Hungary GP Race Report

The breaking news at the Hungarian race event was not about the Formula 1 in Budapest at all but that Malaysia was going to host the Bahrain Grand Prix at the start of October; a strange mix of countries there.  Sepang is a notoriously hot circuit; Raikkonen famously got out of his broken Ferrari mid-race and went straight to get a Magnum out of the freezer.  It was hot in Hungary as well apparently but no one told us how hot.  With all the sunshine, thoughts were on the summer break which could not come soon enough for George Russell and if he felt that before the race, it would be even more welcome at the end.

Piastri was able to take the lead from his team mate off the start by the second turn and Verstappen was up to third.  Leclerc also lost out and was down to fifth.  Hadjar was seen darting out to the middle when the lights went out but it became apparent he had to do that to avoid Russell, whose anti-stall had kicked in and he went backwards down the grid to 20th.

I watched the Channel 4 highlights package for this event and none of the action further towards the back of the pack was shown, certainly not full screen, including Russell's overtaking manouevres to come back through.

Hamilton was the first of the lead runners to pit and came out in ninth.  It would be a race with unusual and changing tyre strategies.  Verstappen responded by pitting on the next lap but was overtaken. He then pulled out an amazing overtaking move to get past Lawson and Hamilton in swift succession.

It wouldn't be a race without Cadillac woes; Bottas' brakes caught fire again and he brought the car into the pit lane.  Piastri was about to box but had to stay out as the burning vehicle moved slowly in.  Norris had been waiting for his team mate to get out of his way and for some clean air for a long time and had been complaining on the radio.  Hadjar was in second and tried to hold the McLarens back when they came out from their pit stops, less so for his team mate Verstappen who was behind them.  I have a sneaky feeling that he may be retained for the whole of this season, possibly even for next year, unless he is Lawsoned.

With more complaints from Norris, McLaren bought in Piastri for another pit stop, giving him some clean air.  He was impeded by Sainz and the pair came together.  There seemed to be something wrong with the blue flag system at the track although surely team radio could have assisted the matter.  This gave Norris the chance to put in some quick laps and come out ahead of his team mate after his pit stop and was able to overtake Antonelli too.

Then Perez' Cadillac had a suspension failure, or something and retired.  There was no Safety Car needed but then Piastri's gearbox went on lap 56.   This was another retirement for him following two races at the beginning of the season where he didn't even start.  Stella didn't know whether to be thrilled for Norris (probably was) or upset for Piastri but he made the valid point that a "world champion doesn't have a car which stops on the track".  A Virtual Safety Car was called for and Norris and both Ferraris pitted.  Verstappen didn't which ultimately gifted him a podium finish.  Hamilton and Antonelli had a very close approach to the pit exit and Hamilton had to give the place back to his usurper. 

In the end, it was a relatively easy victory for Norris although it probably didn't feel like that for him.  Verstappen was second and Antonelli was third after Hamilton was given a five second penalty for speeding in the pit lane (another reason Ferrari should not have brought him in for the final extra stop).  Leclerc had a very nowhere race.

Williams would have finished last if Bearman had not received a penalty and there is little comfort that they are only in that position because both Cadillacs retired.  It was even more of a kicker because Stroll finished 13th and Alonso 14th for Aston Martin although I don't know how it ended up in that order (perhaps Alonso wants more pay for next year and is buttering up to Lance's pop?).

Hadjar had a well-deserved sixth place and Russell ended up seventh (he was practically wearing his trunks and snorkel in the press pit).  Both Racing Bulls scored points and Hulkenberg scored his first points for Audi.  Those had the back have a big battle ahead not to be at the back by the end of the season (not that Cadillac have scored any points yet, maybe they will have a special do-or-die engine for Austin or Vegas?).  Those at the front have a battle to stay there.  My message to the pit lane is do as much as you can in the one week you allowed before the shut down and then rest and relax because the rest of the season is going to feel like an uphill battle, or I really hope it does.  Thanks 2006 Part 1.

If Norris had "over peformed" according to McLaren team principal Stella in Qualifying, the win must have been a Verstappen drive.  We are not labelling types of performance by drivers as well as the more usual "Ferraring things up".  I suppose we used to have Sargeant to describe a poor performance.  This vernacular charge is being led by Lee Mackenzie who said that Piastri must be "feeling a little bit Russell" at the end of the race, a very apt phrase.

Hungary GP Qualifying Report

Everyone was geeing up for their Summer holidays but there was still work to be done before they could go on vacation.  Aside from getting a place on the grid several teams had bought upgrades that needed testing IRL.

Hungary is a track with limits that need to be kept too and a gust of win or misplaced confidence can lead to lap times being deleted.  Sainz was the first person off the track in the first Qualifying session and his old team mate Leclerc followed him in losing that place.  Norris was fastest and seemed to have a quiet confidence in his ability to string together three good sectors.  Out went Bearman, Sainz, Albon, Stroll, Perez and Bottas.  The Aston Martins have definitely secured the position of being faster than the Cadillacs with their upgrades and possibly the Williams too.

The traditinally quick teams had a tough time in the second session.  Hadjar spun out in his Red Bull right at the start, Antonelli was the only driver to have his lap time deleted and the Mercedes could only manage eighth and ninth.  Norris was fastest again so it seemed likely that someone else would stop sandbagging and take actual pole.  Lawson (who was having a horrible time), Gasly, Colapinto (or Colour Printer as the subtitles dubbed him), Bortoleto, Ocon and Alonso went out.  There was a little disappointment that Alonso could not get higher as their appeared to be promise there.

The Red Bulls saw a spin again in the final session, as Verstappen pirouetted right at the end.  Usually the track keeps improving all the way to the end of Qualifying but that seemed to fizzle out this time.  Norris took pole from the two Ferraris who just couldn't touch him.  Russell stopped on the track at turn one and was medium-level angry; there was a major water leak from his car.  I am surprise it was actually real and not just his own panicky sweat.  Norris set his time so late that Hamilton had already parked in the pole-winners spot and the sign had to be moved.  Hamilton had a hunch that he was going to be demoted down the grid for impeding someone during the last session and he had; Piastri had shaken his fist at him after he cut him up on a fast lap.  He would be moved back three places to fifth position.  Antonelli would also be give a three place grid penalty for failing to slow when there were Yellow Flags; I would have thought this dangerous behaviour warrented a higher punishment.

Pole is relatively important in Hungary but the field looked wide open for the race win; drivers from McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes or even Red Bull could take it. 

Belgium GP Race Report

It was a fine, sunny day in Spa as the drivers lined up on the grid.  The back of the Qualifying order was a mess with several drivers taking grid penalties for making changes to their cars.  The bottom four were Sainz, Stroll, Hadjar and Alonso.  Gloomy as it was there, the skies were clouding over and the radar weather monitors were in use, gloom growing in the skies.

It didn't take long for Verstappen to get past Antonelli off the start but he got it back.  Verstappen fell back behind him and Hamilton went into Russell and tipped him off the track.  It was all clean at the back of the pack though.  Leclerc had got past Antonelli behind the Red Bull but by lap two the Safety Car was out.  It would be a very early pit stop but cheap; the hardest tyre could go to the end of the race; no one really risked it.

Antonelli held it well at the restart but Verstappen was quickly past Leclerc, the Ferraris struggling for straight line speed.  Piastri was not far behind, wanting that third place for himself.  When he did go for it, Leclerc cut him off and Piastri lost a bit of his car in the process; it would affect his aerodynamics for the first half of the race until he changed his tyres.  Piastri said that he did not leave enough space (so he could overtake?).

Bearman snitched on Sainz, pointing out over the radio that the Williams' wing was hanging awkwardly.  We couldn't see it because that would give the team airtime and they probably don't record the Williams cars anyway.

Verstappen was the first to pit from the front-runners and almost lost the advantage when a Virtual Safety Car was called to allow the marshals to clear some debris from the track.  It didn't last long and all was well.  Antonelli pitted which put the Ferraris at the front.  Hamilton was angry that Ferrari had not gone with the tyre strategy that he wanted and he had not noticed.  They may not have told him he also had a five second time penalty for his collision with Russell, even though the Mercedes driver thought it was a racing incident.  Leclerc got away with his coming-together with Piastri though.  

The VSC came again and this time both Ferraris pitted; they were double-stacked and it was perfectly timed although Hamilton had to wait five seconds and then he nearly ran over a mechanic.  Leclerc was able to jump Antonelli.  Piastri pitted and he had been scrapping with Norris despite allowing him past a couple of laps earlier.  Norris took the lead, having started in 13th place.  

From there, Norris's tyres deteriorated until he fell right back and then was given a 7.8 second pit stop which meant he came out of the pits and into eighth.  Hadjar fought back from the back of the grid.  It was inevitable that with clever deployment of the tools available to him, Antonelli took the lead back eventually and maintained it to the end.  Leclerc was happy with his second place and Verstappen happy with third.  The most upset man at the track was Russell.

What was notable about this race?  Ferrari had plenty of opportunities to Ferrari up this race and didn't.  There seems to be nothing the plucky and unlucky George Russell can do to catch a break.  Antonelli seems pretty unstoppable and not in a Piastri way which was stoppable.  This season, upgrades are not enough.  Weather radars mean nothing in Spa.

Belgium GP Qualifying Report

First Gasly and then Hamilton crashed into the same bit of wall during Free Practice; Gasly gave his team 24 hours more to fix the car before Qualifying.  Everyone was ready for the first session and we were having an unusual Spa because the weather was not top of the agenda.  There were no shock exits in the bottom six: Albon, Ocon, Bottas, Perez, Alonso and Stroll.  It was Norris, Verstappen and Hadjar at the top of the time sheet with the highest running Mercedes being Russell in fifth.  Was it looking like the battle to bring upgrades was finally paying off?

Antonelli was back at the top after the second session.  The bottom siz were Lawson, Gasly, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Sainz and Bearman.  

Between sessions, Hulkenberg had to retire his car at the side of the track because of a hydraulics leak.  He was removed quickly.  With six minutes to go, the final session was Red Flagged and stopped because there was gravel on the track.  Norris was fairly close to pole but abandoned his last lap allowing Antonelli to take it.  Behind him was Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Linblad, Bortoleto and Hadjar who did not set a time despite going out to give his team mate a tow.

Hadjar will start at the back of the grid and Norris will move back ten places, both for taking on new parts to their cars.  It still looks like an interesting front row to start the Belgian Grand Prix with although I feel it is inevitable that Verstappen will lead the first ten laps or so before Antonelli takes over for the win.

GB GP Race Report

The wind had been discussed for the whole of the weekend but the weather must have been a little chilly because Naomi Schiff was wearing a knitted, woolly dress.  

There was extra time for the build-up because the drivers' parade would take over fourteen minutes in the Lego go-karts.  The crowd roared with laughter after several drivers tried to cut a corner and beached their cars in the gravel.  It was all such a novelty to rookie Linblad that when his on-board camera was being used for the feed, he got his phone out to video it on the big screen.  Alonso, having sat back to cuise an old man Sunday afternoon drive, finished first.  

After that, the Sky team had to fill a lot of time before they could play the VT of Bearman driving one of Senna's cars.  It was emotional for him and he had a cry; if I could hazard a guess it's because he realised he will never drive anything as good as that.

Gasly had been moved back on the grid for impeding during Qualifying.  Alonso wasn't last on the grid because his team mate took a ten place grid penalty for a new power unit.  He ended up there though, going into the pits after coming to a stop on the track during the formation lap.

Mercedes poor starts were back and both Ferraris were past Antonelli off the start.  Hadjar got going well but I found it hard to tell which car is which now that McLaren have changed their livery.  There were a few incidents on the first lap including Piastri sustaining some damage in a tangle with Lawson, Ocon doing something we never saw and Albon lost control and ran into Bearman and ended up last, with a ten second penalty to come.  It was an odd start for Williams with one driver falling to last place and the other getting into the points in tenth.

The starting three's order was changed again when Hamilton was given a five second penalty for moving before the green lights.  After eleven laps, Antonelli made an easy pass on him.  If the Mercedes were performing better in race conditions, it was an easy boosted pass by Verstappen on Russell, so all did not seem equal for some reason or other.  He went straight into the pits after.

Halfway through the race a Virtual Safety Car was set which meant that many drivers should have been able to claim a quicker pit stop but it was an umbrella that had blown onto the track.  It was quickly removed by the marshal which was a relief for Red Bull as they had both already pitted.

Hamilton didn't want to pit as his tyres were still good and he would have been doubly angry as they only told him about his penalty as he was coming in.  It's no wonder the radio wasn't broadcast.  Ferrari gave Leclerc a clean stop.  Verstappen and Hamilton fought hard then the Red Bull got past Russell for third.  He was keen to fight back but was radioed by his team that he had a puncture.  

As Hamilton got past Verstappen for third position, to the crowd's delight, Hulkenberg had to pull off to the side of the track.  A Virtual Safety Car was called for and Verstappen, Norris and Hadjar pitted.  I was surprised Leclerc didn't risk it from the lead because Antonelli was catching him quickly.  

The next time penalty was given to Stroll for exceeding track limits more than five times; this is not a track where it is hard to stay between the white lines.  With eleven laps to go, Antonelli radioed in that something was broken on his car.  He was asked for more information and spoke in a panicked, rushed way.  They replaced the nose which took twenty seconds, coming out in fifth place behind Russell.  It seemed strange that they would make that change and permit him to box taking his word for it and then just changing the nose without knowing what the problem is.  As he went back out, he reported that the suspension was broken; Antonelli offered to carry on and the team radioed that they thought it was a broken wheel shield.  He was struggling to turn the car precisely; they asked him to retire but he begged to carry on.  A compromise was reached that he should pit and they would try to rip it off.

It was all go in the last five laps: Antonelli decided to go for it with a broken car, Albon retired and Verstappen crashed.  The Safety Car came out and everyone pitted except for Russell, who took second place.  The commentators were very keen for the race to restart before it ended but I could only see that they wanted Leclerc to lose the lead and more places so that it would be an all-British podium.  It would have been very unfair for Leclerc to lose the place but his tyres were brand(ish) new and Russell's old.  Then, just as we were going to see one lap of racing the Safety Car was redeployed.  I can see this will be a big controversy after the race.  The pundits would have a dilemma - do they get upset that Ferrari pitted Hamilton and so losing the place to Russell?  Or should they be pleased for Russell's canny manoeuvre with Mercedes?

The top ten were: Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, Norris, Hadjar, Lawson, Lindblad (a nice four points for his first British Grand Prix), Bortoleto, Colapinto and Gasly.  The Alpines (and Bortoleto) really scooped up the points from the teams who had drivers falling back.  Piastri finished eleventh and outside the points.  Leclerc was overjoyed and manic over the radio.  Hamilton was under investigation for an infringement under the Yellow Flags; it would come to nothing.  

At the start of the season, it looked like Mercedes would be dominant but, as in the past, other teams do catch up.  Ferrari seem to be there now, helped with better strategy calls and reliability.  Red Bull and McLaren now need to do the same.  There are two races until the summer break.