Hungary's Hungaroring served up the final instalment in the first triple-header of the season. Lewis Hamilton took control of the championship, taking his 2nd win of 2020 and overtaking his teammate in the drivers standings. The prospect of a wet race failed to materialise and it was business as usual for the Silver Arrows.
Before discussing the racing, the display against racism from the drivers and F1 as a whole was once again, embarrassing. In Austria we saw the strongest display even though some drivers chose not to kneel. One week later, the TV pictures cut away after a few seconds to an airshow display, which I believe took place minutes beforehand. Hoping for a better effort this weekend, I cringed at how it unfolded. Some drivers were late, many didn't know where to stand, Giovinazzi did both and embarrassingly forgot his 'End Racism' t-shirt. Still only the same drivers took the knee. It was rushed, ill-thought out and lacking impact. We then saw Hamilton disappointedly talking after the race and in my opinion it really isn't difficult to be making these simple gestures, as a sport, unified. If F1 can organise thousands of tests to be conducted each week, then why can't they dedicate the time and effort to coordinate a strong display against racism. I believe F1 are committed to change, even though it will take a long time before improvements are visible.
Mercedes lined up 1-2 after a dominant qualifying while Racing Point and Ferrari locked out rows 2 and 3. Red Bull painstakingly struggled to get their cars set-up properly and having qualified only 7th, Verstappen inflicted further damage to his podium hopes as he went into the barriers on his way to the grid. It was an incredible job by the Red Bull mechanics to repair Max's car in time for the start - showing how slick and impressive the crews are behind the scenes.
Despite starting on intermediates or wets, the track dried quickly and the drivers pitted for slicks, the earliest to do so were Haas. Radio messages throughout the race gave viewers the expectation that rain would hit but it didn't. Kevin Magnussen drove a brilliantly measured drive as he ran in the top 5 for many laps - ultimately doing his best to hopefully be in the points come the chequered flag. In an underperforming Haas with a likewise Ferrari engine, he was rewarded with a point despite both drivers receiving post-race penalties for radio infringements on the warm-up lap.
Hamilton took control from Lap 1 as Bottas 'jumped' the start, but he ultimately escaped any penalty as the stewards deemed he had not gained an advantage. His race suffered as a result and he finished 3rd just behind Max Verstappen, who remarkably recovered to a strong P2. It was an uneventful race even with some good battles down at Turns 2 and 3. Otherwise it was a procession for Hamilton, who now sits 5 points ahead of Bottas in the championship. After disappointment in Round 1, he seems in a commanding state of mind.
After out-qualifying his teammate, Stroll put in a solid yet impressive performance to finish 4th and precise overtaking moves topped off an important weekend for the Canadian. Arriving in Hungary, speculation surrounded Racing Point, Sebastian Vettel and the driver market. Stories seem to point towards Vettel replacing Perez for the Aston Martin rebrand in 2021, despite many arguing that Sergio is better than Lance. The elephant in the room is Stroll's father, and obviously it seems highly unlikely that Stroll will be dropped, so could we be looking at a Vettel/Stroll line-up? Nothing seems confirmed at all yet, it could easily go either way - it certainly isn't a straightforward decision (financially or sporting) to drop Perez, but as I have mentioned previously, it won't be long before Aston Martin desire a big name to lead their team. Nevertheless, it couldn't be more important at the moment for Lance to be putting in big performances and beating his teammate.
Red Bull have moved up the constructors championship to 2nd, but what a haphazard weekend it was for them. Inability to grasp the necessary understanding of their cars performance, poor qualifying as a result, Max's pre-race shunt and Albon somehow escaping punishment after investigation for his mechanics supposedly 'drying his grid spot'. Coming away with 2nd and 4th places on paper is an amazing result considered. But I assume they won't be happy at all. Maybe the next triple-header will be kinder to them?
So, with three rounds completed and Silverstone back-to-back coming up in two weekends time, can Valtteri Bottas hit back on Lewis's home turf? Clearly we aren't going to be treated to a championship fight between the top teams, however it would be fitting to see the two Mercedes drivers have a proper season-long battle as we saw in 2016. What can be said though is how exciting the midfield battle will continue to be. I think we have already seen the change in performance for McLaren/Ferrari/Racing Point/Renault from track to track. It will be fascinating to see who ends up impressing in Round 4.
Matt
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