The Hungarian Grand Prix was one of the most exciting races to date, with a one-two punch for McLaren, Hamilton back on the podium, and Monaco’s Charles Leclerc gaining ground to take out fourth.
The Hungarian Grand Prix, held in the country’s capital city of Budapest on 21st July, was a seriously action-packed event filled with thrills and not a little controversy.
The biggest news was the one-two punch landed by McLaren, though even this was not without drama. Oscar Piastri came out in the top spot, followed by teammate Lando Norris, but the outcome may have been different. Behind-the-scenes tensions mounted as a Norris pit stop- orchestrated to prevent Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton from gaining ground- set the scene.
Despite Piastri leading most of the race, this pit put Norris in front and he seemed quite unwilling to let it go, despite pleas from his team to do so. With only two laps to go, Norris finally and grudgingly relinquished, allowing Piastri the win and giving himself a shiny silver instead that was clearly without lustre, if the look on his face on the podium was any indicator.
The fight for the final podium spot was initially between Hamilton and Max Verstappen, with Ferrari favourite Charles Leclerc in fifth. A battle ensued and an ill-tempered Verstappen collided with Hamilton, sending him into fifth, with Leclerc taking fourth – a place he held onto until the end.
His teammate, Carlos Sainz, took sixth behind Verstappen.
“We turned it around today,” said Leclerc after the race. “We had a solid race, with the right tyre management and a good pace. A P4 is not the result we want of course and we know that we have lots of work ahead, however, we were in better form than expected.
“It’s difficult to overtake on this track and we had to manage overheating, being just behind Lewis (Hamilton) on the last stint, which was tricky. We took all our opportunities today and it’s good to bring home these points for the team.”
Formula 1 returns for one more race before the break, with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on 28th July at 2pm.
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Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre