Red Bull made history in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, winning a 12th consecutive race thanks to Max Verstappen, who drove serenely to take the chequered flag. Charles Leclerc’s aspirations of a considerable points haul were dashed in the pits. 

Untouchable. No one has come close to Red Bull this season. The constructor was on the precipice of history going into Sunday’s Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, and whilst Lewis Hamilton gave Red Bull a scare on Saturday, putting his Mercedes on pole, Verstappen was unchallenged in the race.

It quickly became evident that Hamilton’s lap on Saturday was merely a flash in the pan. Verstappen made the pass down the inside going into turn one, allowing the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to leapfrog the Brit, who lacked pace on a scorching day in Hungary.

It was a largely uneventful race. Sergio Perez, with his seat rumoured to be on the line, led a strong and aggressive race, which took him onto the podium. The Mexican driver couldn’t overtake Norris in the closing, however, and therefore had to second for third place. Hamilton, who made a late charge towards the podium, had to settle for fourth.

Leclerc comes unstuck in the pits

However, the day belonged to his teammate. Verstappen has now won the last seven races, and his lowest finish this season has been second. It is largely thanks to the flying Dutchman that Red Bull have made history by winning 12 consecutive races. No other team has achieved such a feat.

In contrast, Ferrari’s struggles continued. Both cars made a strong start to the race before either plateauing or falling back. Leclerc’s race came unstuck in the pitlane. The Monégasque dropped positions due to a slow first stop of over nine seconds.

His second stop represented a further blow. The Ferrari driver was guilty of speeding in the pit lane and was therefore handed a five-second penalty. With the Mercedes finally beginning to replicate Saturday’s pace in the closing stages, George Russell, who fought his way from 18th, got within five seconds of Leclerc, overtaking him to finish sixth. Carlos Sainz finished eighth just behind his teammate.

The summer break will come at the right time for Ferrari, who will be looking to regroup after another difficult weekend. Before that, the grid will head to Belgium next weekend.

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Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office