Esteban Ocon brilliantly won the Hungarian Grand Prix as early drama created a race that will go definitely down as a classic. It was Ocon's maiden victory in F1 as he held off Sebastian Vettel who was disqualified for not having enough fuel in his car to take a fuel sample. Lewis Hamilton had a rollercoaster day to eventually end up in second which was enough to take the lead of the Drivers' Championship away from Max Verstappen who scored just one point. Carlos Sainz moved up into the podium places.
The Winners
Esteban Ocon and Alpine
Ocon withstood the pressure of having a four-time world champion constantly within two seconds of you perfectly and Vettel himself said F1'a latest Grand Prix winner did not make a mistake. It was a superb drive and he kept a calm head to give Alpine their first victory as a constructor in F1. Fernando Alonso had his best result of the season too and helped Ocon win by keeping a rapid Hamilton behind for eight laps in an enthralling battle. The conditions and lap one chaos presented the perfect opportunity for the midfield teams to score big points and Alpine took the offer and ran with it. An incredible day.
Lewis Hamilton
It could have been a win for Hamilton but turning an eight point deficit into an eight point lead on Max Verstappen is more important. Hamilton's Q3 lap to take his first pole position since the beginning of May was excellent and it also meant he avoided the accidents at the start thanks to a very good getaway as well. Early on, it looked like Hamilton made a decision which killed his race when he opted not to pit at the end of the formation lap for the standing start restart. But he fought back and was blisteringly quick on the hard tyres. The pace in the W12 will also be very encouraging for Hamilton who has made the most of some good fortune, and that's what you have to do when you're in that position in Formula 1.
Williams
George Russell scored his first points for Williams but so did Nicholas Latifi who took an extraordinary seventh place and looked at home in the middle of the pack. The Williams duo were on different strategies and it paid off as they collected 10 points which is huge for their Constructors' Championship hopes as they are now eighth ahead of Alfa Romeo who had a dismal day. Williams have been through a lot in the last 18 months so the 2021 Hungarian GP will be seen as a key event for the Grove-based squad in the coming years.
Carlos Sainz
Sainz made an uncharacteristic mistake in qualifying when he crashed at the final corner. Starting down the order in 15th, he drove a solid race and benefited from Vettel's disqualification to make the podium. The Ferrari driver's call to go long on his first stint on the dry tyres was key to his top three triumph and he did well to initially keep Hamilton behind, forcing Mercedes to go for an aggressive strategy by pitting for another time with 23 laps to go.
The Losers
Red Bull
Silverstone was a nightmare for Red Bull, and things did not get much better in Budapest as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were hit by Valtteri Bottas at the start of the race. Verstappen "probably had less downforce than Mick Schumacher" according to Christian Horner and did well to get his car into the points. For Perez, he wasn't look good before the race but he did manage to qualify fourth so it was a missed opportunity to turn things around for the Mexican. Sunday's drama means Red Bull now trail Mercedes in both championships, something that seemed highly unlikely three weeks ago.
Alfa Romeo
Arguably, Alfa Romeo were the biggest losers from the Hungary as mistakes from the team for Kimi Raikkonen, and a big penalty for speeding in the pit lane for Antonio GIovinazzi, ended their hopes of scoring major points. With Williams now seven points ahead, Alfa Romeo will be deeply disappointed they were unable to capitalise on a race where just 13 cars finished the race. A disaster for Alfa Romeo who will have their heads down throughout the summer break.
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc
The way the race panned out would have been perfect for a driver such as Charles Leclerc or Lando Norris who have been excellent all year. Leclerc was taken out by Lance Stroll whilst Norris had Valtteri Bottas crashing into the back of him. In fact, McLaren had similar repercussions as Red Bull as Daniel Ricciardo was also hit by Leclerc and carried damage for rest of the race. Huge frustration for Norris and Leclerc who have been driving like race winners at most Grand Prix in 2021.
Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin have appealed the stewards decision to disqualify Vettel for not having at least one litre of fuel left in his car to take a fuel sample but it's unlikely to pay off. It was always a slam dunk disqualification and it's a rare infringement which Vettel could not have done much about. He was pushing Ocon so hard that the team must have thrown everything at the engine which then uses more fuel than normal which is the reason for his penalty Nevertheless, Vettel drove very well but to lose 18 points and a second place result is gutting.
Most read
