Lewis Hamilton wins Hungary Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton heads the driver standings for the first time this year after a controlled drive to victory in Sunday Budapest race. Hamilton has a six point advantage over Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg, who finished second at the Hungaroring, as Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo joined them on the podium.

Hamilton got the jump on polesitter Rosberg at the start and from there only lost P1 during pit stops. Red Bull were able to push the Silver Arrows in the early stages, but their challenge faded and Ricciardo came home 25 seconds off the lead, with Ferrari Sebastian Vettel right on this tail.

In the second Red Bull Ferrari battle, Max Verstappen held on to win a tense and lengthy scrap for fifth with Kimi Raikkonen, while Fernando Alonso took a worthy if distant seventh for McLaren. His team mate Jenson Button was the race sole retirement. Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz, William’s Valtteri Bottas and Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten to take the remaining points.

The result gives Hamilton 192 points to Rosberg 186, as Ricciardo moves to third on 115 just ahead of Raikkonen on 114, Vettel is fifth with 110, as Verstappen close up with 110. In constructor stakes, Mercedes have 378 points; Ferrari 224 and Red Bull are closing still with 223. Button was the only retirement in Hungary.

Sebastian Vettel wins Hungary Grand Prix

German driven Sebastian Vettel delivered an emotional high speed tribute to his late colleague Jules Bianchi on Sunday when he stormed victory for Ferrari in a dramatic and incident filled Hungarian Grand Prix. The four time world champion claimed his second victory of the season and 41^st of his career drawing him level with the Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna in equal third on all-time list.

The Red Bull pair of Russian Daniil Kvyat and Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished in second and third respectively. The ferocity of the contest, lit up by Vettel blazing speed and tenacity, served as an appropriate tribute to Frenchman Bianchi, who died on July 17 from injuries sustained when he collided with a recovery vehicle in torrential rain at last October’s Japanese Grand Prix.

It was the first podium this year without a Mercedes driver. Dutch teenager Jos Verstappen finished fourth for Toro Rosso. Series leader and defending two time champion Britain Lewis Hamilton finished sixth after starting from pole position, for Mercedes to enlarge his advantage in the title race after an afternoon of incidents, mishaps and penalties.

Behind him, team-mate Kimi Raikkonen followed closely as both Rosberg and Hamilton attempted to defend, but just as Silverstone three weeks previously, the two Mercedes men were out started comprehensively. Hamilton was relegated to fourth on the opening lap during which, in an attempt to pass Rosberg, he ran wide across a gravel trap at the chicane. The next Grand Prix will take place in Belgium on August 23, 2015. 

British Grand Prix 2015

Hamilton had to pass both Williams after losing the lead off the line and second place at a re-start following an early safety car. But the Mercedes driver fought back to take the lead at the first pit stops. Rain made a chaotic end to the race but Hamilton came through to win from team-mate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari Sebastian Vettel.

Felipe Massa took fourth ahead of Williams’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull Daniel Kvyat was sixth, Force India Nico Hulkenberg claimed seventh and Kimi Raikkonen from Ferrari was eighth. The world champion’s fifth win of the season, extends his championship lead to 17 points. Hamilton fended off a challenge from Bottas for second on the first lap, at the end of which the safety car was deployed because of a pile up at the first corner, involving both Lotuses and both McLarens.

Three of the four cars were taken out of the race in one go. Alonso was able to continue, but needed to pit for a new front wing. At the restart, Hamilton tried an aggressive move on Massa immediately after the safety car line, which indicates the place from which drivers can begin to race and at Silverstone is on the entry to the final Vale Club corner complex.

Rain started after Lap 36 of 52 and came with greater intensity over the track. During rain, both of William’s cars were passed by Vettel as the teams juggled with tyre choices in the intermittent rain at the end of the race. It was an unexpected surprise for Ferrari at the end of one of their least competitive races of the season. Next Formula One race will held in Hungary. Last year it was won by Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull followed by Fernando Alonso from Ferrari. Stay tuned for this year result.