Max Verstappen has won this mornings Hungarian Grand Prix in commanding fashion, beating second place-getter Lewis Hamilton comfortably with George Russell rounding out the podium places. Ferrari suffered a miserable second half of the Grand Prix, struggling for race pace on the harder tyre compounds.
Carlos Sainz was the fourth fastest driver of the day, managing to hold off a charging Sergio Perez. Leclerc was a disappointing sixth, with Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel rounding out the top 10.
It was an impressive drive from Verstappen, who started in 10th on the grid. By Lap 12 the championship leader had moved up to sit fifth, with only the two Mercedes and Ferrari’s ahead. A successful undercut allowed Verstappen to pass Lewis Hamilton on Lap 19, with the Dutch driver having stopped two laps earlier.
Charles Leclerc took the lead on Lap 28 after a good battle with Russell, and would run there until the second round of stops saw Verstappen undercut Russell and pressure the Ferrari come Lap 41. Verstappen took the lead here, which was quickly relinquished after he did a full spin before resuming.
He once again managed to reclaim the net lead on Lap 47, never looking back as he went on to extend his championship lead. Leclerc and Sainz continued to drop after earlier looking set for a potential 1-2, losing out to Russell, with Sergio Perez also picking up Leclerc.
It was a good day out for Vettel, who started 18th on the grid after a poor qualifying yesterday caused by an accident in the earlier third practice session after announcing his retirement earlier in the week.
The Formula One now goes on a mid-season break, resuming with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa on the weekend beginning August 26.
