Max Verstappen
When the Formula 1 clearer speaks of having had a “pretty perfect day”, it scares opponents and spectators alike: More than half a minute lay between the master class and the rest of the field at the Hungaroring. The championship leader’s job was done at the end of the starting straight when he passed Lewis Hamilton. The rest was more of a drive, including the fastest race lap: seventh win in a row for him and twelfth for Red Bull Racing, the hunt for records continues. Everything is back in balance, the upgrade on the car, which had caused slight problems at the beginning of the weekend, worked perfectly in race trim. Mercedes won 19 races in one season seven years ago, that seems doable, it’s only halfway there. Verstappen is also close to setting a driver’s record – nine wins in a row set by his Red Bull predecessor Sebastian Vettel.
Lewis Hamilton
The record world champion probably has to get used to being at the front again. A year and a half without pole position, and after the start of Max Verstappen and both McLaren he can be boiled. In the end he almost made it onto the podium, one and a half seconds behind Sergio Perez in the Red Bull racing car. But that would not have been worth much cheering for Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after the missed opportunity: “We don’t look to second best when the first is so far away.”
Lewis Hamilton, however, contradicts the assumption that it was the worst start of his career – the others simply got off better. So he was suddenly fourth. This will eat away at him. More pleasing in silver was the rise of George Russell, who made it from an indisputable 18th place to sixth. The hope that someone will break the Red Bull streak still rests with the former world champions.
Lando Norris
23 years and you can still tell: Lando Norris
(Photo: Glenn Dunbar/Motorsport Images/Imago)
Second twice in a row, for the McLaren driver that’s about as valuable as Max Verstappen’s seventh win in a row. The Briton in the papaya racing car also managed the first successful attack on the Dutchman, albeit only during the champagne orgy on the podium, when Norris, with his very special brutal way of opening the bottle, knocked the porcelain winner’s trophy off the podium, the base broke off. The 23-year-old is one of the serious title candidates for the future, but he has remained a rascal. Not a bad image to be successful on social media.
At McLaren, the retreading of the car is having an effect, rookie Oscar Piastri was fourth, he had to let Norris pass him due to a tactical pit stop. But the Australian couldn’t be really bad, after all he finished fifth. Both drivers know that there is much more to their racing car. “Incredible,” says Norris about the situation that a few races ago he was still in last place – and now he’s fighting for pole position.
Daniel Ricciardo
Coming back in 13th place, is that a good comeback? You only have to look at the widest grin in Formula 1 and you immediately realize: Oh yes! “It was the adrenaline I’ve missed so much over the past year,” said the Red Bull test driver, who was loaned to Alpha Tauri. If Ricciardo hadn’t been involved in the initial confusion, it could have been enough for a point. But more importantly for the 34-year-old, who desperately wants Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull, and as quickly as possible: he was ahead of his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in both qualifying and races. And the engineers in Faenza are happy to now have feedback from an experienced pilot. Ricciardo remains modest: “I’ll learn from the mistakes I’ve made and I’ve noticed a few things that could also be useful for the team.”
Sergio Perez
If even Helmut Marko, Red Bull motorsport consultant and Sergio Perez long-term critic, has nothing to complain about the Mexican’s performance, then it must have been a good weekend for the number two in the team. It was too, considering the false start with the crash in the first practice session. However, the Mexican made it back into the qualifying top ten after five missed opportunities, and in the race from nine to three. That puts everyone at ease. Perhaps the Ricciardo factor also played a role, although Perez claims: “To be honest, I don’t give a damn. I’ve been in Formula 1 for 13 years and I’ve seen everything.” But the 33-year-old was relieved in Hungary: “If you’re under pressure and you manage to deliver your performance, then that makes you proud. That’s exactly how I want to continue.” Team boss Horner praised: “This result was a statement.” Validity must be proven at the weekend in Spa.
Nico Hulkenberg
With the Ferrari customer team Haas, they like to pretend to be the machos of the pit lane, which works quite well beyond the result lists. Günther Steiner as the constantly cursing team boss on Netflix, Kevin Magnussen with Viking attitudes, and Nico Hülkenberg is not a child of sadness either. In Hungary, the 35-year-old shows up with a haircut that disturbs the clichés a bit – since then he has only been called Hül-Ken-Berg, so pretty bleached. However, Emmerich claims that he knew nothing about the Barbie film that had just started. But he won’t be able to get rid of the nickname anytime soon. Neither does the frustration in the car. Strong in one lap in qualifying, passed in the race, this time on 14th place. His contract extension should already be over, but the returnee may be speculating about something higher. First of all, he demands more power from the technical department.
Charles Leclerc
The hose that was too short in the helmet was already a bad omen for the Monegasque in the Ferrari, but it got even worse. Five penalty seconds for speeding when entering the pits made his sixth place seventh, before which the Ferrari mechanics made a mistake. He already lost his podium chances in qualifying, like the increasingly dissatisfied Carlos Sainz junior, who finished eighth. The drivers are already comforting themselves: “I think the result is much worse than it felt in the car.” All in all, another undeniable result, the new team boss Fred Vasseur does not get the problems in Maranello under control as quickly as expected. That would also explain the rough tone in radio traffic, but Charles Leclerc insists that it was just a matter of transmission difficulties: “It’s a problem that we have to solve.” Sure, it’s on the to-do list.