Good second, even if he was never a real threat to the winner Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen feared he could not start the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
• Read also: Hungarian Grand Prix: Lance Stroll finishes at the foot of the podium
The Dutchman may well be recognized as one of the most gifted pilots on a soggy track, but he looked very bad after being the victim of a runway excursion that occurred during the installation lap on the starting grid.
“I made a beginner’s blunder,” he admitted. I was surprised by the wet pavement when I thought I had control of my car with intermediate tires [pour la pluie]. »
His Red Bull never negotiated the turn and crashed into a protective wall. If the contact was not severe, the damage was serious enough to cause him to fear being confined to a spectator role.
Front axle hit
“I honestly thought I wasn’t going to run, but the mechanics did a remarkable job,” he said. This second place is a bit like a victory. I don’t know how they managed to fix everything in such a short time. “
If it were only to replace a damaged wing, a very simple operation … But the front axle was also affected. We had to change a suspension arm, which is a much more complex process.
But in about twenty minutes, the employees of the Austrian team achieved the impossible. Verstappen was able to maintain second place when the start signal was given.
False start for Bottas
Third at the finish, Valtteri Bottas can consider himself lucky to get away without penalty after having anticipated the start. Against all expectations, he was not penalized by the F1 commissioners.
We saw his car move before the red lights went out and come to a stop.
“A bad start on my part, agreed the Finn who lost his place as leader in the driver classification to the benefit of his illustrious teammate, the British Lewis Hamilton. I was distracted by a witness on the wheel.
“Then I had to re-engage the clutch control, which made me lose a lot of time and especially a lot of positions. “
Quebecer Lance Stroll, who had started from third place on the starting grid, was the first to benefit by grabbing second place at the entrance to the first corner.
What you must remember
The boss is Lewis Hamilton
History repeated itself in Hungary. After a rather … rough course, rising from the curtain of the 2020 F1 season, Lewis Hamilton knew how to set the record straight by winning the next two races, not without panache. His victory was no doubt in Hungary on Sunday. No, no one will disturb him in his quest for a seventh world title to equal the record held by Michael Schumacher, or even Valtteri Bottas. The boss is Hamilton, who now takes the lead in the driver classification with a harvest of 63 points, five more than his teammate.
Schumacher’s equal
Speaking of brands owned by Schumacher, Hamilton joined the German F1 legend on Sunday after winning the same race for the eighth time in his career. The kaiser had achieved the feat at the Grand Prix of France. It was in Hungary, in 2013, that the Briton signed his first victory behind the wheel of a Mercedes.
Verstappen, pilot of the day
It is now a tradition in F1: amateurs are called to vote for the driver of the day, and this honor was awarded in Hungary to Max Verstappen. The latter, despite tires in poor condition, was able to resist Bottas at the end of the course to keep his second place. It will however be agreed that the Dutchman owes a proud candle to his Red Bull team, which, in about twenty minutes, was able to repair the blunder he had committed even before the start of the race.
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