© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
By Carol M. Creasey
The weather in Hungary was extremely hot during Free Practice 1 and 2, with hotter temperatures promised for race day.
The track could be as much as 50 degrees. The Mercedes car struggles on hot tracks, and after the sessions, Lewis explained that it had not been easy, but running had allowed them to collect useful data to try and help the car to perform better in hot conditions. Both Lewis and George had been very motivated during their media sessions, declaring that they intended to push as much as they could to try and get some more wins before the end of the season.
During Qualifying, conditions were cooler for Q1, which allowed Lewis to top the timesheets. But by the time they got to Q3, it had become hotter. Lewis just made it into the top 10, and then he did his flying lap, which put him into 5th place. McLaren were 1st and 2nd, with Norris on pole, and Verstappen, who was visibly frustrated, in 3rd. Then came Sainz before Lewis in 5th. Russell did not make it out of Q1, and was unable to run again because of a lack of fuel. So, unfortunately he had to settle for 17th position.
On race day, the weather was hot again. Lewis made a good start, which put him past Sainz and up to 4th. Meanwhile Verstappen passed Norris, but had to give the position back because he had gained an advantage when he went off track. Russell set himself the task of trying to climb up into the points. By the end of the race he had made it into 8th place.
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Lewis pitted early on lap 17 for hard tyres, which undercut Verstappen, who was visibly frustrated, and during the race he became angry, berating his team over the radio for what he felt was a bad strategy. He then made several attempst to overtake Lewis and claim 3rd place. The first time he went off the track and later he dived down the side of Lewis and hit his car. Luckily neither of them, nor their cars, suffered and damage. Verstappen’s car actually lifted up into the air for a moment and when he managed to straighten up again, he had lost another place to Leclerc, so he ultimately ended up in P5. The stewards looked at it after the race, and decided it was a racing incident, so no penalties were applied. Piastri won and Norris was 2nd, after McLaren had swapped them around at the end of the race due to a pit stop undercut.
Lewis’ drive was hailed as a master class in defending, he had spent most of the race fending off Verstappen, who obviously had the quicker car. When he reached the chequered flag, his race engineer Bono came on the radio to congratulate him, and to point out it was his 200th podium, another record. Finally, Lewis’ season was improving rapidly. With his new haul of points, he had come from 8th place in the Drivers’ Championship, to 6th. He is now in a much better place mentally. Next stop is Belgium, which will be another chance for a good result, ahead of F1’s summer break.
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