The Hungarian Grand Prix paddock was awash with fresh cost cap speculation, with wild rumours that some teams had already been found to be in breach of the limits – something strongly denied by the governing body. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali had also expressed his eagerness ahead of the weekend to complete the investigations because […]
Month: July 2023
Norris blames Verstappen over $45,000 F1 winner’s trophy breakage
As the drivers began their traditional spraying of Ferrari sparkling wine, Norris performed his trademark tactic of getting the bubbling flowing by smashing the bottom of his bottle down on the ground. He used the top step of the podium as his base but, as he made contact, the impact was enough to bounce Verstappen’s […]
Ocon’s seat broke in two pieces after Hungary F1 crash sent him airborne
Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou appeared to trigger anti-stall when he attempted to launch from fifth on the grid after starring in qualifying. As he worked to recover, he nosed into the back of the returning Daniel Ricciardo under braking into the Turn 1 downhill right-hander. This projected the AlphaTauri into Ocon and the rear […]
Zhou’s Hungarian GP “pretty much over” after “strange” Alfa F1 start glitch
The Chinese racer managed his best F1 qualifying effort to date on Saturday to start fifth but was swamped by the pack after a sluggish getaway, before running into the back of Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri under braking for Turn 1. Ricciardo then inadvertently punted Esteban Ocon into Pierre Gasly, with both Alpine cars eliminated as […]
Radio issues prompted emotional tone in Hungarian F1 race
Leclerc eventually finished the race in seventh after he was delayed by a wheelgun issue at a pit stop and received a five-second penalty for pitlane speeding, the latter costing him a place to George Russell after the flag. The Monegasque was also heard during the race questioning the timing of a strategy call, but […]
Perez’s “brave” Hungary F1 performance a “statement drive”
Perez charged back from ninth on the grid with several crucial passes to join winner Max Verstappen on the rostrum, as Red Bull broke a 35-year record by scoring its 12th victory in succession. The Mexican’s race came after he’d ended a run of five races in which he’d started outside the top 10 on […]
Pirelli explains why F1 drivers’ wasted wet tyre claims are wrong
The trial of the new Alternative Tyre Allocation rules at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix has prompted some debate about whether or not the move to improve sustainability is the right direction. For the Hungaroring weekend, F1 has reduced the number of dry tyre sets available to drivers from 13 to 11, with teams also […]
What GPS data reveals about the way Hamilton beat Verstappen to Hungary F1 pole
As a result, the Red Bull F1 driver crossed the timing line in Q3 with seven seconds left to run but having circulated 0.02s slower than his previous effort. That left the door open for Lewis Hamilton. In a shootout where track evolution was pronounced, he was the last person over the line and bolted […]
Leclerc thought Ferrari’s simulation of Alfa Romeo’s F1 pace was a mistake
Zhou Guanyu qualified an impressive fifth for Alfa Romeo at the Hungaroring, split from his team-mate Valtteri Bottas by Leclerc in the Ferrari. The Monegasque driver’s team-mate Carlos Sainz didn’t even make it to Q3, ending the Q2 session in 11th place after missing out by just 0.002s. Asked if he was concerned about the […]
Ricciardo “felt like myself again” in F1 qualifying comeback
Ricciardo qualified 13th in Budapest for AlphaTauri, with his team-mate and main reference Yuki Tsunoda failing to make it out of Q1 in 17th place. The Australian admitted that returning to the cockpit had been a challenge, but he felt “relaxed” and “happy” doing it. “Of course coming into the weekend I knew there would […]