HUNGARIAN GP – Max Verstappen takes victory in a six-way fight, as Ferrari face more difficult questions

Testing & Race Reports
Jack
31-07-2022

Max Verstappen has won the Hungarian Grand Prix after finishing seven seconds ahead of the two Mercedes. The Dutchman took the lead from Lewis Hamilton with twenty laps to go as the race became a strategic battle between Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari throughout the race.

Verstappen who started the race in tenth came through the midfield to join the fight between the top three teams by lap ten. The Red Bull driver then took his teammate Sergio Perez early on despite complaining of an engine issue managed to get through the race and bided his time before overtaking Russell.

Russell had retaken the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc at the three-quarters stage in the race, with the overtake coming as he chipped away at the gap lap by lap. The Monacan ended the Mercedes driver’s lead of the race on lap thirty-one, but the pressure from Red Bull made Ferrari driver would need to pit to change to hards making him a sitting duck for Verstappen.

Ferrari however again is facing difficult questions about their strategy, while Verstappen vaulted ahead of Russell by using the undercut to give him net lead from Leclerc on lap forty-one.

Leclerc had started third and after overcutting team-mate, Carlos Sainz, ended Russell’s creditable resistance for the lead on Lap 31. At that stage he appeared primed to bounce back from his Paul Ricard crash to take a championship-boosting win. Ferrari made the Monacan an effective sitting duck as Red Bull and Mercedes went for soft or mediums.

Leclerc called the strategy a “disaster” and pitted again to finish behind Sergio Perez, who was the only Red Bull, Mercedes or Ferrari driver not to hold the lead at some stage. Sainz would also lose out in the second half of the race being overtaken by both Mercedes on soft tyres.

Hamilton had to settle for second when with nineteen laps to go Mercedes had to bring him in for tyres when he had a five seconds advantage over Verstappen. The seven-time champion re-joining in fifth and found his way back past Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz and Russell to finish second.

From the very start the race was going to be gripping a genuine six car fight for victory featuring divergent strategies, and the constant threat of rain on a grey, windy and cool day, provided a perfect symbol of the season so far.

But it was Red Bull who took the advantage with aggression and clear strategy while Ferrari faulted and failed to convert second and third into a podium. Ferrari’s mistake with twenty-five laps to go sealing Red Bull’s win. The team and Leclerc both admitting after the race they were surprised by the lack of pace on the soft.

Mercedes while not having a realistic chance of the championship remain largely mathematically in the fight, doing what Ferrari has failed to do this season. This time it was Hamilton who was the benefactor of the long game, which saw him expertly pass both Sainz and his team-mate late on.

Hamilton was another driver who took advantage of his strategy stopping early and re-joining fifth on mediums, he started reeling in the Ferrari’s during a long middle stint which also help Russell when Sainz abandoned the hard tyres in the closing stages. Hamilton’s third stop gave him fresh softs with ten to go, allowing him to catch Sainz.

Verstappen’s victory gives him a commanding lead of eighty points with nine races to go after the August break. While Red Bull is just under a hundred ahead of Ferrari in the constructors with Mercedes only a race win further behind.

Verstappen said “I was of course hoping I would get close to the podium, but it was very tricky conditions out there but we had a really good strategy, we were really reactive, always pitting at the right time.”

Hamilton said “I was definitely struggling at the beginning but bit by bit I got more comfortable with the balance. I had a really good start so I want to acknowledge my team.  We’ve had a tough year and for both cars to be on the podium is an amazing way to go into the [Summer] break.”

Russell said “Again, an amazing job by the team in pole position yesterday, double podium, we are definitely making progress so really proud of the work everyone has done. I’m sure there’s a lot I will look over and I could have done better. Managing the tyres obviously we pitted quite early on both stints so you’re trying to eat the tyre out to the end, trying to push as hard as possible at the same time.”

Perez spilt the two Ferrari’s the Mexican a second behind Sainz and ahead of Leclerc, who rounded out the top six. Lando Norris was best of the rest finishing seventh, the McLaren driver was the final car on the lead lap finishing ahead of both Alpine’s with Fernando Alonso two seconds ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon.

The two Alpine’s were the only drivers who managed to make the one-stop work, by going to the hard tyres.

Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top ten finishing seven seconds ahead of Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll. Both Aston Martin drivers were involved in contact early on, Vettel making contact with Alex Albon, while Daniel Ricciardo received a five second penalty for contact with Stroll.

Following a disappointing qualifying Pierre Gasly opted to change his power unit, incurring a pit lane start for changing his power unit, before the Alpha Tauri recovered to twelfth.

Guanyu Zhou brought his Alfa Romeo home thirteenth, seven-tenths ahead of Mick Schumacher, Ricciardo split the two Haas’s almost four seconds behind Schumacher and twenty-four and a half ahead of Kevin Magnussen. Alex Albon finished ahead of teammate Nicolas Latifi, Valtteri Bottas was the only retirement

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