FORMULA 1

[Baccy]

On 8/1/2019 at 8:55 PM, MIKA27 said:

MIKA: I have never heard anyoe moan about how sick they are than this guy Hamilton. Who gives a s**t he is sick. 

He sucked at the last race and he is simply trying to make an excuse for dropping the ball IMO. If he was THAT sick, why did Toto allow him to drive? isn't that was reserve drivers are for? I personally think Hamilton is a whiny little sulking twat.

I wholeheartedly agree... and he really reminds me of a guy we used to have in motoGP named Casey Stoner or as we called him, "Stacey Moaner"?

[Baccy]

F1 should be renamed "twilight zone" lol. They can't just have two cars duking it out. They have to investigate the "incident" and determine whether or not it was truly a "racing incident" when the 2 drivers were just racing each other?

...and what's with the camera crew?  There's a race for the lead going on but you wouldn't know it except for the announcers talking about it, they keep on talking about it but the cameras are GLUED to the midpack guys!

Will the stewards ruin this race too?

[MIKA27]

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX: HAMILTON CHASES HARD TO BEAT VERSTAPPEN

Lewis Hamilton chased Max Verstappen hard all day, in the end the Mercedes driver had enough to squeeze by the Red Bull to claim victory at a tense and intriguing Hungarian Grand Prix.

Both drivers questioned their respective teams’ strategy during a riveting race of cat-and-mouse at Hungaroring, the Dutchman ultimately the latter as the cat won this one, but only just.

Hamilton made a good start and tucked in behind Verstappen, keeping the blue car within a couple of seconds in what was an early stalemate in the lead battle.

For the first pitstops, Mercedes kept the #44 car out several laps longer than their rival and, although he lost track time in the spell, around the halfway mark he had caught up and a had a solid stab at the Red Bull but drifted wide in his attempt to snatch the lead in what turned out to be a thrilling duel between the sport’s hottest properties.

Another attack on those tyres did not transpire from Hamilton, instead, the Silver Arrows strategists made an inspired call, pitted their man for fresh mediums upon which, despite occasional moans from the cockpit, he was sent in to reel in Verstappen who was on very old Pirelli hards.

Hamilton dug deep, the best of him on display on occasions like these and he duly popped the fastest lap after fastest lap, finally on lap 67 his hard work paid off as he eased past Verstappen for the lead of the race, where he stayed to the end.

It will go down as one of the best and sweetest of his 81 victories in the top flight – his seventh in Hungary – and one that puts him only ten behind the all-time record of the legendary Michael Schumacher.

Hamilton said afterwards, “I feel tired, which is how it should be but I feel really grateful for the day and the team who continue to push me to the limits and take a chance on me. We’ve been together for seven years, but every win feels brand new.

“We had brake problems all weekend, and I was a bit worried, but we made the changes and I was actually doing a lot of lift and coast for half a lap, but I was just trying to save as much as I could.

“It was difficult to get by, the defence was great, and I didn’t know if I could catch that 19-second gap. I just kept my head down, and each lap was like a qualifying lap. I know if Niki [Lauda] was here today, he would take his hat off,” added the championship leader.

If his future is to be decided this summer, Valtteri Bottas will be a worried man as he had another race to forget only a week after crashing out of the German Grand Prix.

The Finn came off second best when he went wheel-to-wheel with his teammate on the opening lap and suffered a broken wing in the process. He continued for a few laps with the damage but then pitted for a new wing when it was clear he was a couple of seconds off the leader’s pace.

Thereafter he spent the afternoon playing catch-up, finishing a disappointing eighth when he would have fancied his chances of at least a podium before the lights went out a couple of hours earlier.

On the other hand, Verstappen was flawless and was voted Driver of the Day for his gritty effort to keep Hamilton behind. He managed a great start and when required matched his pursuer lap time for lap time but in the end, he ran out of rubber and was easy meat for his prey and second his reward.

Nevertheless, it was another stellar performance that will only enhance his shares as he and Red Bull ink a new deal to keep him in the Honda-powered fold.

Verstappen summed up, “We were just not fast enough, but I tried everything I could on those hard tyres to stay alive. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, but to finish second with the fastest lap, it was a good weekend overall.

“Of course, congratulations to Lewis for the win and he was pushing me very hard. I was just lacking a bit of grip I guess. We tried the one-stop, and they had the opportunity to do two, and that worked out well.”

While the top two stole the show, Ferrari were next best but way off the top pace and well under the radar as they circulated in no man’s land with Sebastian Vettel stealing third from Charles Leclerc late in the race. All in all it was a weekend to forget for the Reds.

Vettel said, “We had nothing to lose, so we stayed out very long in the first stint, and hoped that the soft would last in the end which they did. “I think they were the fastest tyres in the end, so we were able to close the gap. I had one opportunity which I took, so I’m happy to have some champagne now.

“It’s good to have a break as I feel we need to charge our batteries.  There will be tracks that are better for us, but we need to get stronger. We will see, but the tracks now do look better for us on paper. It will be a busy break for us, and I don’t think our minds can rest too much in the two weeks,” added Vettel.

They were nearly lapped by the top two, ending the race over a minute behind them when the chequered flag waved to end the race.

Carlos Sainz shone for McLaren, managing to keep Pierre Gasly at bay for most of the race. The Frenchman finished sixth but was again comprehensively outshone by his teammate, adding further question marks about his future with a team that is not known for patience with their drivers.

For Sainz it was another good result as the Spaniard gave another solid display, making a strong start and thereafter doing enough to end Best of the Rest in a very tight midfield. His teammate Lando Norris was ninth.

Veteran Kimi Raikkonen again showed his mettle in a race of attrition with seventh place for Alfa Romeo while his rookie teammate Giovinazzi was on another planet, ending 18th and second last of the finishers.

Alex Albon claimed the final point for Toro Rosso with tenth place.

It was a bad weekend for Renault, they seem to continue slipping backwards and again were comprehensively outshone by McLaren, their customer team, as their drivers struggled with a sub-par package for Nico Hulkenberg (12th) and Daniel Ricciardo (14th) to toil with.

Biot Racing Points struggled to find the sweetspot, although Sergio Perez did finish 11th Lance Stroll never got going in a race in which 17th was his plight. The team were a disappointment on a weekend when much more was expected from them.

Special mention for George Russell who followed up his incredibly qualifying performance with an equally impressive race to finish 16th, at one stage as high as 13th on merit. A much-needed boost for his beleaguered Williams team.

As F1 heads for the summer break, Hamilton leads the F1 World Championship by 62 points from Bottas who is seven ahead of Verstappen.

FIA Blow-By-Blow Report

At the start, Verstappen held his pole position advantage, getting away well to brush off pressure from both Mercedes drivers on the long run to Turn 1. Second-on-the grid Valtteri Bottas, though, had the poorest getaway of the three and in Turn 3 Hamilton muscled past his team-mate to claim P2.

As Bottas struggled to recover he was passed by Leclerc, with brief contact being made, and then, at the start of lap two, by the second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.

Having suffered front wing damage in his battle with Leclerc, Bottas pitted for a new wing and hard tyres, a move that dropped him to the back of the field.

Verstappen began to build a slender lead over Hamilton and by lap 10 the Dutchman had 2.3s in hand over the Briton. By lap 13, the top four of Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc and Vettel were well clear of the chasing pack, with fifth-placed Sainz 18 seconds behind Vettel and holding up a train that included teammate Norris in P6, Räikkönen and Gasly.

Verstappen made his first pit stop on lap 25 and with hard tyres onboard for the final stint, he rejoined in P2 behind Hamilton, and with the Briton reporting that his tyres were in good shape, Mercedes elected to leave the championship leader on track.

When Hamilton eventually pitted on lap 31, a four-second stop by Mercedes saw the Briton emerge over six seconds behind Verstappen, who once more took the lead.

The gap wouldn’t last, however. Armed with fresh hard tyres, Hamilton reduced the gap and on lap 39 Hamilton attacked. He went around the outside of the Dutchman into Turn 1 and though Verstappen defended well the Mercedes driver was able to pull alongside on the run to Turn 2. Verstappen held his line though and as they entered Turn 4, Hamilton was forced wide into the run-off area. He retreated to regroup and to plot another assault.

Behind them Leclerc still held third place ahead of Vettel, who made a late stop on lap 39 for soft tyres. Sainz was now fifth, while Gasly had jumped Räikkönen and Norris (who had a pit stop issue) and was back up to his starting position of sixth.

On lap 48 Mercedes gambled and Hamilton pitted for a set of medium tyres. The move left him 19s behind Verstappen and the race now came down to whether the Mercedes could close the gap over remaining laps.

With five laps to go Verstappen’s hard tyres were finished and as the pair crossed the line Hamilton edged into DRS range. It was only a matter of time and under DRS at the start of lap 67 the Mercedes driver powered past the Red Bull to claim the lead.

Verstappen immediately pitted for soft tyres and soon after posted the fastest lap of the race and he crossed the line in P2 17.7s behind Hamilton and almost 44s ahead of Vettel.

Fourth place went to the second Ferrari of Leclerc, while Sainz took a well-worked fifth place for McLaren. Pierre having recovered from his start, settled into sixth in his final stint and earned a solid eight points for the Team. Räikkönen was seventh for Alfa Romeo ahead of Bottas and the final two points places were taken by Lando Norris and Albon.

[MIKA27]

FERRARI: LACK OF AERO DOWNFORCE WAS MAINLY TO BLAME

Scuderia Ferrari picked up its eleventh podium of the season thanks to a third-place finish for Sebastian Vettel in today’s Hungarian Grand Prix, held at the Hungaroring.

Charles Leclerc came home fourth right behind his team-mate, the two drivers having run different tyre strategies.

Start. The two SF90s got away cleanly when the lights went out and, on the short uphill straight prior to turn 4, Charles made the most of the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to pass the Finn and move up to third. The two cars touched at this point and Sebastian also got past.

Strategy. Charles was third until lap 27, when he pitted, as his Mediums were degrading significantly at that point. He took on Hards with the aim of going all the way to the chequered flag. As for Sebastian, he managed to complete 39 laps on the Mediums and that meant, unlike his team-mate, he was able to take on Soft tyres at his one and only stop.

Overtake. From then on, the German did an excellent job of managing his tyres in the opening lap of this stint and towards the end of the race, so that he closed down a gap of almost 20 seconds to Charles. Sebastian caught up to him with four laps remaining, overtaking him next time round. This is Sebastian’s sixth podium of the year.

The championship now takes its usual summer break before the action resumes with the Belgian Grand Prix on 1st September.

P3. Sebastian Vettel: “We leave Hungary and for a few weeks we can console ourselves with the fact that we made it to the podium in a race in which we knew we were going to struggle.

“Today, we simply could not match the pace of our rivals. In terms of strategy, the idea was to come up with something different to try and do better than fourth. I managed to extend the first stint to 39 laps and that allowed me to fit Softs and have a stronger pace than Charles in the closing stages.

“Now we can recharge our batteries and prepare to battle once more in Spa and Monza, tracks where we ought to be more competitive. We know there is still some performance to come from the SF90 and we have to work on that, but I am convinced that there is a margin to get better results.”

P4. Charles Leclerc: “Arriving in Hungary we knew it would be a tough race for us, and it was. The beginning of the first stint wasn’t bad, but as the race progressed, I started to struggle with my rear tyres more and more and could not match the pace of our competitors.

“My target now is to understand how to improve this, especially over long runs and on circuits where the degradation is high. I look forward to returning to racing after the break so that we can continue working on making further improvements and give our competitors a good challenge.”

Mattia Binotto Team Principal: “We can’t take satisfaction from today’s result, when what was mainly to blame was a lack of aero downforce, which at the moment penalises us even more in the race than in qualifying. The hot conditions did not help and actually caused us more problems in terms of reduced grip levels.

“Sebastian did a good job of managing the tyres in the first stint, thus lengthening it, which meant he could fit the softs and run with them to the chequered flag. However, we have to understand why Charles’ tyres wore so much and fix for the coming races. We pitted him, as his rears were very used and there was nothing else we could do.

“From a track on which we knew we would struggle, we still head home with the same number of points of our closer rivals.

“Next week we will continue to work on analysing data and preparing for the next two races in Spa and Monza, however, before then we have the summer break which will be good for the entire team, that has really worked so hard over the past few months.”

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES: WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE COMEBACK

Mercedes report from the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 12 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring near Budapest.

- Lewis storms to thrilling Hungarian Grand Prix victory, Valtteri fights back to P8
- Lewis claimed his 81st win in Formula One after a late move on Max Verstappen after converting to a two-
  stop strategy and completing a dramatic chase for the win
- He secured his seventh victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, equalling the Canadian Grand Prix as his
  most successful race for wins
- Valtteri was forced into an early pit stop for a front nose change after contact on lap one and battled back to P8
- Today’s race was the 300th led by Mercedes-Benz power
- Lewis (250 points) leads the Championship by 62 points from Valtteri (188 points) in P2
- Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport (438 points) lead Ferrari (288 points) by 150 points in the Constructors’ Championship
- James Vowles, Motorsport Strategy Director, accepted the Constructors’ trophy for the team

P1. Lewis Hamilton: “We’ve been together for seven years, but this feeling never gets old. If it wasn’t for everyone here and back at the factory, this wouldn’t have been possible. I’m so grateful to be a part of it and for the team for continuing to believe in me, push the limits and take a risk. We struggled a little with the brakes today, so I was trying to save as much as I could for when I had a chance to pass Max.

“It was very, very difficult to get by. I wasn’t sure if I could close the 19-second gap, but the team said to just get your head down, so I did. I kept pushing, the gap closed and the laps were like Qualifying laps. I was on the limit all the way. I take my hat off to the team and I think if Niki were here today, he would take his hat off too.

P8. Valtteri Bottas: “That was a tough day and not what I expected. Far from it. The first lap was a bit messy, I had a lock-up at Turn 1 which was my mistake. I was trying to brake as late and as hard as I could, but I locked the front-right and picked up a flat-spot. That caused a bit of understeer and then obviously I had the contact with Charles, which broke the front wing.

“We had to stop early as a result and that really compromised my race, as I came out in traffic and lost a lot of time. I tried everything I could, but it was really tough to overtake. At least I got some points but we’ll analyse what happened and learn from it.

Toto Wolff: “What an unbelievable comeback. This is why we love the sport, you are holding onto moments like this, where it’s an unexpected result and this is why it feels so great. We didn’t think it would go this way but the strategy team did so well and made great calls. There was a specific point in the race where we weren’t sure if Lewis would catch Max, but he got his head down and once the Red Bull was in sight, we knew he’d pounce.

“An incredible drive and a great result to head into the summer break with. On Valtteri’s side, it was a disappointing day. He was so pumped for the race and his Qualifying performance was great. But, the first lap didn’t go well and from there it was tough for him to fight back through the field. It has been a fantastic first half of the season, with 10 wins from 12 races. We will use the break to recharge our batteries – and hopefully return even stronger in Spa.

Andrew Shovlin: “A fantastic win and a great way to finish for the summer break. The race didn’t start the way we’d hoped. Valtteri suffered front wing damage when Charles cut across him at turn three. We couldn’t really run for long in that condition without risk of a bigger issue so we decided to stop for hard tyres and a new wing but from that point on, it was just a case of salvaging what we could with Valtteri.

“There’s no way we would have managed to take the Hard tyres to the end of the race with Valtteri so we converted to see if we could overtake on fresher rubber. It was a shame not to have recovered more with Valtteri, but this is such a difficult track to try and recover positions on. We had more decisions to make with Lewis and the race against Verstappen was made more difficult by only having one car at the front. In the first stint there wasn’t really an opportunity to get by but keeping at Max’s pace was not too difficult and Lewis was able to keep his tyres in good condition.

“By staying close we managed to force them into stopping earlier than they would have liked and that ultimately created the opportunity to go for the two-stop. We weren’t sure whether it would work or not; it’s always a bit of a gamble but we thought there was a risk of them running out of tyres and it did at least prevent Max from being able to manage his tyres as he might have liked.

“Lewis did a great job in the final stint, to pull back a full pitstop gap is never easy but he managed it brilliantly and made a really nice clean overtake. This hasn’t been the easiest pair of back to back races, Hockenheim was really tough on the team but it’s great for everyone to be able to go into the summer break with a win.”

[MIKA27]

RED BULL: FRUSTRATING THE WAY THAT THINGS PANNED OUT

Red Bull report from the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 12 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring near Budapest.

P2. Max Verstappen: “We gave it our all but Lewis was clearly a bit faster than us today. It was nice to see that we had such a big gap to the others though and second is still a good result. It wasn’t our day in terms of pace but overall it was a good weekend and getting pole position was a great step.

“Of course, when you start at the front you want to win but you also have to be realistic and to finish second with the fastest lap was the most that we could do. I tried to keep Lewis behind when we were on the same tyres but because of the gap to third, he had the option to do a second stop which worked out for him.

“I was trying to survive out front and push on my tyres but when he was closing in by one or two seconds per lap there wasn’t much I could do. He closed so quickly on the fresh tyres that I wasn’t surprised he managed to get past. We then pitted to get the fastest lap, which is one extra point, and I’m of course happy to get that.

“No regrets and we tried everything we could. It was a good weekend for us and I go into the break with a good feeling as we’re getting closer all the time.”

P6. Pierre Gasly: “It was a difficult race right from the beginning. We had a poor start which didn’t make life easy, and after that I just tried to attack as much as I could but I was sliding everywhere and struggling with grip.

“I was in a bit of a sandwich in Turn 1, then I was quite close with Kimi in Turn 2 so I lost a lot of time at the start which didn’t help my race. The weekend started pretty well and Friday was good, we were happy with FP1 and FP2, but from Saturday I have just struggled for grip.

“We finished the race P6 and scored some points but for sure it was not the amount we wanted. It’s good for everyone to have a break now and switch off. I will relax and review the first half of the season, I will look at what went well and what could have been better so I come back sharper and stronger for the second half and make sure we score more points.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal: “It was frustrating the way that things panned out today. Max did everything we asked of him, he made the start and controlled the race in the opening laps. We needed to pit earlier to cover Lewis, who pitted six laps later and Mercedes had great pace today.

“They pushed, pushed, pushed and we were able to protect and defend. Max and Lewis were so far ahead of the field with 22 laps to go that Mercedes rolled the strategic dice and pitted Lewis for new medium tyres. If we had pitted to cover we would have conceded track position so our bed was made to get to the end of the race.

“Congratulations to Mercedes and Lewis today, they were able to get the lead with three or four laps to go, at which point we had nothing to lose but bolt on a new set of softs and take the fastest lap. With Pierre, he lost places on the first lap but was able to recover through strategy back up to P6.

“Second and sixth position feels slightly frustrating on a day that promised more but nonetheless we achieved P2, pole position and fastest lap. Max has closed the gap to Valtteri in the Drivers’ Championship and the whole Team now heads into a well-earned summer break with real performance on the car in the last few races.”

[MIKA27]

RENAULT: WE COULD NOT MAKE OUR STRATEGY REALLY WORK

Renault F1 Team finished a long and largely uneventful Hungarian Grand Prix just shy of the points. Nico Hülkenberg claimed twelfth while Daniel Ricciardo crossed the line fourteenth.

Starting from eleventh on the grid, Nico progressed into the top ten in the first part of the race through a long opening stint on the Pirelli Medium tyres. Despite suffering from power loss, he kept a train of cars behind him until his sole pit stop on lap 36. Re-joining in P15, he progressed back to his eventual finish.

Daniel started from the rear of the grid on Pirelli Hard rubber following a strategic change of Power Unit elements. On a track that is notorious for its difficulty to overtake Daniel moved through the field with ease and was challenging the top 10 before his pit stop on lap 46. He made several bold moves in the closing stages of the race to claim fourteenth.

Daniel started from P20 on the Pirelli Hard tyres and stopped on lap 46 for a set of Softs.
Nico started P11 on the Medium tyres and also switched to the Soft compound on lap 36.

P11. Nico Hülkenberg: “It was a difficult afternoon for us today. We struggled with the car, with an engine control issue from the beginning of the race, which meant I lost consistently three tenths a lap. That made things tricky and we just didn’t have the pace to progress into the points. It’s a good time for a break. As a team we will regroup, think a few things over because we need to up our game in the second part of the season.”

P14. Daniel Ricciardo: “It was always going to be tough starting at the back of the grid, but there were some positive moments. We made the Hard tyres last well and then had good pace on the Soft tyre towards the end. It was frustrating not to get past Magnussen. I felt he was moving under braking, and I couldn’t do anything.

“I wasn’t happy about that as we could have progressed even further at the end. There are some positives and the summer break will be good for us. We’ll reset, take some time off, we know we’re in it together and we’ll be targeting a better second-half of the season.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal: “A poor result today with both cars outside of the top 10. With Nico we were targeting points, but with an engine having to run in safe mode and a very modest advantage over the Soft tyre starters, we could not make our strategy really work.

“Daniel ran a good race, but starting last is always going to be a challenge at a track like Budapest. He still managed to gain several positions and had a good fight with Magnussen until the last corner, showing that he is a fighter who does not surrender. His attitude on track must be an inspiration for us as we head towards the summer break, with a first half of the season well below our objectives.”

[MIKA27]

MCLAREN: VERY HARD WORK OVER LAST MONTH IS PAYING OFF

McLaren report from the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 12 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring near Budapest.

P5. Carlos Sainz: “Yes! This time, P5 tastes much better than the P5 of seven days ago. We executed the race perfectly. We had a great start, great pace and, in a fairly normal race, we managed to score a top-five finish. Holding Gasly behind in the second stint was intense, but I controlled the pace to counter-attack any opportunity he had to get closer and managed to finish ahead of a Red Bull on pure pace.

“I really want to thank and congratulate every single member of the team, here and back at the factory. I think these first dozen races show how much progress we’ve made this season, and we now need to keep digging. The ambition is to get closer and closer.

“Everyone can be proud of how things are going and the consistency we’re achieving. To keep learning in the second half of the season is important to try to build a better car for next year and take another step. Now it’s time to recharge the batteries and come back even stronger. Thank you team, enjoy a well-deserved summer break!”

P9. Lando Norris: “A good start, where I came up to a lot of the guys ahead, which was good. I got past Gasly straight away but I knew Carlos was somewhere on the inside, so I played it safe and gave him plenty of space. With hindsight, I think I could’ve stayed ahead but I didn’t want to take the risk.

“P7 in the first stint was alright, following Carlos the whole way. Then we did our pit-stop and I think the left rear was a bit slow. We lost all of our positions there, basically. The pace was good but the Mercedes was a bit quicker at the end. Apart from that it was an alright race.”

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “It’s been another very strong weekend for the team. It was a very impressive drive from Carlos after a great start. He kept Gasly behind him all through the second part of the race and didn’t miss a beat to secure P5. Lando was unlucky. He was set up for a higher finish before a problem with the left-rear wheel gun cost him two positions in the pit-stop and left him exposed to Bottas at the end.

“Very hard work over the last month – both at the track and back at the MTC – is paying off. We were clearly the fourth-fastest team, and scoring another 12 vital points locks us into fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Every single member of the team can take heart from that going into the summer break. The next job is for everyone to recharge their batteries and come back even stronger in Spa.”

[MIKA27]

ALFA ROMEO: VERY MUCH A RACE OF TWO HALVES FOR THE TEAM

Six points – this is our haul as we leave Hungary behind us and, with it, the first part of our 2019 season.

Six points, courtesy of Kimi Räikkönen’s composed drive at the Hungaroring, a drive in which he showed pace and resilience, withstanding pressure to bring home a good result.

Six like the laps in which Kimi had to fend off the attacks of a fresh-tyred Valtteri Bottas and his Mercedes.

Six can also be, in many senses, be a grade for our season so far. Pass mark, but with margin for improvement: a satisfactory score, but knowing full well we want so much more when we return. There is so much potential in the team, a potential we will need to fully unlock after the break.

For now, time for holidays. A time to recharge our batteries, regroup and come back stronger. Nine races separate us from the end of the season, nine chances to score points in what is turning out to be a furiously close battle in the midfield. The break will be a much-needed time for bodies and minds to recover: but no matter how enjoyable a holiday can be, we know we will miss racing and we will be looking forward to the next Grand Prix.

At least, we won’t be away for six weeks.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal: “It’s been very much a race of two halves for the team. Kimi did really well to drive a clean race and resist pressure from Bottas in the last few laps. Seventh was all we could hope for today so we can be satisfied with these points. As for Antonio, starting in P17 meant he was always going to struggle on this track, and an issue with his first set of tyres meant he didn’t get the chance to make any progress in the race.”

P7. Kimi Räikkönen: “Well, that was quite good. The car behaved great, I did a good job in the first lap and stayed out of trouble and then we had even better speed than the McLaren, but it was impossible to overtake. We lost one position at the pit stop but also gained one, so that’s a bit of a shame, but overall I can’t be too disappointed. I’ll take the points and move on. Look forward to spending the summer break with my family, but I’m also happy for all the people in the team, as they work incredibly hard and deserve some time off.”

P18. Antonio Giovinazzi: “It was a very disappointing race for me today. I had contact on the opening lap, when I was squeezed between two cars at turn one, and I had an issue with my first set of tyres that meant I had to cut my first stint much shorter than we were planning. It was a shame to end the first part of the season like this, especially because we had shown good pace in recent races, but it was another day in which we didn’t manage to turn our potential into points. At least we have some holidays now – a chance to hit reset during the summer break and come back to do much better in the second part of the season. The first half of my season hasn’t been ideal, but I can take heart from the improvement we had. It’s been a rollercoaster but I’ll keep working hard to improve.”

[MIKA27]

TORO ROSSO: FANTASTIC TO SEE DANIIL AND ALEX RACE EACH OTHER

Toro Rosso report from the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 12 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring near Budapest.

P10. Alexander Albon: “I had quite a good race today. My first stint was average, and I didn’t feel very comfortable with the Medium tyres, it felt like I had almost no grip at all, but once I went onto the Hard tyres the car came alive again. I had two nice fights with Dany, the first one was much closer than the second one! It was good fun and it was fair racing. I think P10 was the best we could achieve today, so we have to be pleased. Now I’ve got time to relax a bit, review the season so far and understand where I need to improve to be ready for the second half of the year.”

P15. Daniil Kvyat: “It was an interesting race and I think it could have been a good day, but unfortunately, we pitted too early and my tyres hit the cliff with around 15 laps to go. Once you hit the cliff it’s game over, so the strategy didn’t work out for us today. It was a nice battle with Alex when we were both on the same tyres, I managed to overtake him and it was very good fun, but after that in the last few laps when my tyres were completely gone it wasn’t enjoyable anymore. Having said that, I’m quite happy with the way I drove and I got everything I could out of the car. It’s just a shame we weren’t able to bring home the points.”

Jonathan Eddolls, Chief Race Engineer: “We had quite an eventful race today with the team managing to score a point, which we are happy with. We think this was the maximum possible given where we started. Both drivers lost some positions during the first lap which made our life more difficult, although a train quickly formed up behind Grosjean. Overtaking is tough here, especially when the cars are in a DRS train, so we decided to pit Daniil earlier in the race trying to undercut those cars ahead and stay in front of the Haas, who had pitted two laps before.

“Unfortunately, we had a slow pitstop and we came out just behind. Daniil was soon able to overtake but then he spent the rest of the race behind Perez, finding it impossible to pass him. He was managing the tyres for a part of the stint but, after trying to attack Perez for P10 at the end, they simply ran out of life. We stayed out longer with Alex in the first stint to try to cover all eventualities and, although he came out behind Daniil after his stop, his fresher tyres allowed him to attack towards the end and pass Perez for P10.

“We head into the summer break maintaining our 5th position in the Championship, which is a great achievement for the team. I want to thank the whole team in Faenza, Bicester, Honda and the drivers for their dedication and hard work in the first half of the season – enjoy the two weeks break to find new energy and come back after the shutdown ready to continue the fight!”

Franz Tost, Team Principal: “Today we had another very exciting Formula 1 race in front of a big crowd with so many fans who came to Budapest, which shows how much interest the fans have for Formula 1. We didn’t show very good pace from the beginning of the weekend onwards, so we started the race from P12 and P13.

“However, during the race our performance was quite good, but we probably called Daniil in for the pit stop a bit too early and, as a consequence, in the final few laps he suffered with his tyres like a few other drivers around him. Despite this, he still drove a very good race. As for Alex, we called him in seven laps later than Daniil and this helped him to attack at the end of the race, which allowed him to overtake Perez and score a point.

“It was fantastic to see how Daniil and Alex raced each other – we didn’t want to give any order from the pit wall and we decided to let them race – this is what people want to see from the grandstands and on TV. They fought each other fairly and it was good racing. I think this was the maximum result we could achieve today, so we have to work very hard to close the gap to our direct competitors and I think we will achieve this in the second half of the season.

“Thanks to the whole team, the complete working group, for the big effort they put in the first half of the year. Now we will have two weeks of holidays to come back with fully charged batteries for the rest of the season.”

[MIKA27]

RACING POINT: DISAPPOINTING TO LEAVE BUDAPEST EMPTY-HANDED

Racing Point report from the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 12 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring near Budapest.

P11. Sergio Perez: “I think today was definitely a race of which we can be proud. We did a fantastic race – a good start, great first lap, very aggressive strategy to undercut two cars and then pushing to the limit all the way through. Right at the end Albon came up behind me quickly and we made contact, which damaged my suspension. I was really struggling in the last three or four laps – it was a challenge just to finish in P11. We were expecting a difficult race, but we were in the fight for a point until the very end – unfortunately we just didn’t get it. We gave it everything out there, so I’m happy with that. Hopefully the second half of the season will be more promising for us.”

P17. Lance Stroll: “There’s not much to say about this weekend, which is a shame. I had a bad start and didn’t make up any ground on the first lap, which is so important here at the Hungaroring. I was stuck behind the Williams of Russell for the whole race so that pretty much sums up my afternoon. We knew this track was going to be difficult for us – because of our car characteristics – plus it’s not easy to overtake here. That’s why it was a frustrating race. We will use the break to regroup and come back fighting in Belgium: a track that should be much more suited to our car.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal: “It was always going to be hard work considering our starting positions, but we gave it everything and came close to scoring a point with Sergio. The move from Albon was very firm and there was significant contact involved, which affected Sergio’s car late in the race. For Lance, we had to react to the cars around us early on, which forced a pit stop earlier than anticipated.

“We had to react to Giovinazzi pitting, but Russell pitted on the same lap as Lance and we remained stuck behind him. We moved to a two-stop race to see if we could make the fresh tyres work for us in the final part of the race, but ultimately we ran out of laps. It’s disappointing to leave Budapest empty-handed, but we will come back refreshed after the break, determined to have a much stronger second half of the season.”

[MIKA27]

WILLIAMS: WE’VE SEEN IMPROVEMENTS THIS WEEKEND

Williams report from the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 12 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring near Budapest.

Race Notes

- George Russell finished 16th and Robert Kubica 19th in the Hungarian Grand Prix
- Both drivers started on the hard Pirelli tyre, George 15th and Robert 19th on the grid
- George ran a one-stop race, pitting on lap 17 for the hard Pirelli tyre
- Robert also pitted once during the race, on lap 20 for the hard Pirelli tyre

Dave Robson, Senior Race Engineer: “The lack of high fuel running earlier in the weekend, and the warmer conditions today meant that the optimum strategy wasn’t completely clear. Indeed, the battle at the front between Max and Lewis shows how close the strategies were.

“We opted to complete an aggressive one-stop strategy, pitting George to cover the Alfa Romeo and allowing him to race Stroll to the end. Robert had a slightly shorter final stint but had to contend with multiple blue flags. Both drivers managed their tyres well, with George able to hold Stroll off on much newer tyres.

“We still need to work on the car pace, but we have seen some improvements this weekend and we can now enjoy the shutdown period before returning to tackle the very different challenges offered by Spa and Monza.”

P16. George Russell: “Yesterday definitely exceeded expectations, so it was a little bit back to reality today. I had a good first lap and made up two positions on Magnussen and Kvyat at turn four and five, which was pretty fun. It was nice to be racing other drivers. We’ve still got work to do but there are a lot of positives to take from this weekend. We’ve made a good step forward.”

P19. Robert Kubica: “The race was as expected. We had to manage the tyres to get to the end with a one-stop strategy. The feeling wasn’t great in the car, similar to yesterday. After the break we have completely different tracks, we will have to wait and see if we are able to close the gap, like George was able to do here. It is amazing to see how many people from Poland came here. I would like to thank them for the great atmosphere and hope that they go home with good memories, as I will do.”

[MIKA27]

Bottas irked by "completely unnecessary" Leclerc move

Valtteri Bottas says that the first-lap move by Charles Leclerc that damaged the front wing of his Mercedes Formula 1 car in Hungary was “completely unnecessary.”
Bottas suffered a damaged front right endplate after Leclerc’s Ferrari clipped him as the Monegasque went past on the run up to Turn 4.

The Mercedes driver kept going for a few laps but he was forced to pit at the end of lap 5 for a new front wing, which dropped him to the rear of the field.

“I was on the outside of [Max] Verstappen, so I tried to brake late, tried to go for the outside,” said the Finn, who would recover to finish eighth.

“He braked late as well, so I had a bit of a lock-up, so that caused a bit of a flat spot, so going into Turn 2 I had some understeer because of that.

“But it was all OK. Lewis [Hamilton] was also on the outside, but there was still room for two of us, maybe left a bit too much because he could carry good speed into Turn 3.

“We were side-by-side, for sure he didn’t leave any room for me, so that compromised my exit out of Turn 3, I had to lift. Then on the way to Turn 4 Charles came on the right hand side and suddenly swept across, and took my front wing.

“So that was it really, it compromised the race, and losing big chunks of time in the beginning, then stopped early, going through traffic all through the race, that was really the story.”

Bottas admitted that initially he thought he might have been at fault, but he changed his mind upon reviewing replays after the race.

“At the time when it happened I thought I was just focussed on something else, and maybe didn’t see him, but it happened pretty quick. But then when I saw the onboard, and when I saw Vettel’s onboard, it was clear that I was just going straight ahead, he was on the right, and he would have been anyways ahead of me before Turn 4 going straight.

“But then suddenly he swept across and for me it was too late to react. I love hard racing, that’s for sure, but that was completely unnecessary, and for sure compromised my race. He was lucky enough not to get a puncture. That’s not how it should be.”

Leclerc, who would end up taking fourth place in the event, insisted that he wasn’t really aware of the contact.

“I don’t really know to be honest,” said the Monegasque driver. “I felt a small touch but I don’t really know what happened. I have no idea, I haven’t seen it.”

[MIKA27]

Verstappen "the best driver out there" - Rosberg

Mercedes' 2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg has labelled Max Verstappen "the best driver out there" and outlined five reasons supporting that claim ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Red Bull driver Verstappen claimed his first pole in F1 at the 93rd attempt after beating Mercedes duo Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton in qualifying at the Hungaroring.

Rosberg has joined Verstappen's team boss Christian Horner in declaring the 21-year-old is even better than five-time world champion and points leader Hamilton on current form.

"At the moment Max Verstappen is the best F1 driver out there," Rosberg said in a post-qualifying analysis video on his YouTube channel. "Even slightly better than Lewis Hamilton, just recently overtaking him.

"He's been doing an unbelievable job."

Rosberg, who spent four seasons alongside Hamilton at Mercedes and beat the Briton to the 2016 title, said Verstappen's pole was down to an "epic piece of driving" from the Dutchman.

He believes Mercedes had the fastest car in qualifying but Verstappen produced two amazing laps, and Rosberg used the result to outline five reasons why Verstappen is the best driver on the F1 grid at the moment.

"The first point: natural talent," said Rosberg. "Unbelievable natural talent. On a line with Senna, Hamilton, one of the absolute one-in-10-years natural talents."

Rosberg also highlighted Verstappen's confidence and said he has a "narcissistic touch" but not in a negative way.

"All the greatest drivers had that," said Rosberg. "Schumacher had it, Senna had it. They all had that steely self-confidence which I unfortunately didn't have to that extent. 
"I think he's got that in bucket loads."

Rosberg said Verstappen's response to the scrutiny he faced after high-profile errors in 2018 was an example of this self-belief.

"It gives you this resilience," Rosberg added. "There's so much pressure, so much going on, so many opinions and politics, and if you have that steely self-confidence it keeps you protected from that and keeps you focused, keeps your head clear."

Rosberg's third point was how well-suited the 2019 Red Bull is to Verstappen.

"The car matches him really well," said Rosberg. "They've engineered a car that fits perfectly to his driving. If you don't agree with that, take a look at today's qualifying lap: it's on absolute rails, it's unbelievable.

"That's a perfect match there."

Verstappen made his F1 debut as an 17-year-old in 2015, and despite only being 21 has the joint-eighth highest number of grand prix starts (92) of the current crop of drivers.

Rosberg believes that combination of youth and experience gives Verstappen "a combination that the sport has never seen".

He thinks that is why Verstappen is able to challenge Hamilton, who Rosberg said is "certainly already on a little bit of a decline in his natural human abilities" despite still being an "unbelievable weapon".

"The best age for racing drivers is 30, 31, 32 – and that's because your ability as you're getting older slightly decreases, but experience counts so much in this sport," said Rosberg.

"So experience will outdo the small decrease in your natural ability as a human as you get a bit older.

"But with Max, he has the absolute youth – bullet-speed reactions in his mind, absolute peak human body reaction times in his – and he also has the experience, because he's one of the most experienced drivers out there by now with four years under his belt.

"That makes for an unbelievably powerful combination."

Rosberg's final point was to hail Verstappen's dedication.

"We see that in his fitness, in his gaming, keeping his reactions going, go-karting, working with the engineers," said Rosberg. "It's really powerful commitment."

[avaldes]

Fun race to watch! I was rooting for Max to win wire to wire. But I have to admit it was exciting to see Hamilton storm back at the end.

[MIKA27]

VETTEL: NOBODY’S MIND WILL REST IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Sebastian Vettel said he was ready for a much-needed take a break from Formula 1 after he and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth in the Hungarian Grand Prix but at the same time doubts his mind will be able to “switch off” for the next four weeks.

The four-time F1 champion, who will be without a win for a full year when he returns to lead the Italian team at the Belgian Grand Prix next month, conceded that he and Ferrari could not live with the pace of Mercedes’ victorious championship leader Lewis Hamilton and second-placed Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

“We couldn’t go the pace with these two. That was clear and it’s good now to get a break. Everyone has been working really hard and we need to recharge our batteries,” he said.

“I’m happy to get some champagne now! We did a long first stint and hoped the softs (tyres) would last to the end – and they did.”

Vettel, who is 94 points behind Hamilton despite a second straight podium, was unconvinced by suggestions that Ferrari would bounce back at the power-hungry Belgian and Italian Grands Prix.

The German said, “On paper, they look better for us and we know we have a margin with the car, but we don’t know what other people will do in terms of upgrades. It will be a busy break for us and nobody’s mind will rest in the next few weeks.”

His team-mate Charles Leclerc said he felt disappointed and had realised that the German was more efficient in tyre management on long stints, “We pitted quite early on the first stint, mostly because I was struggling with tyres.”

“Then on the second stint towards the end, I was struggling with tyres again, at the rear. So, there is definitely something Seb is doing better than me in long runs when there is degradation.

“I need to understand where it is coming from and try to improve that,” added the younger of the two Ferrari drivers.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: IF [ROSBERG] IS RIGHT OR WRONG DOESN’T INTEREST ME

Lewis Hamilton has hit back at his former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg following a string of recent comments by the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion turned vlogger and influencer.

In his video blog and elsewhere, Rosberg has recently claimed that Max Verstappen is now a better driver than the five-time F1 world champion, partly because of 34-year-old Hamilton’s age.

Hamilton, who had a troubled relationship with Rosberg when they were teammates until 2016, said after winning in Hungary: “I’ve never seen the blog. It has no influence on my life.

“Whether he’s right or wrong doesn’t interest me, although he has the right to his opinion. But I think my records and results basically speak for themselves. There are always people who did not have the success that I did who want to talk, but that’s ok.”

“I once read a book and it said when people talk bad about you, don’t take it personally because they’re actually talking about themselves,” Hamilton added.

As for Rosberg’s specific charge about his advancing years as a top athlete, the Mercedes driver hit back: “I feel great. I’m still fit. Maybe not fitter than ever because I was sick a week ago, but I wanted to come back strongly this weekend and I succeeded. I am 34, but I feel like I’m doing better than ever.”

Hamilton and Rosberg endured a highly acrimonious period together at Mercedes, with the Monaco-raised German taking the title in 2016 and promptly retiring from the top flight.

Since then the pair have not been on the same page and word is Hamilton refuses to be interviewed by his childhood mate turned nemesis in adulthood. The ice has clearly not thawed between the pair.

[MIKA27]

BOTTAS: IN FORMULA 1 YOU ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN-B AND PLAN-C

Under pressure Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has revealed he has a Plan B and even a Plan-C in case Mercedes does not retain him for the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship season.

Team boss Toto Wolff is openly weighing up between keeping the Finn, or promoting reserve driver Esteban Ocon to become Lewis Hamilton’s new teammate.

Bottas’ case was not helped in Hungary, where he had his second consecutive difficult race in the space of a week.

“In Formula 1, you’re only as good as your last race,” former F1 driver JJ Lehto told Iltalehti newspaper when asked if Hockenheim and Hungary will hurt Bottas’ chances of being re-signed.

Wolff says he will make the decision during the August break, and reassured Bottas that his call will not be dependent on “a bad day” in the cockpit, “We have to look at all the data and take into account a lot of factors that speak for or against him.”

Wolff even acknowledges that there are downsides to signing up Ocon, “A young guy like Esteban deserves a chance, but it will not be easy to manage the pressure of the comparison with Lewis. It’s a difficult decision.”

Also difficult is the situation for Bottas, as the pressure mounts on him to stop a run of mistakes while his future remains in the air.

“It’s not easy,” he admitted. “But that’s the sport. You’re always on the limit, deciding the degree of risk that is acceptable.

“If at the same time there is uncertainty with your contract, it doesn’t help. Some people think that drivers are better with pressure, but that’s not the case for me.”

As for what happens next, Bottas insisted he is “not particularly worried” about Wolff’s August deliberations, “But I would like to hear from the team about this. When you’re in Formula 1, you should always have a plan B and plan C as well.”

MIKA: I'm calling it.... Bottas misses out on next years merc seat and moves to HAAS. Possibly Renault in place of Hulkenberg.

[MIKA27]

KUBICA: IT’S AS IF RUSSELL AND I ARE EATING TWO DIFFERENT DISHES

Williams Robert Kubica is yet to benefit from what seems to have been a clear step forward for the Grove outfit and his rookie teammate George Russell.

Over the last few races, the once-great backmarker team has introduced car upgrades, but Kubica has remained dead last.

In contrast, his teammate Russell finally pulled himself off the back row of the grid in Hungary and almost made it through to Q2, beating Lance Stroll and Antonio Giovinazzi to the chequered flag.

Broadcaster Eleven Sports asked Kubica if his problem could be Russell’s superior car setup, “We go our own way. When I tried to use George’s setup, I went even slower. He just has a different feeling in the car.”

“He has been happy here, so I hope that when I get a similar feeling in the car, a day will come when I am also happy.

“For now, it’s as if we are eating two different dishes. One comes from a good restaurant and the other is prepared by myself. And I’m not a very good cook!” Kubica added.

MIKA: As cruel as this sounds, the problem with Roberts car is... Robert. Kubicas only point for Williams was sheer luck and attrition, nothing to do with talent sadly. 

[MIKA27]

RAIKKONEN: ALFA ROMEO KNOW IF THEY COMPLAIN OR WHINE I LEAVE

Alfa Romeo veteran Kimi Raikkonen says he will not stop doing dangerous activities just because he is in Formula 1 and scoffs at the idea of contract clauses preventing him to do so.

Well known for loving rallying, motocross and most recently jumping from a building into a swimming pool, the 39-year-old Finn insists that his life away from F1 is up to him.

“I haven’t read my contract because it’s not worth much as far as I am concerned,” he told the Hungarian magazine Vezess when asked if he is prohibited from engaging in dangerous activities.

“When I first talked to Alfa Romeo, I told them that if they complain about anything, if they whine, I won’t be here anymore,” Raikkonen added.

“There are many dangerous things in life,” the 2007 world champion insisted. “Of course I try to be careful, but I think it’s enough to talk about something if it happens.”

Raikkonen is currently under contract until the end of 2020. He said he is not interested in getting involved in the management of the sport once he retires.

“That’s not for me,” he laughed. “Liberty deals with more politics than many countries do.”

[MIKA27]

WILL FORMULA 1 STILL USE PETROL ENGINES IN 20 YEARS?

Renault technical director Remi Taffin doubts Formula 1 will evolve beyond this fuel-powered era within the next 20 years as peak performance will always be the target for teams in the top flight.

In an ever more ‘green’-minded world, and the ever-rising success of Formula E, it is speculated that F1 could eventually ramp up its hybrid credentials to do away with fuel altogether.

But Taffin doesn’t think so and told Figaro, “We of course want to make F1 as green as possible, but our main subject in Formula 1 is performance, and for now, an electric car remains less efficient than what can be done with a combustion engine.”

Taffin thinks a big part of the problem with battery power is the weight, “To be successful, a car must be light. Today, the hybrid is a heavy solution and that is a barrier. The big job is to make this part lighter.

“For passenger cars, there are targets for reducing consumption and polluting emissions, so there is an interest in pushing electric. But for F1 it’s different. In F1, it’s about laptime performance.”

“Will F1 still use petrol in 20 years? I think so, yes. The transition to electric will take time. Engineers will find the right solution, the only question is when,” he said.

[MIKA27]

'Serious questions' need to be asked at Renault – Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg says “serious questions” have to be asked at Renault, including its development plan, in the wake of a disappointing first half of 2019.

Renault entered the new campaign with the ambition of closing the gap to the top three teams, having led the midfield group last year, with multiple race winner Daniel Ricciardo recruited alongside Hulkenberg.

But the team has been mired in the midfield this year, its plight accentuated by reliability setbacks and inconsistent performances from its R.S.19.

Renault currently holds sixth position in the Constructors’ Championship on 39 points, having scored in just six of the 12 events to be held this year.

“It’s obviously quite below our expectations and the targets,” Hulkenberg explained when asked by Motorsport Week on Renault’s season.

“I think we need to ask ourselves some serious questions and review a couple of things internally.

“There’s been far more lows than highs unfortunately and not really satisfying.

“[We need to review] how we go about things and where we’ve come the last 18 months with the car, what we’ve been doing. And the effect it has, which is not that much of an effect, so we need to ask ourselves in the future, so updates will bring some yield and bring us forward.”

Hulkenberg finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in 12th position, with Ricciardo – who started from the back after a Q1 exit prompted a power unit change – in 14th spot.

“Not enjoyable. Not great,” said Hulkenberg on his race.

“I had a power unit issue very early in the race, we lost the seamless shift a bit and lost quite a bit of lap time from power, from speed, that made it hard to stay in the race.

“And also the car was quite difficult to drive again, the balance didn’t really feel together at all today, it was fighting the front axle, the rear axle, didn’t have the pace, with these things we can’t expect too much.”

[MIKA27]

Ferrari explains Hungarian GP ‘suffering’ amid subdued display

Ferrari explains Hungarian GP ‘suffering’ amid subdued displayFerrari team boss Mattia Binotto says the squad was “suffering” in race trim due to its relative lack of downforce accentuating its tyre wear.

Ferrari has shown glimpses of pace on occasion in 2019 but has yet to take a victory amid an array of incidents, reliability setbacks and other issues.

The Maranello-based team had off the pace throughout the weekend at the Hungaroring, qualifying almost half a second down on pole, while in the race the team was not a factor.

Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc took third and fourth, but did so over a minute down on race winner Lewis Hamilton.

“I think what we should try to explain is not the minute [gap] but how is it possible that maybe a week ago [in Germany] we have the fastest car, and [in Hungary] we are somehow not the fastest.

“Here, as we often say, is very track dependent.

“We know that our car is somehow lacking maximum downforce and when you are somehow on a circuit like Budapest where maximum downforce is required, then we are certainly suffering.

“You are suffering even more in the race compared to the quali, because in the single lap of the quali eventually the grip of the tyres is coping with the lack of downforce it may have.

“But over a long distance, you are sliding, overheating the tyres and things are certainly more complicated.”

Formula 1 teams are mandated to take a two-week summer shutdown between now and the next round of the season in Belgium, which takes place in four weeks’ time.

Binotto says Ferrari must ensure it rests in order to tackle the second half of the campaign with the right mental attitude.

“Next week we will be back in the office and there is still much to do before we are on the summer break but I think it’s important for us to stop and rest a bit,” he said.

“We spent a lot of energy on this initial start of the season, after the winter testing and Australia, when we recognised that we got some gap to close on our main competitors.

“We spend really in all the departments back in the factory and at the race track a lot of energy so it’s the right time to have some holidays.”

[MIKA27]

Wolff: Hamilton's Hungary drive was "another dimension"

Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton’s Hungarian Grand Prix-winning drive “was another dimension”, and that he and Max Verstappen left rivals in “a different class”.

Hamilton overcame teammate Valtteri Bottas in a wheel-to-wheel fight on the opening lap, and was switched to a two-stop strategy later in the race in a bid to overhaul long-time leader Verstappen. 

Mercedes’ decision gave Hamilton 20 laps to erase a 20-second deficit, and the five-time world champion caught and passed the Red Bull with four laps remaining to win for the eighth time in 12 races this season. 

Wolff said: “To dominate such an era a team needs to come together on this journey and create something special. 

“It doesn’t go without every single member of the team but it certainly doesn’t go without the right guy in the car. His driving today was just another dimension to me. 

“The respect between Valtteri [Bottas] and Lewis in the first half a lap, we have never had reason to doubt that it’s good. 

“And catching up with Verstappen and chasing him hard on the hard tyre you can see that these are two great drivers with great respect for each other. 

“Only with respect can you go around a corner together at 180 miles an hour. 

“We knew from the moment that he had seen that [Verstappen was in the distance], that would be enough.”

Wolff had highlighted Austrian/German GP winner Verstappen as a legitimate title threat prior to the race. 

Hamilton’s victory gave him a 62-point lead in the championship, with Bottas still his nearest competitor and Verstappen 69 points behind in third. 

Asked by Motorsport.com how important it was to have this result going into the summer break, Wolff said: “It just feels great going into the summer break with a victory.

“We’ve increased our advantage in the drivers’ world championship, we can take it in for the next four weeks before we hit the race track. It will be the opposite for our competitors. 

“What personally satisfies me is we had a great, great race car today, by far the quickest car on track. 

“Putting aside the Verstappen/Hamilton battle, you could see everybody else was in a different class.

“Nevertheless after the break, getting into Spa and Monza mode, a totally different track layout, very power sensitive circuit – something that’s going to suit Ferrari a lot. 

“It’s going to be difficult for us and that’s why it’s about enjoying the moment, and starting [Monday] we have to sort out our problems in order to be competitive at Spa.”

[MIKA27]

Wheelgun failure to blame for Norris' slow pitstop

McLaren has revealed that a wheelgun failure was to blame for the slow pitstop that cost Lando Norris the chance to help deliver its best result of the season in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Norris had looked on course to follow teammate Carlos Sainz home at the Hungaroring, with a potential fifth and sixth-place finish on the cards.

But it all went wrong during Norris' only pitstop when a problem changing his left rear wheel cost valuable seconds that allowed other cars to get the jump on him.

As well as losing two positions, the delay dropped Norris into the clutches of the recovering Valtteri Bottas, who managed to overtake him and snatch eighth near the end.

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl apologised to Norris for what happened, but said that an unexpected equipment failure had been the culprit of the young Briton coming home ninth.

"Unfortunately we had an issue with the left rear wheelgun which caused a delay in the tyre change," said Seidl. "In the end that lost him two positions, plus allowed Bottas to get close to him in the race and get him as well.

"Sorry from our side to Lando that he was unlucky, because in terms of driving he pulled off a great performance. But these things happen in racing."

Although slightly disappointed with the result, Norris said he did take encouragement from the performance of the car at a track where the team had not been expecting great things.

"We had good pace, so it's glass half full, let's say," said Norris. "There was good potential, the car got a good result, so there's a lot of positives and just one negative.

"It happens sometimes and it's just that the pitstop wasn't great on my car. Generally the team have done a very good job, and I have to give them a lot of credit.

"They've done a very good job all season, especially compared to last season, where they were struggling a bit more in the pitstops. So we still made good progress, just today was a one off."