Hungarian Grand Prix 2020
Lewis Hamilton is the king of Hungaroring once again. The reigning world champion claimed his eighth career win at the Hungarian Grand Prix after a dominant drive which saw him lead from start to finish. In doing so, he tied Michael Schumacher’s F1 record of wins at a single track.
However, Max Verstappen also made headlines as he overcame a crash during his warm-up lap to climb from seventh to second on the grid, preventing a second-successive Mercedes 1-2 finish in the process.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s disastrous start to the season continued as neither Sebastian Vettel nor Charles Leclerc came close to making the podium.
Highlights of the game
The starting grid at Hungaroring had an unusual look to it. While the two Mercedes of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas occupied the front row, it was the Racing Point pair of Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez directly behind them.
The two Ferraris were right behind, while last year’s pole-sitter and one of the favourites according to the Hungarian Grand Prix 2020 betting odds — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen — was all the way down in seventh.
Things would get even worse for Verstappen as he proceeded to crash his car into the barrier during the warm-up lap. His car incurred front-wing and suspension damage, which put his participation in serious doubt.
Miraculously, though, Red Bull’s mechanics managed to repair the Dutchman’s car inside of half an hour, which allowed him to take part in the race.
Verstappen’s luck would turn for the better once again when the race began. He made a great start which saw him jump from seventh up to third. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll found himself up to second as a disastrous start from Bottas saw him slide down to sixth.
The two Ferraris and Mercedeses already made their first stops within the first couple of laps, but Hamilton was able to reclaim the lead just a few laps later. Bottas also began working his way back up the grid, overtaking the struggling Leclerc in the process.
Meanwhile, Hamilton took little time to build up a huge lead over Verstappen, who suddenly became the champion’s main challenger.
But Hamilton looked in fine form and was already lapping the likes of Lando Norris and Leclerc, who was down in 15th, by lap 26. To be fair, Vettel also wasn’t faring any better as Ferrari were well off Mercedes’ blistering pace.
Verstappen kept hold of second from Bottas after making a pit stop just over halfway through the race, but he was miles behind Hamilton, who had now gone 20 seconds ahead.
Although, things got a bit interesting later in the race as Hamilton’s tyres began to wear out. That would likely force him to make one last stop.
The last few laps also saw one of the top Hungarian Grand Prix 2020 highlights in the form of the battle between future Ferrari team-mates, Carlos Sainz and Leclerc. Leclerc did all he could to hold onto his 10th spot, but Sainz eventually passed him.
After a lengthy delay, Hamilton finally came in with just four laps left. And thanks to his nearly half-minute lead, he still came out in front of Verstappen, which all but assured him of victory.
Meanwhile, Bottas — who had been burning up the track with multiple fastest laps — had closed the gap on Verstappen in second.
But Bottas simply ran out of time as Verstappen held on for a second-place finish that was even more amazing given all the drama that took place before the race.
Key statistics
After his rough first race of the season in Austria, Hamilton is back on top of the drivers’ standings after back-to-back wins.
Aside from his record-tying eighth win at Hungary, Hamilton also set another record by becoming the first driver ever to lead in 150 races.
Verstappen finished 2nd in Hungary for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas has finished on the podium in Hungary for just the second time in his career.
And lower down on the grid, Sebastian Vettel’s sixth-place finish was his worst result in Hungary since joining Ferrari in 2015.
What’s next?
With three races in the books, the Formula 1 calendar will now take a brief break before returning in the first weekend of August for the British Grand Prix.
Just like at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, they will hold back-to-back races at Silverstone, with the second race serving as the British Grand Prix’s 70th-anniversary celebration.
The SBOBET odds will no doubt have Hamilton installed as the heavy favourite in both races at his home track. The Brit owns the record for most all-time British GP victories with six, a record he set last year.
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