August 01, (THEWILL) – At the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen stunned the circuit by taking the lead from both Mercedes drivers while Ferrari lost the race due to more dodgy tactical choices.
The defending champion completed his ascent from 10th to victory and increased his points advantage this season by overcoming his qualifying power loss and a spin on the way to victory with the help of skillful tyre management.
George Russell had been in the lead for 30 laps before fellow Mercedes driver Sir Lewis Hamilton overtook him to take the top spot while front-row starter Carlos Sainz dropped to fifth over Red Bull’s recuperating Sergio Perez.
While Verstappen passed Charles Leclerc twice on the track, dropping him to sixth place, Leclerc was the only early leader to make three stops. The leading driver raced to an improbable victory by 7.8s by controlling the mediums to the finish line, including a late vehicle stability control (VSC) for Bottas who had to stop his Alfa Romeo due to engine loss at turn 12.
In the closing laps of the race, the Mercedes were the second-fastest cars, with soft-shod Hamilton passing Sainz on worn-out tyres before passing teammate Russell for second. Russell also had the legs on Sainz to score successive 2-3 finishes for Mercedes as Perez continued to hurt Ferrari in fifth place, despite protesting that his tyres had dropped out.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
