The Hungarian GP - the final Formula 1 race before the summer break - simply added to the drama of the championship battle.
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Formula 1 fans have complained ad nauseum over Lewis Hamilton’s domination in recent years making the sport ‘boring’. While there is some merit to those claims, it isn’t entirely true. However, what cannot be denied is that the 2021 title battle between Hamilton and Max Verstappen is the closest title fight the sport has witnessed since 2016. And the Hungarian GP – the final race before the summer break – simply added to the drama of the battle. Fans waited with baited breath as Hamilton and Verstappen were set to battle for the first time since the first lap crash at Silverstone. And while another opening lap crash – this time not involving Hamilton – denied fans this battle, the race thereafter was exciting enough as it is.
It’s rare to say any race has it all. However, this race definitely had something for everyone. Pit lane drama, close racing on a track not known to favour overtaking, a new winner, a charge through the field. You name it and it was there.
In the end, F1 celebrated it’s 111th winner in Esteban Ocon. In a sport that is extremely top heavy, this was a feel-good moment for everyone.
Ocon’s route to F1 hasn’t been easy, but ascending to the top of the podium makes it worth it. Plus, his win wasn’t simply handed to him – he fought off four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel at every turn. And this is despite the Aston Martin being the quicker car for long periods of the race.
The result will fill the young Frenchman with plenty of confidence going into the second half of the season. But even beyond that, there was plenty to ponder about in the aftermath of the race.
Before the British GP, Hamilton trailed Verstappen by 33 points. Now, just two races later, he leads the championship by 8 points. To say the turnaround has been remarkable is an understatement.
Yes, a lot is owed to the fact that Verstappen failed to finish at England and limped home at Hungary. The former has already caused incidents and mud-slinging aplenty. But take nothing away from Hamilton’s fight back.
Even at Hungary, he needed to race hard to get any points after the faux pas of not pitting for slicks after the warm-up for the race restart. Going from 14th to third – even in a pacy car – is no mean feat at the Hungaroring.
The veteran Brit has experience aplenty of such situations and, with Mercedes’ upgrades paying off, a car that can race the Red Bulls. The resumption after the summer break can’t come soon enough for them.
Oh Valtteri, what did you do? F1 fans often find themselves feeling sorry for the Finn. He’s a number 2 driver in name only and has the unenviable task of matching the pace of a legendary teammate. But sometimes Bottas will make blunders of the kind that make it hard to be sympathetic towards him.
On the opening lap in wet conditions, Bottas entirely misjudged his braking and managed to cause an absolute melee up front. Lando Norris said he needs to learn how to race. Charles Leclerc described it as a game of bowling. Sergio Perez dubbed him an idiot. All were hard to disagree with.
For Bottas, the DNF could not have come at a worse time. His future at the team is shaky and the decision for the second seat will be taken over the summer break. Any last chance to impress the bosses went abegging after an entirely forgettable weekend.
It wasn’t just Bottas who had a forgettable Hungarian GP. Red Bull would like to entirely forget about the last two Grand Prix races. Their five-GP win streak has ended and in its place has come two races where they only finished with one car.
Christian Horner has cut an increasingly frustrated figure, as have both the drivers. However, they would know that neither of the races were entirely in their control – such is the brutality of racing.
They must also remember they are still very much in contention for the driver’s and constructor’s championship. The disasters of the last two races will matter little if they come back strong after the summer break.
The Williams’ of Nicholas Latifi and George Russel both scoring points was noteworthy. It was the first time in nearly two years that both Williams cars had scored points. It was also the first points finish at Williams for both Latifi and Russell.
Granted, it had a lot to do with the reduced grid that took to the start after the red flag period ended. But they still did well to hold on to their positions and the finish was a nice little morale booster. It will be interesting to see how the team builds on this – especially with Russell being linked to Mercedes for 2022.
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