Hungary: post-race analysis 2019
An interesting race,
not on a par with the recent three but certainly more entertaining
than the average Hungarian outing. Betting-wise, bad. One bet didn’t
come off, the other was right on judgement, wrong on luck. Not much
can be done about the latter case.
In addition to
Giovinazzi’s three place penalty for impeding during qualifying,
Ricciardo started from the back due to a new engine (he was the only
man to start on the hard tyre).
Off the line it was
formation flying. Bottas got a good start but locked up, and from
there the only way was backwards. Hamilton passed him, then so did
Leclerc. The Finn and Monegasque had light contact with major
consequences, compelling Bottas to box for a new nose and hard tyres,
and pretty much ruining his race (and my bet, alas).
Another chap with a
terrible start was Gasly. Given what happened last race (and, for
Bottas, the impending decision between him and Ocon for the second
Mercedes seat) this is not good timing. The Frenchman lost about
three places and although he was helped a bit by Bottas’ woe, was
never able to make much impression. Norris had a rubbish stop,
helping Gasly out a bit more, but he finished behind Sainz, who is
the most impressive Spaniard since the last one. [On a serious note,
he’s driving rather well this year].
At the front Verstappen
and Hamilton were close to one another but leaving behind the
Ferraris like Rasputin and a married woman leaving an imperial ball.
Ferrari were very much the third team here (Vettel ended up on the
podium because of the aforementioned Bottas/Gasly situation).
After the pit stops
Verstappen was about 5s ahead of Hamilton, both on hard tyres. The
Briton immediately pushed, closed the gap in about two laps and then
had a fair but earnest crack at passing the Dutchman, who also
defended very skilfully. Hamilton wasn’t quite able to do it and
his brakes were marginally hotter than the sun so he dropped back a
bit before his car melted.
Further back, Bottas
had passed some chaps then become bottled up behind Ricciardo. As
mentioned, the Aussie had started on the hard tyre and was going
long. And Bottas couldn’t get past.
At the sharp end,
Mercedes did a clever thing. With Ferrari a day behind them and
Verstappen barely ahead, they pitted Hamilton for medium tyres. He
retained 2nd and went charging after the Dutchman.
Hamilton complained about Mercedes’ strategy. Verstappen complained
about Red Bull’s strategy. Who was right?
Mercedes. Hamilton
closed up with about half a dozen laps left. The hard tyres on
Verstappen’s Red Bull had gone and the pass was a rather lame end
to an interesting duel. Verstappen pitted for soft tyres and duly
banged in the fastest lap, but he must be disappointed. Close racing
and clever strategy. Quite good stuff.
Late on, with differing
strategies, Vettel passed Leclerc to nab the final podium position.
Sainz finished 5th, again, further cementing McLaren’s
position as best of the rest. Gasly was only 6th.
Raikkonen finished 7th, ahead of fellow Finn Bottas.
Having a good season is Raikkonen, and is clearly worth his place on
the grid for Alfa Romeo.
Despite his ropey pit
stop, Norris got 9th, making it a double points finish for
McLaren, and Albon got the final point for Toro Rosso.
There was no safety car
and the only retirement was Grosjean, who pitted his Haas to end his
race.
Drivers:
Hamilton 250
Bottas 188
Verstappen 181
Gap to Verstappen is
now about 70 points. If things had swung the other way it’d be
mid-50s. Difficult for Red Bull and Verstappen, even with excellent
development and very good driving. A shame, but I do think the title
is pretty much over. On the plus side, we could see more exciting
racing at the sharp end.
Constructors:
Mercedes 438
Ferrari 288
Red Bull 244
McLaren 82
Toro Rosso 43
Renault 39
Alfa Romeo 32
Racing Point 31
Haas 26
Williams 1
Worth noting that Gasly
has a third the points of Verstappen (63 versus 181). Not great. Even
with that, Red Bull have a shot at overtaking Ferrari. Lower down,
McLaren have tightened their grip on the midfield crown but it’s
competitive behind them.
The next race is in
four weeks, at Belgium. Let’s hope the races stay entertaining but
the bets turn out a bit greener.
Morris Dancer
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