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Hamilton denies Verstappen in thrilling Hungarian Grand Prix
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Lewis Hamilton regained his momentum in the Formula One drivers’ world championship with a memorable strategic victory yesterday when he overcame young rival Max Verstappen to triumph in a tense and thrilling Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 34-year-old defending five-time champion started third on the grid in his Mercedes and, after stalking the 21-year-old Dutch tyro for most of a fascinating tactical contest, finally swept into the lead on lap 67 of a stirring 70 laps.
Hamilton’s record seventh win in Hungary and 81st of his career wrecked Red Bull’s hopes of turning Verstappen’s maiden pole position into victory and increased his lead in the title race to 62 points before the sport’s European summer break.
Verstappen, who led most of the race before his tires faded, came home 17.796 seconds behind in second and clocked a record race fastest lap for the Hungaroring after a late pit-stop.
Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz of McLaren and Pierre Gasly in the second Red Bull.
Kimi Raikkonen was seventh for Alfa Romeo ahead of Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas who had been forced into an early pit-stop after a first-lap incident. British rookie Lando Norris was ninth in the second Mercedes and Alex Albon 10th for Toro Rosso.
“What a drive, what a strategy,” said Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington. “Only you could make that work.”
Mercedes matched Red Bull’s strategy until gambling with a late additional pit-stop that left Hamilton with 20 laps to make up a 20-second deficit on fresh tires — a move that worked with Verstappen complaining to his team before he lost the lead “my tires are dead.”
A week after his forlorn error-riddled exit from a tumultuous German Grand Prix, won by Verstappen, Hamilton had bounced back in style.
Earlier, Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time F1 champion Michael, took his first Formula Two victory in Hungary.
The 20-year-old German started from pole position on a reverse grid after finishing eighth in Saturday’s feature race and led all the way to the checkered flag at the Hungaroring, where his father won four times.
The Ferrari academy driver raised a huge cheer as he took the checkered flag in front of a crowd containing plenty of the Italian team’s fans.
“It is very special,” he said of a win at the circuit where his father, who has not been seen in public since he suffered head injuries in a 2013 skiing accident, clinched his fourth title in 2001 with Ferrari.
“My mother, my whole family is actually here; Mom, my sister and her boyfriend and my grandma as well,” added a smiling Schumacher. “I’m very happy that they are here and I’ve got support.”
Japan’s Nobuharu Matsushita finished 1.4 seconds behind the Prema team driver after a race-long battle at a circuit where overtaking is always a challenge, with Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara third.
Schumacher, last year’s F3 winner and tipped for an eventual future in F1, had previously not finished higher than fourth in F2.
The breakthrough victory comes after Schumacher drove his father’s 2004 title-winning F1 Ferrari in a demonstration at the German GP last weekend.
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