumental in that is up for debate.
Will Mercedes dominate on a power-sensitive track? In terms of outright pace, probably. In terms of the race, it was actually a McLaren domination.
Will we get the usual Monza shenanigans in the regular qualifying session on Friday? Yep, as predicted it was all a bit cringeworthy at points.
In the past 18 races here, the 2009 and 2020 Italian Grands Prix are the only times that the polesitter has failed to finish in the top two – both times, it was Lewis Hamilton
Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina won the first ever Drivers’ Championship at the track in 1950 and remains the only driver to have won the title on home soil
At the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton set the fastest ever lap in an F1 car, with an average speed on his pole lap of 264.363 km/h
The closest finish to a Formula 1 race came at Monza in 1971, with Peter Gethin crossing the line just 0.01 seconds ahead of Ronnie Peterson and the top covered by just six tenths
The 1988 Italian Grand Prix was the only race of the season which McLaren failed to win
The Weather
The Quotes
George Russell | “Naturally I believe myself and I have high aspirations, but equally I know how tough it’s going to be. Lewis is a seven-time champion for a reason, and I’m probably in one of the most fortunate positions on the grid to learn from him.”
Lewis Hamilton | “New fresh blood in our team is going to be great because obviously I’m the oldie there. That definitely will energise the whole team knowing that they have a new youngster coming through who is super hungry, driven and he pushing the team forwards. I just know he’s going to continue to get stronger, even in these next nine races, and next year he’ll be bringing the heat for sure.”
Charles Leclerc | “George is very talented and he’ll be next to one of the best in the history of this sport so he doesn’t have much to lose, which is a good position to be in. He can just give it everything and show his talent.”
Valtteri Bottas | “It’s something new, something exciting for me, and it’s a bit of a project. There’s going to be work to do but I will give all my expertise to try and improve them. Realistically, to fight for wins next year, is going to be unlikely, but you never know.”
The Friday Form
Practice 1 Top 5
1 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:20.926 | 28 Laps
2 | Max Verstappen | 1:21.378 | 22 Laps
3 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:21.451 | 29 Laps
4 | Lance Stroll | 1:21.676 | 23 Laps
5 | Pierre Gasly | 1:21.719 | 28 Laps
Lewis Hamilton topped the only practice session before qualifying on Friday morning, as the Mercedes gave the impression that they are the class of the field on this track.
Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas’s times were set on the medium tyre, whilst title rival Max Verstappen set his on the theoretically faster soft.
The McLarens also looked fast, with two medium-tyre laps that would have left them second and third if they had not been deleted for track-limits violations.
Of course, as ever, the engines will be turned up to 100% when it counts and everything could change, but we look set for a fascinating weekend.
Max Verstappen withstood everything Mercedes threw at him to win the Dutch Grand Prix – his home race – at the first attempt, much to the delight of a sea of orange.
The Red Bull looked the slightly better car over the course of the weekend – at least in the hands of Verstappen – and it was the 23-year-old who narrowly secured pole position on Saturday.
Lewis Hamilton impressively closed to within 0.038 seconds of his title rival, after a tricky weekend where he missed almost all of Practice 2 with an engine issue, but the margin should have been larger with Verstappen’s DRS failing to open after he had also missed fifth gear earlier in the lap.
On Sunday, as soon as the flying Dutchman had successfully navigated the run to the first corner, it was to be a tale of strategy.
Sergio Pérez in the other Red Bull had been caught out in Q1 and would be starting from the back, which left Mercedes able to utilise two-versus-one tactics.
Image credit: Sutton Images
They attempted to take advantage, bringing Hamilton in for an attempted undercut, whilst teammate Valtteri Bottas ran long on a one-stop. The Finn made his Mercedes as wide as possible when Verstappen caught him, but was unable to stop him sailing past after one lap, despite the Zandvoort circuit proving predictably difficult to pass on.
Once again, Mercedes attempted the undercut with Hamilton, pulling the trigger unexpectedly early on lap 39. It was poorly executed, though, with the reigning champion emerging into traffic and Verstappen was easily able to cover him.
From there, it was plain sailing for the home favourite and car number 44 eventually gave up the chase to pit and secure the fastest lap.
A six-point swing in the title battle leaves Verstappen three points ahead in the standings heading to the season’s second sprint-qualifying weekend at Monza. On paper, it is a track that should favour the Silver Arrows. But how often have things followed the script this season?
Image credit: Getty Images
A Tough Weekend for McLaren
Behind the most common podium trio of all time, Pierre Gasly once again excelled in the AlphaTauri, backing up his excellent fourth in qualifying with a lonely but flawless race.
Behind him, the Ferraris finished fifth and seventh – split by Fernando Alonso, who judged his tyre life to perfection to pass Carlos Sainz on the last lap – which sees them open out an 11.5-point gap to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.
The crowd may have been wall-to-wall orange, but things did not go the way of the papaya team in the Netherlands.
Unusually, Lando Norris struggled for pace throughout the weekend, and was then caught out by the pair of Williams crashes in Q2, leaving him 13th on the grid. Teammate Daniel Ricciardo did make it through to Q3 but could only manage 10th and, after nearly not starting the race at all, struggled for pace during it.
Norris extended his first stint well and caught the Honey Badger towards the end of the race. Team orders allowed him past but, after a tough battle with the recovering Pérez, Norris would only finish one place in front of a mildly disgruntled Ricciardo to claim the final point.
Image credit: Motorsport Images
Monza will give them an excellent chance to bounce back immediately, however. They are renowned for their straight-line prowess this season and could even find themselves mixing it with the big boys next weekend at the Temple of Speed.
The Dutch Grand Prix in 60 Seconds
Answering the Burning Questions
Will Red Bull or Mercedes come out on top at a track that is somewhere between the Red Bull Ring and the Hungaroring? It was pretty tight, but Red Bull appeared to have a slight edge.
How will the drivers cope with a very unique circuit? They all seemed to love it. Along the lines of Mugello last year – a thrilling rollercoaster but not designed for modern F1 cars to overtake.
Will there be any overtaking? See above. Although Pérez produced some inventive moves to make his way back through the field.
Let’s see if we can actually manage a race this weekend…
The Burning Questions
Will Red Bull or Mercedes come out on top at a track that is somewhere between the Red Bull Ring and the Hungaroring?
How will the drivers cope with a very unique circuit?
Will there be any overtaking?
The Track
The Stats
Track Length: 4.259 km
Laps: 72
Race Distance: 306.648 km
Maximum Speed: 309 km/h
Lap Time at Full Throttle: 61%
First Grand Prix: 1952
Race Lap Record: n/a
Outright Lap Record: n/a
Most Driver Wins: Jim Clark | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967
Most Constructor Wins: Ferrari | 1952, 1953, 1961, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1983
The Trivia
The 1973 Dutch Grand Prix is remembered for the dreadful accident of Roger Williamson. David Purley was awarded the George Medal for bravery after attempting to save Williamson from his burning wreck
The final corner banking is twice as steep as the Indianapolis Speedway
The 1975 Dutch Grand Prix saw James Hunt score his maiden grand prix win for Hesketh after a giant-killing performance in changeable conditions
And the 1985 race saw Niki Lauda win his last ever grand prix from tenth on the grid
Local legend has it that the infamous Tarzan corner is an homage to a man who would only relinquish his vegetable garden on the plot of land where the circuit was to be built if the track had a corner named after him
The Weather
The Quotes
Kimi Räikkönen | “This is it. This will be my last season in Formula 1. It was not an easy decision but after this season it is time for new things. Formula 1 might come to an end for me but there is a lot more in life that I want to experience and enjoy.”
Stefano Domenicali | “Kimi is an incredible part of our sport, a personal friend and a true champion.”
George Russell | “The truth is there’s nothing to announce but I’m aware of the situation of where I’ll be racing next year.”
Max Verstappen | “I think what we have to try and aim for is a great weekend for everyone and I’m sure the fans will enjoy. If there would be a little bit of booing, I guess just close your ears and don’t listen to it.”
The Friday Form
Practice 2 Top 5
1 | Charles Leclerc | 1:10.902 | 29 Laps
2 | Carlos Sainz | 1:11.056 | 28 Laps
3 | Esteban Ocon | 1:11.074 | 33 Laps
4 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:11.132 | 33 Laps
5 | Max Verstappen | 1:11.264 | 28 Laps
Practice 1 Top 5
1 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:11.500 | 17 Laps
2 | Max Verstappen | 1:11.597 | 18 Laps
3 | Carlos Sainz | 1:11.601 | 19 Laps
4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:11.623 | 18 Laps
5 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:11.738 | 18 Laps
Lewis Hamilton narrowly topped a hugely truncated morning session, after Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin broke down and was then unsafe to touch. But the reigning champion then had car troubles of his own, grinding to a halt just three laps into his afternoon session with an engine issue.
That will seriously hamper his preparations on a brand new circuit.
The Ferraris appear strong – as they did on other tight, twisty tracks – and could even launch an unlikely charge for the front row.
Max Verstappen was declared the winner of the Belgian Grand Prix after the requisite two laps amidst a never-ending downpour at Spa.
After a spectacular qualifying session on Saturday, which saw George Russell very nearly snatch the unlikeliest of pole positions, fans waited for hours as the race was continuously delayed.
Eventually, with light fading fast and the rain showing no sign of dissipating, the drivers went out behind the safety car on what were – officially at least – reconnaissance laps, only for the race to be red flagged once again.
Around three and a half hours after the lights should have gone out, it was confirmed that the race would not restart and Verstappen was announced as the winner. That also meant a first ever podium for Russell in second and a 174th podium for Lewis Hamilton in third, with the field awarded half points.
A Bad Day for Formula 1
Image credit: Getty Images
Either side of the summer break, we went from one of the best races in years, to one of the worst ever.
If you can even call it a race.
The situation was clearly a very challenging one for all involved, but the way in which those in charge dealt with it left a lot to be desired. This is not simply a case of having the benefit of hindsight – it was clear to see at the time that many of the procedures were farcical.
Team strategists radioed Michael Masi, clueless of the situation, and received conflicting answers; the commentators did their best to inform the viewers but repeatedly found out that they were wrong.
This writer was just as confused as Martin Brundle upon discovering that the race had been shortened by one lap for each ‘delayed start’. Race start times have been changed in the past without it being classed as such. And then there was the debacle of the various clocks that may or may not have started, and were ultimately paused by the stewards anyway.
Image credit: XPB Images
It felt as though the rules were often being applied far too literally and that all common sense had been washed away by the biblical rain.
And finally came the laps that were classed as ‘the race’. As Hamilton stated in his post-race interview, they were sent out for “one reason and one reason only”: to ensure that there was an official result at the end of the day.
It is a result, however, that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. For most of the teams and drivers, for those watching at home, and particularly for those in the grandstands. It is particularly painful to read first-hand accounts such as this one of fans who had paid hundreds of pounds or euros to sit in the rain for hours and then, in theory, not receive a refund as – they officially at least – witnessed an ‘event’.
We can only hope that F1 will do something to reimburse them. And that it will learn from this shambles for the future.
The ‘Belgian Grand Prix’ in 30 Seconds
Answering the Burning Questions
What madness happens on the first lap this time? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Will Red Bull decide to get an almost inevitable engine penalty out of the way here? Nope.
Are we set for a typical wet and wild race in Spa with showers forecast all weekend? It was too wet and wild…to the point that there was no race.
Spa was originally a treacherous 14-kilometre track designed for speed, which used mainly local public roads
The fearsome Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex features an elevation change of 35 meters from its lowest to highest point
In 2019, Charles Leclerc became the first driver to score a maiden grand prix victory at Spa since Michael Schumacher did so in 1992
At 7.004 kilometres, Spa is the longest current F1 circuit, but it has one of the smaller spectator capacities with space for just 70,000 fans
The Weather
The Quotes
Valtteri Bottas | “There’s no news to share yet. Who knows? Maybe I know something, maybe I don’t, but like I said, there’s no news to share.”
George Russell | “Obviously in discussions over the summer break but there’s nothing to announce one way or another this weekend and probably not next weekend either, to be honest. It’s no problem. Do things right rather than quickly, let’s say.”
Max Verstappen | “For sure they will be quick here. This track hasn’t been the best for us because of the long straights – I know that we definitely did close the gap a bit in terms of top speed, but we are still not there.”
Lewis Hamilton | “The break was definitely much needed but it felt too long at the end. I was definitely excited to get back to work and missed working with the team and missed being in the car.”
The Friday Form
Practice 2 Top 5
1 | Max Verstappen | 1:44.472 | 12 Laps
2 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:44.513 | 14 Laps
3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:44.544 | 13 Laps
4 | Fernando Alonso | 1:44.953 | 15 Laps
5 | Pierre Gasly | 1:44.965 | 17 Laps
Practice 1 Top 5
1 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:45.199 | 18 Laps
2 | Max Verstappen | 1:45.363 | 14 Laps
3 | Pierre Gasly | 1:45.699 | 20 Laps
4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:45.818 | 19 Laps
5 | Carlos Sainz | 1:45.935 | 20 Laps
Things appear very evenly matched between the two leading teams for the moment, with the usual Ham-Bot-Ver front three spending most of the Friday sessions separated by a matter of hundredths of a second.
As ever, engine settings are an unknown – and particularly important around a track like Spa – but Mercedes seem to have an advantage on the straights with a lower downforce setup than their rivals currently.
Verstappen edged the second practice session but ended it in the wall with terminal damage to his Red Bull, after losing the car at Turn Six.
Esteban Ocon took his maiden Formula 1 victory in a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix after a first corner pile-up.
Rain started to fall half an hour before the lights went out and caused chaos at Turn One. Valtteri Bottas, after a poor getaway, braked too late and ploughed into the back of Lando Norris, in turn punting the young Briton into Max Verstappen. Bottas himself then slid into the other Red Bull of Sergio Pérez.
That had left Charles Leclerc looking at second place, only for Lance Stroll to crash into him after also missing his braking point. This time, rather than being the projectile, a McLaren was on the receiving end, Daniel Ricciardo being spun round by the helpless Ferrari.
Bottas and Pérez retired immediately with Norris joining them during the ensuing red flag. Verstappen and Ricciardo were able to continue but with significant damage, despite the best efforts of the Red Bull mechanics during the stoppage.
The drama was far from over, however.
As the drivers followed the safety car round for a standing restart, still on intermediate tyres, it became apparent that the sun had dried the track out incredibly quickly. Lewis Hamilton lined up once again in his pole spot…but nobody followed him…
So, it was lights out and away just Hamilton went, but knowing that he would have to stop at the end of the lap. Having done so, he rejoined in last place.
The Hungaroring is a notoriously difficult track on which to overtake and the World Champion was struggling. He had successfully passed Antonio Giovinazzi and Mick Schumacher but was unable to get close enough to Pierre Gasly‘s AlphaTauri to fashion a move.
Mercedes decided a two-stop strategy was the way forward and pitted Hamilton on lap 20. Once in fresh air, he was immediately the fastest car on track by a fair margin and crucially undercut Verstappen and Ricciardo when they stopped a lap later.
Hamilton gradually picked drivers off, either when they pitted or on track – an audacious move around the outside of Yuki Tsunoda at Turn 4 the highlight – and soon enough found himself up to fifth.
Meanwhile, at the front, a leading pair of Ocon and Sebastian Vettel had emerged after Hamilton’s overdue tyre change. The Williams of Nicholas Latifi held on to third for an impressive spell, allowing them to open up a gap. The unlikely leader eventually pitted on lap 38 – a lap after Vettel – and emerged narrowly ahead of the four-time champion.
Hamilton spent a few laps stuck behind Carlos Sainz in fourth but built enough of a gap to pit for medium tyres and rejoin in fifth. At this point he was three seconds faster than any other car on track, but in his path lay a formidable obstacle – Fernando Alonso.
Image credit: XPB Images
The Spaniard is never one to back down from a wheel-to-wheel battle, and here he was further incentivised to help protect his teammate’s lead.
The old rivals produced a thrilling battle as Alonso used every trick in the book to keep the faster Mercedes behind. He somehow succeeded in doing so for 10 laps before a lock-up into Turn One finally released Hamilton.
But, by that point, there were only six laps remaining. Hamilton quickly dispatched Sainz in third and closed in rapidly on Ocon and Vettel, but it was too late. Ocon completed an incredibly mature drive, keeping his head whilst leading a race for the very first time, to take the chequered flag.
Behind the top five, the AlphaTauris finished line astern in sixth and seventh, with Gasly stealing the point for fastest lap on the final tour, and Williams finally got their first points since Germany 2019 with Latifi eighth and Russell ninth.
There was more drama to come after the chequered flag, however, as Vettel was disqualified. His Aston Martin had developed a fuel pump issue late on and the FIA were unable to take the one-litre sample required by the regulations. The disqualification is under appeal, but it looks likely that Vettel will sadly lose a well-deserved podium.
Sainz is promoted to third, which means – bizarrely – half of his four podiums have now come belatedly.
Why Didn’t Hamilton Pit?
Mercedes basically found themselves between a rock and a hard place.
With Hamilton at the front, it would have been brave for Mercedes to pull into the pits and potentially hand over pole position not knowing what everyone behind you is planning. And, more importantly, if they had done so and everybody had followed them in, they would have struggled to release their driver into a stream of cars coming down the pit lane.
Image credit: Getty Images
Hamilton said after the race that the team had believed more rain was coming and their was no radio traffic between driver and team during the lap behind the safety car. Perhaps they thought it was banned – as some on social media also initially thought – with that being the case for the regular parade lap.
But as this was the effective third lap of the race, no such regulation was active. That is a silly mistake if so that may have contributed to what, in hindsight, was clearly the wrong call.
Either way, it set up a vintage Hamilton comeback. One which appeared to have taken a lot out of him as he visibly struggled to remain standing on the podium. Hamilton later revealed he fears he may be suffering from ‘long COVID’. Let’s hope the summer break gives him some time to continue his recovery.
More Sparks in the Title Fight
Tensions between Red Bull and Mercedes were already beyond simmering heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix, and this will not have done anything to calm them.
For the second race in a row, a Mercedes made contact with a Red Bull. Aside from the obvious implications in terms of points, the cost of the ensuing damage is piling up for the Austrian team, in the first year of a budget cap.
Image credit: AFP
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff apologised to his opposite number, Christian Horner, but the Red Bull boss didn’t appear to be particularly appeased and asked if Wolff would be paying the bill.
“I’m sure he wasn’t that sorry to see the result. I’m sure he didn’t tell Valtteri to do that but the consequences of that for us are brutal. In a cost cap environment, that needs looking at by the FIA.”
In addition to Hamilton reclaiming the title lead, Mercedes have also passed their rivals in the constructors’ standings. And the update brought to Silverstone by the reigning champions appears to have moved them back level on performance. The Silver Arrows had the edge all weekend on a track which has not been their strongest in recent years.
For all the drama we have had to the halfway point of the season, it is effectively back to square one with both championships practically level.
Four weeks to rest and recuperate now, and then we go again.
The Hungarian Grand Prix in 60 Seconds
Answering the Burning Questions
How will Hamilton and Verstappen act in the wake of their controversial clash? As it was, they were not the source of the drama into Turn One. Whilst there were still a few barbed remarks, the relationship seemed respectful enough in the public eye.
Who will come out on top at a track with similar characteristics to Monaco but where Hamilton has won eight times? Well, Ocon actually, as we all predicted…
Can Ferrari keep up their impressive recent form? They showed strong pace again. Leclerc was bumped out of what would have been second place, but an eventual podium for Sainz will make up for that.
Only Monza has a longer consecutive streak on the F1 calendar than the Hungaroring
For the thirteen seasons between 2005 and 2017, the winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix failed to go on and win the title
F1 had its 100th winner (Heikki Kovalainen in 2008) and 100th polesitter (Max Verstappen in 2019) at the Hungaroring
From higher vantage points, it’s possible to see around 80% of the circuit
Since the race was first held in 1986, rain has only fallen during the race three times
The Weather
The Quotes
Max Verstappen | “[It is] disrespectful if one guy is in the hospital and the other one is waving the flag around like nothing has happened while you push the guy into the wall with 51G.”
Lewis Hamilton | “I don’t believe our behaviour was disrespectful,” said the seven-time world champion. As I said, it’s one thing knowing and then celebrating what happened, and it’s one thing not knowing and celebrating. As I told you, I wasn’t aware – but it’s my home Grand Prix and we worked incredibly hard for god knows how long to get a result like that.
Toto Wolff | “I think the comments that were made, surely out of emotion, were going directly against a seven-time world champion. Words like ‘amateurish’ should have no place and what it triggered was an avalanche of comments in the social media, a lot of controversy and added to further polarisation.”
Sebastian Vettel | “I always enjoy [racing] Fernando [Alonso]. His talent is without doubt, the skills on track one of the biggest that the sport has seen, and he’s done something which I thought was impossible to do, which is beating Michael”
