Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen managed to overcome the odds on Sunday to take home victory in the 2022 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
He finished ahead of the two Mercedes-Benz AMG drivers, with Lewis Hamilton crossing the finish line 7.8 seconds behind to claim second and George Russell crossing 12.3 seconds after Verstappen to claim third.
After missing the final round of qualifying on Saturday due to power unit trouble, Verstappen was forced to start Sunday’s race at 10th place on the grid. Fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez started one spot behind due to a penalty for going over track limits during the qualifying session. Meanwhile, Russell started on pole for the first time in his career, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz also at the front of the grid.
Verstappen made a good start when the lights went green at the Hungaroring. He was soon up to eighth and Perez one place behind when the virtual safety car was called out due to debris on the track from a lap one incident between Williams’ Alex Albon and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. When racing resumed, Russell controlled the restart well to hold on to the lead ahead of Sainz who was ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.
Both Verstappen and Perez slowly moved up the order, with Verstappen up to fourth by the end of lap 21 and Russell still in the lead at this point, ahead of Leclerc now in second and Sainz in third. Leclerc’s attempts to overtake Russell caused both drivers to slow, allowing Verstappen to close the gap with the lead pack.
2022 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix
Leclerc finally took the lead on lap 31 and would hold it comfortably until lap 39 when he switched to hard tires, a move that didn’t suit the conditions. Leclerc was now third and Verstappen fourth. Ahead were Sainz and Hamilton who both needed to make another stop.
With Leclerc struggling for grip with the new tires, Verstappen put in a fastest lap to catch and was soon on Leclerc’s tail. He powered past the Ferrari on lap 42 but then suffered a spin that allowed Leclerc to jump back in front. Fortunately he didn’t end up in wall, and with some defensive help from Perez, Verstappen was soon able to catch up to Leclerc and pass him to move into third, with Sainz and Hamilton still head.
Sainz and Hamilton then made their final stops with both taking soft tires for a last dash to the flag. And as they did so, Verstappen took the lead of the race. Leclerc stopped for soft tires as well, leaving Russell in second. Hamilton after emerging from the pits quickly moved up the order, passing his teammate at the start of lap 65 to claim second, at which point the order of the lead pack was frozen. Sainz would finish fourth and Perez would finish fifth, ahead of Leclerc in sixth.
Following the weekend’s action, Verstappen’s lead in the 2022 Drivers’ Championship further extended, with the Red Bull driver now sitting on 258 points. Leclerc remains in second with 178 points and Perez remains in third with 173 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 431 points, versus the 334 of Ferrari and 304 of Mercedes.
Teams now enjoy their summer break before the action continues with the Belgium Grand Prix on August 28.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen at 2022 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2022 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +7.834 seconds
3) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +12.337 seconds
4) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +14.579 seconds
5) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +15.688 seconds
6) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +16.047 seconds
7) Lando Norris, McLaren +78.300 seconds
8) Fernando Alonso, Alpine +1 lap
9) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1 lap
10) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin +1 lap
11) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1 lap
12) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +1 lap
13) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
14) Mick Schumacher, Haas +1 lap
15) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +1 lap
16) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
17) Alexander Albon, Williams +1 lap
18) Nicholas Latifi, Williams +1 lap
19) Yuki Tsunoda, Alpha Tauri +2 laps
20) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo – DNF
