Max Verstappen (Red Bull), leader of the Formula 1 championship, won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, the 13th round of the season out of 22, and widened the gap on his pursuer Charles Leclerc, only 6th in the race. Tenth on the grid, the Dutchman came back to win ahead of the Mercedes of Britons Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who started from pole position for the first time in his F1 career.
“I was hoping to be able to get closer to a podium, but we had a very good strategy, we were really reactive. Even with the 360 (he lost control of his single-seater for a moment, without consequences), we won the race”, reacted the winner at the finish. Under a threatening sky, the Monegasque Leclerc (Ferrari), victim of a strategic error related to his tires, is now 80 points behind Verstappen in the championship.
Sainz at the foot of the podium
Shortly after halfway, the reigning world champion, then on intermediate tyres, took advantage of the hard – slower – tires fitted by Leclerc to take the race lead from him. The Monegasque was then forced to return to the pits to put on soft tyres, leaving the competition to slip away.
The other Ferrari, that of the Spaniard Carlos Sainz, fails at the foot of the podium despite a 2nd place in qualifying. Follows the Mexican Sergio Pérez, 5th. Behind Leclerc, the Briton Lando Norris (McLaren), 7th, the Alpines of Spaniard Fernando Alonso and French Esteban Ocon – victorious last year at the Hungaroring – and German Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) complete the top 10 .