At some point towards the end of that race, rushing through the surprisingly cool air at the Hungaroring, helmet in the wind, Max Verstappen will have found time to reflect on the truly insane race win he was now blasting towards. His opponents from Ferrari had already given him one or the other gift in this season, which now lasts 13 races.
Sometimes they gave him first place with a wrong pit strategy, sometimes Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz preferred to fight each other than him, then again the Scuderia’s engines exploded or even burned. And if the team didn’t make a mistake and the technology didn’t go on strike, then Leclerc had rammed his front into the gang like he did in France.
But this Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, Verstappen must have thought, he should never have won it, it was actually impossible. But actually: He started the race in tenth place – and after 70 laps he was the first to cross the finish line, followed by the silver arrows of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – after the seven-time world champion had overtaken his teammate five laps before the end.
And Charles Leclerc? Verstappen’s rival in the title fight? He was only sixth despite having started third. What seemed like a miracle became a little more earthly by explaining it technically. Because Leclerc was on a clear course for victory until his second stop. But then, despite the cool breeze in Hungary, his team strapped him into the hard, white-rimmed tire compound, he never got it up to a comfortable temperature – and was then defenseless against the attacks of his competitors like a container ship trying to overtake a speedboat. “I was just hoping to get close to the podium,” said the astonished Verstappen: “A crazy race.”
It’s like this: On Sunday, Scuderia Ferrari hoisted the white tires in the title fight with Red Bull. Verstappen’s lead over Leclerc is now 80 points. And there are only nine races left. With all love for Ferrari: That should have been it. “I just slipped back and forth on the hard tire,” Leclerc complained.
Old and new world champion? Max Verstappen celebrates his victory at the Hungaroring.
(Photo: Darko Bandic/AP)
Qualifying on Saturday ended with two thunderbolts. George Russell, the exceptional 24-year-old Mercedes driver, immediately used his first chance in a Silver Arrow, which after twelve races was finally capable of setting the fastest time, to snag the first pole position of his career.
To do this, he needed tires that were optimally heated at the decisive moment, but that only marginally diminished the joy of team boss Toto Wolff. The championship leader Verstappen, on the other hand, had to deal with technical problems when chasing times, which threw him back to tenth on the grid; he also had to have a new engine installed before the race.
The constellation at the top resembled a battle formation in Adventure Land rather than a commercial starting grid. Russell was parked in the most popular parking bay, and no one could say whether his Silver Arrow would be fast not just for one lap but also for the entire race distance. The Ferrari drivers lurked behind them in reverse order of their World Championship points: first Sainz, then Leclerc.
For Mercedes, the strategy was clear. Since the speed of the Silver Arrows would not be sufficient to duel the Ferraris seriously, it was thought, the motto had to be to keep them behind as long as possible on this narrow and winding course where overtaking was so is difficult.
“I just have to drive as fast as I can,” summarizes Russell pointedly, then the traffic lights went out on the Hungaroring. And Russell pulled away like he’d parked up front a dozen times. What helped was that he had raised a softer mix than his pursuers. In the first corner, Sainz attacked him on the outside, Russel spread out and fended off the attack. Hamilton celebrated the greatest success at the start, who immediately grabbed the two Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso and finished fifth.
Russell tried to pull away on his softer tires with the speeding Ferrari duo behind him. In vain, but at least he kept it behind him. And he now also involuntarily served Verstappen, who was unlocking from behind, as the Scuderia’s personal brake pad. After seven laps the Dutchman had moved up from tenth to sixth place. The new order saw Russel in front of the two Ferraris, followed by Lando Norris in the McLaren, Hamilton and Verstappen. After twelve laps, Hamilton and Verstappen passed Norris in escort flight. And all of a sudden, the two red cars were sandwiched between the silver ones.
Because Russell’s soft tires had now gone down, he was the first to pit after 16 turns for a fresh set – he was followed shortly afterwards by Sainz, Verstappen and Hamilton. And so Leclerc took the lead for the first time in this race – only temporarily. Because when he finally returned to the track after 21 laps after his rest, he saw Russell rushing past him again. However, Leclerc was now in front of Sainz (also because the mechanics had mysteriously screwed the Spaniard’s car longer than his) – and had also strapped on fresher tires. Verstappen, in turn, made it past Hamilton after the stops.
Verstappen immediately recognizes Leclerc’s weakness
Then a wild dance began between Leclerc and Russell: The Monegasque attacked again and again for three laps, but whenever he had the Englishman ready, he drove his rear in front of the front. Finally, after three laps of dancing, at the very end of the start and finish line, Leclerc dared to return. He passed on the outside and hit the brakes late, putting his butt in front of Russell just before the corner. Finally, halfway through the race, it was over. The new order was: Leclerc ahead of Russel, followed by Sainz, Verstappen and Hamilton.
With seven-mile tires, Leclerc now pulled away from Russell and circled a second faster than the Briton. Actually, everything went smoothly for him, flawless, top notch, sparkling clean. Until, yes, until he drove out for the second pit stop – to have hard tires fitted. On these he would be able to drive through to the finish. But he didn’t bring her up to temperature.
Verstappen recognized this weakness as quickly as a lion recognizes a wounded antelope. On the long straight he shot past Leclerc as if he were as agile as a steadfast tin soldier. And so Verstappen, who started tenth, was on course for victory out of nowhere. Not even a spectacularly unnecessary spin, which one has rarely seen from him, could dissuade Verstappen, he gyrated on the track, 360 degrees, around once – and whoosh! Was Leclerc over again. But not for long. Because shortly afterwards Verstappen overtook him for the second time – the Ferrari rolling on the hard tires had nothing, absolutely nothing, to oppose the power of the Red Bull.
Hamilton overtook his young team-mate and Carlos Sainz at least dragged himself across the finish line in fourth. But he also never switched to the white tires that so treacherously ruined Leclerc’s race.
