Picture Credit: Formula 1
On July 31, the cool-down room at the end of the 70-lap Hungarian contest cut a peculiar sight. There was the familiar presence of Max Verstappen, for such ominous has been the defending world champion's form this season that he's been spotted there on ten out of thirteen occasions.
The weird sight was that there was not a single figure sporting red racing overalls; Ferrari binned another chance of striking big at a Grand Prix this year, something that's been a prevalent trend. A sad sight, as per many!
But what wasn't sad after all, and as a matter of fact, refreshing was that there were two Mercedes drivers hanging out with Max. This was not the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, where the Mercedes duo were spotted along with Verstappen at the end of the race for the top three.
The Mercedes 2- 3 finish at Hungary saw the master Lewis Hamilton out there with the gifted apprentice; George Russell claimed his sixth F1 career podium.
So how did Ferrari's Sainz and Leclerc, who began second and third on the grid respectively, lose out in the end and how did Hungaroring unfurl a race result that not many would have predicted?
SportsTiger is back with the talking points of yet another Grand Prix, this time, of the last race before the forthcoming summer break.
1. Take a Bow Sir Lewis Hamilton
Chances are, if someone were to convince Sir Lewis Hamiton to pen a book on the art of tyre management, then probably it would benefit not just the remainder of the grid competing alongside the legend but even those who are yet to break into the top tier of Motorsport racing.
Think of names like Colton Herta, Nyck di Vries, and Oscar Piastri among the many.
For someone who began his race from seventh on the grid and ended second in the end, Hamilton blitzed the Hungarian Grand Prix in amazing fashion.
He not only saved his tyres when he had to but pushed a hell lot when the opportunity came; resultantly scoring the fastest lap of the race at 1:21:386 with just thirteen laps to go.
He was, quite frankly, the driver of the day much like Verstappen, the race winner.
Forget not that the great Briton was someone who had to abort his final qualifying lap in Q3 owing to DRS issues. On Sunday, however, he was, as he's so often been, in a league of his own.
The Hungaroring unfurled a tenth career podium for the Mercedes driver.
2. The Brilliance of George Russell
The P3 in the end wasn't quite the result that the Mercedes newcomer had hoped to achieve; on Saturday, the rest of the grid had just no answer to the imperious pace of George Russell, who with his 1:17:377, clinched the maiden pole of his career.
It's not that Russell wasn't on the job on race day; the King's Lynn-born led no fewer than thirty laps of the Grand Prix but in the latter stages had little answer for the excellently controlled race pace and pit strategy of Red Bull and his teammate's Lewis Hamilton.
On Lap sixteen of the race, George Russell pitted from the race lead and came out sixth. Sainz, meanwhile, pitted two laps later and came out sixth.
In such a time, the British driver was up into fourth and on the go. Ferrari, who had been trying to take advantage of what was actually a slow Mercedes stop, themselves got hampered by one, which played beautifully into Mercedes' hands.
Five laps later, Leclerc pitted for a set of mediums from the race-lead and came out second. Russell, meanwhile, clinched the lead of the race again, having been second.
He'd then be pursued by the twin Ferraris. By lap 25, even as Charles curtailed the margin to the race-leading Briton by no more than just over a second, Russell kept persisting.
What followed then starting lap 22 until the beginning of lap thirty was a George Russell masterclass in defending from a fast-catching Leclerc.
At this time, the top four- Russell, Leclerc, Sainz and Max were separated by barely over five seconds.
It was only on lap 31 that George conceded the race lead; Leclerc making a great late lunge on the outside of a corner to take full advantage.
A stop later and some excellent driving by Max and Hamilton saw George Russell recover to a fighting but valiant third in the end.
(3) Ferrari shoot themselves in the foot, and effectively, Charles Leclerc
Not for the first time did Ferrari shoot themselves in the foot this season. How else would one put it?
They had gambled with their go-to driver- for it's too obvious to ignore that- at Monaco only to hand an easy win to Red Bull. And now at Hungary, they called Leclerc, leading the race on lap 40 with thirty more to go, to pit for the harder compound in a strategic call that did turn out to be a shoddy one in the end.
The moment Charles pitted for the harder compound with Ferrari perceptibly making the call to handle the fast-approaching rains, which did arrive although later), Sainz took the lead.
The bad news, however, was that an in-form Lewis Hamilton was fast catching the Spaniard in third.
What was worse was that Leclerc, who didn't enjoy a blisteringly fast stop and emerged fourth saw Verstappen right on his gearbox. The Monegasque would eventually be passed by the imperious Red Bull.
But there was a twist in the tale. Verstapen, then third, spun on lap 42, perhaps struggling with water on the track.
Leclerc again found his chance and swiftly took third but for how much longer? He'd be eventually passed by Verstappen yet again as the Ferrari was simply struggling for traction on a track that demanded plenty of it with the arrival of rains.
There was nothing that Charles, perhaps unconsolable in the end, could do; he was a sitting duck.
Eventually, the Tifosi had to swallow the bitter pill, though not for the first time this season, of seeing yet another possible Ferrari win turn into a P6 for little fault of Leclerc himself.
(4) Ricciardo tries, excites, disappoints, all in the space of one race
Daniel Ricciardo has been out of form. This hasn't been his year. How often has one read this one loud and clear? It's a dull truth that has now become a sickening reality.
And round thirteen was just another example of Ricciardo's woeful fortunes this season. And while the Honeybadger qualified ninth on Saturday, his Hungaroring run fell apart in the latter stages that led to a lowly fifteenth place finish.
Daniel Ricciardo was in eighth place on lap 47 when pitted for a tyre change and came out in eleventh. Not such a bad pit after all; or was it?
Within seconds of him rejoining the pack, the experienced Perth-born contacted the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll as the duo approached a sharp left-hander.
Despite Stroll leaving an awful lot of space in what was a fair attempt to pass the McLaren, Ricciardo contacted the green-liveried car and earned a five-second time penalty, which ultimately compromised his race.
This was such a shame. On lap 24, which was twenty three laps prior to boxing, the Australian had executed a perfect double overtake as he jumped both Alpine cars of Alonso and Ocon to get tenth.
What if the skirmish had never happened and the Honeybadger would've hung onto his P10 (as seen in Lap 24)? It would have birthed a hat-trick of points for Ricciardo who entered the Hungaroring at the back of the P9 he gathered at both Spielberg and Le Castellet.
(5) Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon both finished their 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix in points driving a competitive race in the end for a team that has been consistently outperforming the midfielders.
While on his part, the Spanish Samurai, also the driver to have raced most laps in F1 history, clinched a valiant eighth in the end, his younger French teammate bagged a ninth.
Interestingly, in what has been one of the most undersung facts of the season, Fernando Alonso, the man from Asturias (Oviedo), has been consistently scoring points from the onset of the Spanish Grand Prix (his home race) of 2022.
That's points in eight back-to-back races on the trott. Not too bad for the oldest driver on the grid, youngsters?