Lewis Hamilton wins again, closes in on the all-time F1 wins record.
BUDAPEST, Hungary—August 4th—Lewis Hamilton took advantage of Max Verstappen’s worn-down tires to pass the Dutchman with three laps to go to win the Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday at the Hungaroring. Sebastian Vettel took third.
The victory puts Hamilton only ten wins away from breaking Michael Schumacher’s all-time wins in F1 races with 91.
“I’m tired, which is how it should be,” Hamilton said afterward. “I feel grateful for the day and for the team for continuing to believe in me and push to the limits.”
Verstappen started the race with a great getaway after spinning his wheels two weeks ago in Germany. The Dutchman remained in the lead in the early part of the race and led comfortably by 2.9 seconds by lap 11. Hamilton took the lead on lap 25 when Verstappen pitted. Verstappen’s fresher tires put him back into the lead on lap 32 when Hamilton pitted as well.
But by lap 49, Hamilton’s Mercedes team threw in a huge strategy. Hamilton pitted for fresh tires and, with this new rubber, went flat out to catch Verstappen, who opted not to pit fearing that he would lose his lead. But Hamilton, now on medium tires, blazed the field. After setting new lap records, he found himself staring down at Verstappen’s car, just 6.5 seconds behind.
Verstappen told his team on the radio that his tires were worn. With three laps to go, Hamilton finally passed him at turn four. That’s when he took the lead for good, increasing his lead to finish 21 seconds ahead of the Dutchman. Verstappen had to pit with a couple of laps to go but emerged to finish in second. He gained one more point for setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:17:103.
“We were just not fast enough,” said Verstappen. “I tried everything I could on that hard tire to stay alive. Still, with a second and the fastest lap, it was a good weekend overall. Congrats to Lewis, he was pushing me really hard. I like that. Still a good weekend for us. We lacked a bit of grip. We tried a one-stop, and they had the opportunity for two, and that worked out well.”
After being passed by Vettel laps from the end, Charles Leclerc ended up in fourth, while McLaren improved on their “best of the rest” group by having Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris taking fifth and ninth, respectively. Pierre Gasly was sixth in the other Red Bull, and Alfa Romeo received some points with Kimi Raikkonen finishing in seventh.
Hamilton’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, had a horrible day by getting struck by Leclerc early in the race and having to pit early with a damaged front right wing. The Finn ended up eighth
Alexander Albon gave Toro Rosso more points by finishing in tenth. But the day was not good for the F1 Haas team. Kevin Magnussen took 13th, but Romain Grosjean left the race in the 49th lap, becoming the only driver to retire from the race.
With the summer break now upon the Formula 1 grid, Hamilton leads Bottas in the driver’s championship by a comfortable 62 points. Verstappen is now only seven behind the second-place Finn.
For Hamilton, what’s important is the relationship with his team. “It never gets old,” he said, adding that “we’ve been together seven years, and it always feels brand new, like a new win for us. And if it were not for these guys and the guys back at the factory, it wouldn’t be possible,” Hamilton concluded.
