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The final race weekend before the summer break sees Formula 1 go to Mogyoród for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton continues in Hungary as the Red Bull man will look to return to the top step of the podium after he retired from the British Grand Prix.
The two championship protagonists tangled at Copse corner on the opening lap of the race. Ultimately, it saw the Dutchman hit the barrier which ruined his weekend after a positive qualifying and Sprint performances.
Hamilton continued the race and was given a 10-second time penalty, but team orders and an incredible pace allowed the Mercedes driver to catch Charles Leclerc and inevitably win the race.
That victory and crash has been at the centre of everyone’s attention and probably will continue to be the main talking point for a long time, however, a new track, a new race weekend and ultimately a chance to score more points are on the line as Formula 1 lands in Mogyoród for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Hungaroring, which opened for racing in 1986, is a track with 14 turns and due to its twisty and bumpy nature, it makes overtaking very difficult in dry conditions which is why the circuit is nicknamed “Monaco without the buildings”.
In 1986, the first Grand Prix since 1936, Ayrton Senna claimed pole position as the Brazilian looked to claim yet another race victory to his repetitore after qualifying over three-tenths ahead of second-place, Nelson Piquet.
Senna failed to take a lights-to-victory as Piquet stole the win away from the Lotus-Renault driver who was able to finish second with Nigel Mansell in third, a whole lap down to the Brazilian duo in front.
Last year’s Grand Prix at the Hungaroring was a frantic one and a very exciting watch as the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in the Drivers’ Championship continued.
It was the Brit on pole position as his lap time of a 1:13.447 was close to a tenth quicker than Bottas in second and nearly a second faster than Lance Stroll in third.
A good getaway from Hamilton and a compromised one from Bottas allowed the six-time world champion at the time to blast into turn one unchallenged.
The number 44 controlled from start to finish to take a commanding victory ahead of second-place Max Verstappen and third-place Valtteri Bottas.
It is poised to be a very tense race between Hamilton and Verstappen especially after their crash at Silverstone, with the Red Bull driver looking for revenge around the Hungaroring.
Top 10 Predictions
1. Max Verstappen
After he retired from the British Grand Prix, Verstappen will have the fire in his belly to beat Hamilton and to make a return to the top step of the podium. A win would extend his gap at the top of the championship and that would be really beneficial for the Dutchman ahead of the summer break.
2. Lewis Hamilton
The Brit won in controversial fashion last time out and his fight with the Red Bull man will continue at the Hungaroring. Hamilton will know that a victory and the fastest lap will put him ahead of Verstappen in the Standings so this race will be important for the duo.
3. Valtteri Bottas
Bottas will certainly settle with another podium as he picks up some more valuable points in his bid for the Mercedes seat in 2022. The Finn will be quite a long way off the leading duo, but a third-place finish for him will be another positive.
4. Sergio Perez
A good qualifying turned into a poor weekend after a disastrous Sprint which compromised his race and saw him finish 16th. He will look to make amends with a points finish with the Mexican needing to get at least some on the board to help keep Red Bull at the top of the Constructors’ Championship.
5. Lando Norris
The McLaren driver continued his fantastic season with a fourth-place finish at the British Grand Prix in front of his home crowd. Norris will have another positive weekend as he continues his points-scoring streak with a fifth-place finish.
6. Charles Leclerc
On the back of a podium at Silverstone, Leclerc will likely to pick up the pieces and battle with Norris in the battle for the best of the rest. He showed his true grit and determination last time out after he held onto the lead from the restart and this will likely be the case again.
7. Daniel Riccardo
Ricciardo scored his highest points scoring position for McLaren at Silverstone with a fantastic fifth-place. The Australian will be looking to replicate those antics and continue to show promising signs that he can take into the second half of the season.
8. Fernando Alonso
A poor qualifying but a resurrection after a fantastic Sprint saw Alonso have a positive weekend at the British Grand Prix. The two-time world champion executed some fantastic moves, but the Hungaroring will be harder to overtake which means the Spaniard must get it right in qualifying in order to score some points for Alpine.
9. Pierre Gasly
Gasly really failed to make much of an impact last time out and failing to qualify inside the top 10 hampered his progress before the weekend even began. He will be looking to make it into Q3 with that probably being his best chance at claiming some points due to the hard nature of overtaking at the Hungarian circuit.
10. Esteban Ocon
The Frenchman was finally able to get himself out of Q1 and stick his car into the points to record an Alpine double-points finish. Ocon knows that a top 10 battle will be on the cards especially with the car underneath him it is just the matter of whether he can deliver that.
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