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Lewis Hamilton takes last-gasp Hungarian Grand Prix victory to extend championship lead
Lewis Hamilton passed Max Verstappen with three laps remaining to win the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton was within one second of Verstappen when he was called in for a second pit stop - Mercedes hoping that a switch to fresh tyres would provide the British star with a chance to usurp Verstappen.
The strategy move by Formula One's all-conquering team proved inspired. Hamilton left the pit lane 21 seconds behind Verstappen with 21 laps remaining, the Briton lighting up the time sheets before catching the back of Verstappen's Red Bull.
The world champion then made the move for victory stick around the outside of Verstappen on lap 67. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finished third ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton will now head into the summer break with a mammoth 62-point championship lead over Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver ended the race in eighth place after he had to stop for a new front wing following a collision with Leclerc on the opening lap.
"Wow, just wow, mate," said Hamilton's engineer, Pete Bonnington. "What a drive. What a strategy." Hamilton replied: "That was a tall order but I am grateful you did it. That feels so good. I hope you are feeling it too."
Verstappen has not been hot off the line in recent races, but the pole-sitter retained the lead with a near-perfect start on the long charge down to the opening corner.
Verstappen moved to cover off both Mercedes cars, but a sloppy start from Bottas - the Finn locking up twice in three corners - allowed Hamilton to blast around his team-mate on the outside of the left-handed third bend before making the move stick into turn four.
Verstappen and Hamilton raced off into the distance and when the former stopped for new rubber on lap 24, he was less than a second ahead of his rival. Mercedes kept Hamilton out, and when he eventually stopped six laps later, he emerged six seconds down.
But Hamilton put his foot down and wiped out Verstappen's lead in a handful of laps. On lap 39, Hamilton sensed his opportunity, and in a gung-ho move for victory fell off the track at the fourth bend. Hamilton fell back, and started to reel Verstappen back in before Mercedes made the strategy call which won Hamilton the race.
VER:
"We were just not fast enough. I tried the hardest I could on the hard tyre, but it was just not enough. Today we didn't win, but it was a good day and a good weekend for us. We were just lacking a bit of grip, I guess"#F1 ���� #HungarianGPpic.twitter.com/vNBIuJrdus— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2019
Stopping for new rubber for a second time, Hamilton was way down on Verstappen.
"I don't know if that was the right call, mate," said Hamilton over the radio. "Copy that, Lewis," came the response from Bonnington. "We think you have got the pace." And so it proved with Hamilton claiming his seventh win in Hungary and the 81st of his career.
"I feel tired which is how it should be," said Hamilton. "To be able to push like that, I am telling you I was on the limit. I didn't know if I could catch the gap but the team told me to keep my head down and I kept pushing. The laps were like qualifying laps. If Niki (Lauda) was here today he would take his hat off."
Carlos Sainz finished fifth for McLaren ahead of Red Bull's Pierre Gasly. Lando Norris crossed the line in ninth after a slow pit stop.
Aaaaand
This is now Carlos Sainz's best every year in F1 by points. And he still has nine races to go. 32 points to make 100. Might be an ask but if Gasly keeps on performing like this and with McLaren performing well on a variety of tracks, it could happen.
That's me signing off. Stay tuned for more reaction from Oliver Brown out in Budapest and from me tomorrow on telegraph.co.uk/sport.
So, perhaps Red Bull couldn't have done much about the Mercedes strategy call...
...but the crucial part was after the first stop. Verstappen emerged about six seconds ahead but it was wiped out within a matter of laps. Not many have mentioned that. At one point I think Hamilton took two seconds out of Verstappen. Maybe two laps in succession. That was what got them back into the position to make that call. What happened there? I don't know. That, combined with the call to stop again, was the race.
What could have been for Max?
Updated constructor standings
McLaren looking strong. On 82 points, that is their highest points total since their final season with Mercedes power in 2014, when they scored 181. They'll struggle to beat that this year but on their current points per race they would make around 144. That would be a huge result.
Verstappen laps Gasly
Again.
Christian Horner speaks to Sky Sports F1
Should they have stopped Verstappen as Hamilton did?
No, because you've got track position. I think Mercedes had the quicker car, to follow within a second. That gave them all the options. Max got everything out of it he could. That's as much as we could do. By the end of the second sector Lewis would have been ahead, you would have conceded track position and Lewis would have been ahead.
I think that to have pitted from the lead, in the position that we were in, at that point in the race, it's an impossible call for the leader. Well done to Lewis and Mercedes but it's been a hell of a weekend from Max. We'll brush ourselves down. He's nailed the pole this weekend; P2, fastest lap. Still a good result. He's closed the gap to Valtteri to seven points now.
Updated driver standings
62 (SIXTY TWO) points Hamilton's lead with nine races to go. Interestingly, if Bottas finished first in all of those races and Hamilton finished second he would win the championship by a point. Assuming neither of them picked up the fastest lap points. It's all over.
Sainz the third best driver this season?
Yes.
��️ Carlos to the team after his P5 finish: "Thanks guys! Wohooo! Thanks for the first half of the season. We're on a run!" ��#HungarianGP ���� pic.twitter.com/1s1SjnIW49
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) August 4, 2019
Max Verstappen reacts to a strong but disappointing second place
We were just not fast enough. I tried everything I could do on that hard tyre to stay alive. Just not enough. A good weekend for us. Congrats to Lewis for the win. He was pushing me hard. I like that. Just lacking a bit of grip, I guess. We tried the one-stop, of course then they had the opportunity to do the two and that worked out well [for them].
Hamilton reacts
I feel really grateful for the day and really for the team to continuing to believe in me and continuing to push to the limits and take a chance on me. It never gets old and it always feels brand new. It feels like a new win for us. For a race to be able to push like that, I'm telling you I was on the limit all the way.
Honestly, we'd had brake problems all weekend. I was a bit worried. We made some changes and it didn't make a difference. I was doing a lot of lift and coast and not touching the brake for half the lap. It was very, very difficult to get by, defence was great and they were quite quick on the straights.
I didn't know if I could close down that 19 second gap. The laps were like qualifying laps every lap. I think if Niki was here he'd take his hat off.
The rest of the runners
11. PER
12. HUL
13. MAG
14. RIC
15. KVY
16. RUS
17. STR
18. GIO
19. KUB
OUT:GRO
Horner: "They rolled the dice and it worked for them"
Verstappen: "P2 is still good. A good amount of points. "
More team radio.
Hamilton: "James, sorry I doubted the strategy"
"That was a tall order," he says. After an awful weekend, strategically, last week they have bought Hamilton a win here.
Top 10
HAM
VER
VET
LEC
SAI
GAS
RAI
BOT
NOR
ALB
Nice drives from Raikkonen, Sainz and Albon. Norris hampered by a slow stop. Sainz closes the gap to Gasly in the championship.
LEWIS HAMILTON WINS THE 2019 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
SEVEN WINS AT THE HUNGARORING. THE KING OF THE RING TODAY.
Mercedes aced their strategy. Red Bull were caught lapping. Verstappen didn't do much wrong. But will be disappointed. Not sure Red Bull did the right thing there. Hamilton is going to extend his lead over Bottas in the championship even further...
FINAL LAP
Not the lights to flag thrills and spills of the Austrian and German Grands Prix but, well, what a fight for the lead. Christian Horner says if Red Bull would have pitted Verstappen they'd have come out behind. We will have to look at the figures for that. Interesting.
PENULTIMATE LAP
Hamilton has a pit stop in hand now.
Lap 68 of 70 - Top 10
HAM
VER
LEC
VET
SAI
GAS
RAI
BOT
NOR
ALB
Vettel, on the soft tyres, passes his team-mate. Another case of better strategy working out. Or rather, using the advantage of not having track advantage.
Lap 67 of 70 - What a build-up we had to that
Red Bull are going to pit Verstappen. He'll finish second easily. Ferrari are a minute behind Hamilton. And he'll likely get the bonus point for fastest lap.
Lap 66 of 70 - Verstappen is a sitting duck
Or a wounded bull? Hamilton starts the lap with DRS and goes around the outside into turn one. Verstappen does not fight it. Cannot fight it! LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES THE LEAD! Mercedes masterstroke. They don't often have to chase but quick thinking really worked out well here. And Hamilton is the man you want to do that. Brilliant!
Lap 65 of 70 - Verstappen given some extra power boost...
...engine modes. Hamilton has smashes it again. He's within DRS range...no! Nearly. He will be next time, though. Oh. How painful for Verstappen. But he's not lost it...yet.
Lap 65 of 70 - This is Hamilton's race to lose
Verstappen losing a chunk of time in the middle sector. 1.1 this time. At the end of this lap the gap is down to 3.1...
This has been another brilliant race. All down to strategy. All done by lap 67? Will Verstappen fight it?!
LAP 63/70
Like a renaissance painting // us_irl#F1 ����#HungarianGPpic.twitter.com/oCqSMSwARS— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2019
Lap 63 of 70 - This is Hamilton at his best
We don't often get to see him doing this. Hunting, hunting. Has Verstappen made a mistake in the middle sector? Hamilton took a whole second out of him in the middle sector and 2.3s out of him on the lap! Verstappen's tyres have gone! They have fallen off the cliff! Mercedes have aced this...or so it seems.
Lap 62 of 70 - 0.6s out of Verstappen in sector one...
and 0.2 in sector two. Hamilton and Verstappen are on the same straight. The gap is now 7.8s! He'll be at his rear wing within five or six laps. There are eight laps left...
Lap 61 of 70 - Bottas up to P9
Gasly has fallen back from Sainz. Hamilton is smashing it, over a second out in the first two sectors. Nearly 1.6s out of Verstappen's lead that lap...the lead down to 9.1 seconds. How much longer can Hamilton keep doing this?
Lap 60 of 70 - Hamilton is smashing in the quickest sector times
And it's only going to get worse for Verstappen as he needs to hang on. 1.2s out of the lead that lap. I don't know if Hamilton will be quite close enough. But he won't be far off!
Lap 59 of 70 - Again Hamilton takes 0.5s in sector one...
...and 0.6 in sector two. This is the real pace! And 0.4s in sector three. 1.3 again that time around. Hammer time from now until the end of the race. This could be worrying for Verstappen. Can he hang on?!
Lap 58 of 70 - Hamilton now has clear air...
...he's 0.5s quicker than Verstappen in sector one. And again in sector two...this is the pace he needs. Verstappen does a personal best in the final sector. What can Hamilton do? He goes even quicker! He took 1.3s out of him. Down to 13.4s...
12 laps left.
Lap 57 of 70 - Top 10
VER
HAM
LEC
VET
SAI
GAS
RAI
NOR
BOT
PER
Lap 56 of 70 - Not much going on in the midfield...
...or not much is being shown on TV. Ricciardo battling Magnussen for 14th. Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race to reduce the lead again...
Lap 55 of 70 - A 1.20.2 for Verstappen...
...and the gap stays at around 15.5 seconds. Does Hamilton have the pace? He needs to find it. He's had to go through the backmarkers. One more to go. Now we'll find out what the pace looks like.
Lap 54 of 70 - A 1.19.8 for Verstappen...
...and Hamilton? A 1.19.6. Perhaps the gap is stabilising...
Lap 53 of 70 - Verstappen extends his lead...
...a bit there as Hamilton made hsi way through traffic. But only marginally. The gap is under 16s. 17 laps to go. How will Verstappen's tyres hold up?
Lap 52 of 70 - Verstappen does a personal best lap...
...whilst Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race. Seven tenths down on that lap. I think this could be very close. Worth remembering that to even get level with Verstappen Hamilton will have to take some life out of his tyres.
Lap 51 of 70 - Whatever happens...
...this is the day that Bottas's championship fell apart. He's in P10. May make it up to P6 or P7. But, really, that's not good enough.
LAP 50/70
The brake dust FLIES as Bottas is last on them to get round ALbon, continuing his recovery drive from the Lap 1 pit stop#F1 ���� #HungarianGPpic.twitter.com/j7m2jdgrAG— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2019
GROSJEAN RETIRES.
Lap 50 of 70 - This could be what Hamilton needed
If Verstappen stopped now he'd come out in second. Hamilton questioning the strategy. So is Red Bull. Hamilton has medium tyres on. I think this is going to be close. He's going to have a second a lap on him, you'd reckon...yep. The last lap was almost exactly a second. And that was with lapping a ton of cars...
The gap is 18.2s. 18 laps left.
Lap 49 of 70 - Hamilton out in second...
...21.1s the gap to Verstappen. Does Verstappen stay on these hard tyres? He's taken a lot of life out of the tyres in battling with Hamilton but that's a fairly big gap. But it's only a second a lap to close up...
This could be a masterstroke. Verstappen has to come in, surely?! No...
Lap 48 of 70 - Top 10
VER
HAM
LEC
VET
SAI
GAS
RAI
NOR
PER
KVY
Hamilton pits! Onto the mediums! What do Red Bull do?!
Lap 47 of 70 - Verstappen wants to know when Hamilton has DRS
He really needs to know how to defend.
Lap 46 of 70 - Who is the favourite here?
The man with track position currently, Verstappen. Hamilton, on slightly fresher tyres, could face an onslaught in the coming - and closing - laps. He has been up to the pressure, so far. Charles Leclerc currently in third and nearly two whole pit stops behind.
Lap 45 of 70 - Hamilton harrying Verstappen
25 laps or so to go. Raikkonen next up to be lapped. Then Gasly. He is in sixth at least.
Lap 44 of 70 - Courteous Bottas gets well out of the way to both
No shenanigans there. Hamilton is back to nearly a second. Three tenths out of him there. Tyres fresher by six laps. Verstappen flapping? He wants full power. He has it.
Lap 43 of 70 - Hamilton closes the gap again...
...down to 1.3. Hamilton warned about tyre temps.
Lap 42 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps
VER
HAM +1.9s
LEC +37.1
VET +56.6
SAI +65.1
GAS +65.8
RAI +71/5
NOR +75.6
BOT +77.0
RIC +1 lap
They are coming up to lap Bottas. Could be interesting...
Lap 41 of 70 - "What more can I do, man?"
"Just keep the pressure on," Hamilton is told. He says he can't. The lead Verstappen now has is nearly two seconds. Vettel has 19 seconds to make up on Leclerc for third on the softer tyres. Can't see it myself.
Lap 40 of 70 - Vettel stops and goes onto the softs
Very slow stop, though. 5.8s. Cost him three seconds. Hamilton has fallen back a bit on those dirty tyres.
Lap 38/39 of 70 - Vettel going onto the soft tyres for the final stint
I think. He'll be stopping soon. Great race at the front. Bottas up to P9. Again Verstappen is held up by the Renault and Verstappen falls back...did he make a mistake? Hamilton gets DRS and tries around the outside of turn one! Gets a better run into turn two...Verstappen keeps his lead! What racing!
LAP 39/70
It's wheel-to-wheel for the lead and we haven't breathed for at least two laps ��
Hamilton just 0.3 seconds behind Verstappen#F1 ����#HungarianGPpic.twitter.com/nDOFKI5Ga2— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2019
HAMILTON GOES AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF TURN FOUR BUT GOES WIDE! Verstappen keeps his lead...
That was a golden chance for Hamilton. He couldn't keep it on the black stuff around the outside of turn three. Wouldn't be surprised if he's done some floor damage going over the big kerbs there.
Lap 37 of 70 - So close!
Verstappen is held up by Perez. A lot. Hamilton gets much closer, they both pass Perez into or before turn one. The gap back down to under a second!
Lap 36 of 70 - Verstappen in danger?
Hamilton is in the mood for this one. He hangs it so far around the outside of the off-camber turn two and loses half a second. Verstappen has got his quick boots on again. The opportunity for Hamilton is the cars they are lapping. It won't help Hamilton going wide and onto the dust.
Lap 35 of 70 - Hamilton within DRS range...
...he lost 2.1s the last time around. What on earth happened? Red Bull were asleep and Hamilton thought let's get on with it.
Lap 34 of 70 - What's going on?
Hamilton is within a second? Verstappen has had a problem?! How has he lost that time? What's happened? He's lost five seconds in three laps!
Lap 33 of 70 - Bottas watch
He gets past Ricciardo and goes into P11. Lando Norris the next man on the road. Norris, though, puts a superb move around the outside of Magnussen in turn one! He needed that.
LAP 33/70
Other drivers might be worry about pit stops - but Norris and Magnussen are very much doling it out on track
The McLaren bagged the Haas for P9 pic.twitter.com/PsIfoTO9Z7— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2019
George Russell down to P17 but ahead of Stroll, Giovinazzi and Kubica.
Lap 32 of 70 - Verstappen leads Hamilton by 5.8s
He stopped six laps later than Verstappen. Will that be enough for him to close up towards the end of the race? Bit of a nothing strategy, perhaps from Mercedes. Could be a masterstroke? We will have to wait and see.
Lap 31 of 70 - Hamilton coming up to lapped runners
Are they going to extend enough to get soft tyres on? Can't see it myself. No. He's in...
Norris passes Ricciardo into turn one. Work to do for him. Hamilton's stop is slow-ish. Four seconds. And he's going to come out perhaps five, six or maybe even seven seconds behind the leader.
Lap 30 of 70 - Slow stop for Norris
A very slow stop. Possibly cost him three or four seconds. And that could have out him into trouble, relatively speaking, when he was in sixth before. Yeah, that absolutely screwed Norris. Gasly is several places ahead. And Raikkonen.
LAP 29/70
It's a bad stop for Norris - from P5 he's now outside the points in 11th after a slow rear tyre change#F1 ����#HungarianGPpic.twitter.com/VZwpOBCOBN— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2019
Lap 29 of 70 - Hamilton's lap times converging with Verstappen's
Not sure if the Red Bull was lapping cars. I think he was. Think Gasly is going to be lapped by his team-mate AGAIN here. Possibly as he wins the race...
Lap 28 of 70 - Top 10
HAM
VER
VET
LEC
SAI
NOR
RAI
GAS
HUL
ALB
Lap 27 of 70 - Out come Ferrari
In comes Leclerc from third. Verstappen went onto the hards. So does Leclerc. Why didn't Mercedes try the undercut? They have lost an opportunity here. Maybe they have lost THE opportunity. If they are going to extend this stint they need to extend it by five or six laps. But he's currently losing a seocnd a lap - or more! - to Verstappen. And these hard tyres are indestructible.
Lap 26 of 70 - Hamilton not going mega quick here...
...he stays out for another lap. Verstappen clears another back marker and has one more to get through. Will Hamilton extend this stint? I can see him going another three or four laps. Now he has clean air in front of him. Verstappen takes half a second out of Hamilton in sector one. They are extending Hamilton's first stint.
Lap 25 of 70 - Red Bull mechanics coming out?
They are ready...but Verstappen's lead is up to 1.4s. In he comes! This is crucial. They need another world record stop here. Quick? Yes. 2.6. Solid. "It's hammer time," Lewis is told. Where does Verstappen come out? He's ahead of both Ferraris. That. Is. Important. He still has two cars to lap, though...
Lap 24 of 70 - Verstappen sounds like he wants a pit stop, STAT
But Red Bull do not want to bring him in here. Verstappen gets a bit stuck lapping Perez but I don't think it costs him that much time. I don't think it's desperate here. But if he came in and lost time behind the Ferraris that could be race over. "My tyres are actually good," Hamilton says. Advantage Lewis?
Lap 23 of 70 - Verstappen losing grip, he says
How much? "A lot" is the view. The gap is coming down and down and down. It's nearly a second. Did Verstappen have a bit of an error? Not really.
Lap 22 of 70 - Mercedes crew out!
But it was a dummy...gap now 1.3s. Undercut territory. Not sure if they were worried about falling into Leclerc's clutches. Or even Vettel's.
Lap 21 of 71 - Verstappen struggling?
Will he be the man to pit first? He's not quite a pit stop ahead of either Ferrari and that could be a problem. Being that far behind is a problem for Ferrari, mind you.
Lap 20 of 70 - Verstappen complains of a loss of grip
And he is losing time to Hamilton. Not loads but enough to worry him.
Lap 19 of 70 - Hamilton now within 1.5s of Verstappen
Again could be due to lapping cars. Can't quite see if they are.
Lap 18 of 70 - Leaders have starting lapping cars....
...so that may have been why Verstappen lost a bit. Meanwhile, Kvyat and Albon have an absolutely brilliant battle down the pit straight all the way through to turn four, synchronised driving, side by side, before Albon has to yield and runs off track slightly. Excellent stuff.
Lap 17 of 70 - Hamilton takes a few tenths out of Verstappen...
...has he been keeping his powder dry?
Lap 16 of 70 - Very much waiting for this race to come to life
Not much action at the front at all. Hamilton just staying within two seconds of Verstappen. Undercut territory.
Lap 15 of 70 - Bottas makes his way up into P16 as he passes Stroll and Russell
Top 10
VER
HAM
LEC
VET
SAI
NOR
RAI
GAS
GRO
HUL
Lap 14 of 70 - Hulkenberg suffering with low power on the straight
He's in 10th but Perez is within a second.
Lap 13 of 70 - Bottas up into P18
But is losing time in traffic now. This is a race between Hamilton and Verstappen.
Lap 12 of 70 - Leclerc falling back by about a second a lap now
Not good news for them. Vettel lapping a bit quicker than him but 2.3s behind.
Lap 11 of 71 - Hamilton within two seconds of Verstappen now
But still lapping similarly. Both Ferraris go to plan B. Whatever that is. Third and fourth might be their best hope here. In fact, it definitely is.
Lap 10 of 70 - Bottas quickest man on track still
But, to be fair, he is in clean air. And dirty air, with this twisty layout here, is a problem. So the biggest target for the strategists is to try and get their man out into clean air. Bottas within DRS range of Kubica now, mind. Verstappen and Hamilton lapping similarly.
Lap 9 of 70 - Ricciardo gets past Giovinazzi
He's up only into 17th. Hamilton takes a little bit of time out of Verstappen. Verstappen vulnerable to the undercut, whenever that might come, currently. But the optimal strategy for the frontrunners isn't to stop for another 20 or so laps.
Lap 8 of 70 - Bottas had contact with Leclerc
Which is where his front wing got a knock. Bottas the quickest man on the track with his new hard tyres. Could someone try a contrary strategy now? Worth a go for Ferrari, you'd think.
Lap 7 of 70 - Top 10
VER
HAM
LEC
VET
SAI
NOR
RAI
GAS
GRO
HUL
George Russell in P13!
Lap 6 of 70 - Verstappen leads Hamilton by 2.2s
Leclerc a further five seconds behind. Not really in it.
Lap 5 of 70 - How it looked at the start
Bottas does come in. He was losing a lot of time. It's a long stop, as they usually are when they change the front wing. Was stationary for 14.7s, he comes out in last but should be able to go to the end or very close to it. Has he the pace to get into the top six? You'd imagine so but it could be tight.
Lap 4 of 70 - Verstappen extends his lead
Ferrari's Leclerc in third is perhaps a bit too far off the pace to look like challenging. Mercedes come out again with a wing but again Bottas doesn't come in. He'd come out in last if he came in now.
Lap 3 of 70 - Verstappen leads by 2.1s from Hamilton
DRS is enable. Bottas didn't come in. In the next lap?
Top 10:
VER
HAM
LEC
VET
BOT
SAI
NOR
RAI
GAS
GRO
Bottas stays out again, Mercedes mechanics put the wing away. Maybe they are going to wait to lap 10 or so, wait for the field to spread and then put him on the hard tyres and try and one stop?
Lap 2 of 70 - Bottas has damage to his front wing
And is down into fifth place, bits of his wing flying off. Oh dear. Again after a good Saturday his Sunday has started to fall apart. Not a track where you want to lack downforce for 99 per cent of the race, here.
Verstappen leads by over two seconds. Mercedes are out for Bottas. Onto the hard tyres? Mediums again?
THE 2019 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO!
How is Verstappen's start? Good! Very good! Poor one from Bottas. He locks up in turn one but keeps second, just about. Hamilton gets a good run into turn three. Bottas locks up again!. Hamilton goes around the outside and he is up into second! I think they touched! Bottas really struggling here, Leclerc gets ahead and Vettel is close by too...
Gasly falls into P9, awful start.
The formation lap is underway
Everyone away, as usual.
Starting tyre types for top 10
VER - Medium (M)
BOT - M
HAM - M
LEC - M
VET - M
GAS - M
NOR - Soft (S)
SAI - S
GRO - S
RAI - S
Behind them everyone else is on the mediums save for Daniel Ricciardo on the hards.
SEVEN MINUTES TO GO
Until the formation lap starts. It's the final race before the summer break, which will come at a good time for some teams and a bad time for others. With victory here will Max Verstappen put himself into contention for the title? Bit much to say that. But he could have a very good chance of second.
Weather update
Could Ferrari still be in contention without their numerous errors and failures?
It's an interesting proposition. Had they cut out all of the driver, team and car error/failure, where would Ferrari be? In a spot of fantasy F1 I created an alternative reality and crunched the subsequent numbers. Read the whole thing here.
Or, in other words: This Sad Man Created An Alternative Reality Where Ferrari Made No Errors And The Result Will Shock You
Predictions?
Earlier in the week I said 1st Hamilton 2nd Verstappen 3rd Bottas. I am going to stick with that. What this race needs, though, is a few cars out of position.
Max Verstappen exclusive interview: 'I just love driving fast... I try to be as straightforward as I can'
Max Verstappen is not the type to hold much faith in forces beyond his control, but he willingly makes an exception for Johan Cruyff.
By the time he was introduced to the peerless purveyor of total football, he was 18 and on the fringes of his own superstardom, while Cruyff was dying from lung cancer. But their one meeting, during Formula One’s winter testing in 2016, made an indelible impression on the sport’s most precocious talent.
Read more from when Oliver Brown sat down with him here.
Grid filling up nicely
�� 25 minute warning - the grid's busy, the cars are out
One very popular Dutchman on pole, 19 other drivers behind him into turn one ��#F1 ����#HungarianGPpic.twitter.com/cB97tFMloC— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2019
Brundle thinks it could get tasty at turn one
He tellsus so on Sky Sports F1. It's a long drag down there. Ferrari, with great power, superb in sector one will be coming up on the slower starting Red Bull and Mercedes. And with a tow. I predict some kind of contact in the first few turns.
Could it be another dull one-stopper? Please no.
How many pits to the finish line? #HungarianGP ���� #Fit4F1pic.twitter.com/X5lo4uzI0B
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) August 4, 2019
Mick Schumacher wins his first F2 race
Read more here. 15 years after his father took his last F1 victory at the Hungaroring. Not his last victory overall. Read more on the new Schumacher's landmark victory here.
Well done Mick.
The final starting grid
30 minutes to go until lights out.
#F1 - Final Starting Grid of #HungarianGP ���� ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EvmsPTsnen
— FIA (@fia) August 4, 2019
Verstappen's pole lap, an onboard
A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) on Aug 3, 2019 at 8:06am PDT
Driver standings after 11 rounds
Is Pierre Gasly in danger of being replaced?
Probably not this season but his lack of performance and the huge gap to Max Verstappen is a worry. Had he been doing better this season, even by a small-ish amount, then they could be challenging Ferrari for second in the constructors' championship. I had a little look at the situation earlier this week. Click here if you want to read more on the worrying situation for Red Bull.
Favourite Hungarian Grand Prix moments?
Mine has to be watching Damon Hill lead most of the 1997 edition in his (normally painfully slow) Arrows. Just over half-way through we had to go out for Sunday lunch, I came back hoping he'd taken a sensational victory and...no. Found out that a failure somewhere on his car meant he got so close but didn't make it, with Jacques Villeneuve taking the win. Pain for the 11-year-old me.
George Russell put in a superb performance yesterday
To qualify 16th! It comes on a track where Williams were not expected to do well because it's quite twisty. So to be above both Racing Points is very encouraging. He was only a fraction of a second away from making it into Q2, as well.
A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) on Aug 3, 2019 at 10:12am PDT
He'll start in 15th, though, as Giovinazzi takes a grid penalty.
Will these lads have something to celebrate in a few hours' time?
Given his current form, yes.
That said, the Red Bull has not really been that great off the line. Even in Verstappen's two wins in Austria and Germany he had poor starts.
Qualifying times
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1min 14.572secs
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1:14.590
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:14.769
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:15.043
Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:15.071
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Red Bull 1:15.450
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:15.800
Carlos Sainz (Spa) McLaren 1:15.852
Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:16.013
Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:16.041
Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Renault 1:16.565
Alexander Albon (Tha) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:16.687
Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia Toro Rosso 16.692
Antonio Giovinazzi* (Ita) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:16.804
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:17.081
George Russell (Gbr) Williams 01:17.031
Sergio Perez (Mex) Racing Point 1:17.109
Daniel Ricciardo* (Aus) Renault 1:17.257
Lance Stroll (Can) Racing Point 1:17.542
Robert Kubica (Pol) Williams 1:18.324
*grid penalties to be taken due to impeding another driver in qualifying and a change of power unit.
Good afternoon
And welcome to our liveblog for the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. It's the final break before the summer break and, whilst Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have been marching towards their respective titles, the past few races have been good. Really good. So fingers crossed for another one.
We have the added bonus of a brand new thing in F1 - Max Verstappen starting on pole. It's amazing to think that he's had 90-odd races, a fair few of them with a winning car beneath him and a fair few where Red Bull had the strongest car, but had never take a pole position. Seven grands prix wins, as well. Still, he took pole and in doing so became the fourth youngest driver to do so, after Charles Leclerc.
It was a superb lap, overall, but he only just beat Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas; by the small matter of 0.018 seconds. Lewis Hamilton had a scruffy first sector and finished a bit further behind in third. It was the first pole for a Honda-powered car since the opening race of the 2006 season, when Jenson Button was quickest in Australia.
Verstappen said he felt the Red Bull was in good shape all weekend.
“It feels good, but for the whole weekend the car was very competitive. It’s always a question how it will work out in qualifying, where we know Mercedes can turn up a bit more power. But the car felt incredible. To get the first pole is very nice, but what happens in the race is what counts. I knew it was a matter of time. I have made mistakes before to miss a pole shot, but today we finally got it.”
Shame, though, that his team-mate Pierre Gasly was down in sixth and nearly nine tenths of a second behind. Whilst there has been a small uptick in his performances, it's not acceptable to be so far behind your team-mate. I don't think he's actually got within two tenths of Verstappen in qualifying and this is the 12th race of the season.
Further down the grid there were good performances from McLaren (seventh and eighth) and George Russell, who narrowly made it out of Q1 for Williams and qualified in 16th, ahead of both Racing Points and Daniel Ricciardo. A big step forward for Williams, that, who hadn't qualified off the back row on pace alone all year.
Race begins at 2.10pm BST and I'll be here with you for all the build-up, live updates and reaction.
