Formula 1’s 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix Race Review
Verstappen and Red Bull make History
In a gripping display of skill and determination, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen locked horns in a thrilling battle at the Hungarian Grand Prix. As the red lights went out, Verstappen surged ahead, leaving Hamilton to fend off a relentless chase from the rest of the pack. The race showcased incredible overtakes and unfortunate incidents, with McLaren’s Lando Norris shining brightly with a podium finish. Meanwhile, Red Bull celebrated their 12th consecutive win, with Verstappen’s seventh straight triumph of the season. With only one race left before the summer break, the question looms: Can anyone halt the seemingly unstoppable force of Verstappen and Red Bull as they head to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the Belgian Grand Prix? Let’s dive into the heart-pounding action and recount the events that unfolded during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes shocked the entire field by claiming pole position, beating out Red Bulls Max Verstappen by .003 seconds. Lewis Hamilton’s 104th pole position in his career set a brand new record by a driver, claiming the most pole positions on a single track with nine at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton beat out the likes of Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, who had eight pole positions, respectively, on other tracks.McLaren also has plenty to cheer about, with Landon Norris claiming third position on the grid, followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri in fourth.
Zhao Guan, New, and Alfa Romeo have also defied expectations, with their best season qualifying, lading in fifth in 5th place. Ferrari and Charles Leclerc continue to struggle, qualifying in 6th, followed by another Alfa Romeo, with Valtteri Bottas qualifying in 7th place. Spain’s Fernando Alonso and his Aston Martin qualified in 8th, followed by Sergio Perez and his Red Bull in 9th. Rounding out the top ten was Nico Hulkenberg, qualifying in 10th place for Haas. A notable story was Daniel Ricciardo qualifying 13th place for Alpha Tauri in his first race back after replacing rookie driver Nick Devries.
The grid was set for the Hungarian Grand Prix, and quite an exciting storyline was set up in the front of the pack with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Set to duel and battle it out, pending into turn 1 on Sunday.
Race Day
It was a beautiful sunny day in Hungary on Sunday, and fans were to see how the start of the race would unfold at the Grand Prix with Hamilton and Verstappen set to duel. The grid was set, and all awaited the red lights to go out for the start of the race; both drivers exploded off the line, with Verstappen diving in on the inside and driving wheel to wheel with Hamilton. Verstappen could not be stopped and took the lead of the race, while Hamilton saw Piastri slip past him and, in the next turn, Norris over the Mercedes.
The start of the race was not without incident, as contact occurred at the back of the pack, leading to the Alpines of Pierre Gasy and Esteban Ocon getting knocked out of the race. Verstappen coasted away from the field, and the battle for the rest of the podium began to take shape. Sergio Perez, who started in 9th, sliced his way through drivers looking to get himself onto the podium.
George Russell, who started 18th, also made significant gains getting into 8th place by the time twenty laps were through. The race had the entire field on a two-stop strategy which did not deter Verstappen or play a significant role in determining the final rankings in the race. In the waning laps of the race, Russel worked his way up to the 6th place by the time he crossed the finish line. An impressive performance by the Brit and his Mercedes. On the other hand, Ferrari had contented themselves with another race off the podium, with Leclerc finishing in 7th and his teammate Sainz in 8th. Grabbing the final two points was Alonso in 9th and Lance Stroll in 10th place.
Super Max Strikes again
Max Verstappen could not be caught and easily led the race by over thirty seconds; he crossed the finishing line creating HistoryHistory as Redbull won their 12th straight win, which began last season, beating out the historic run of Mclaren in 1988 by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. It was also Verstappen’s 7th straight win on the season, and you can wonder if he can win every single race this season. Red Bull’s win also gave them 250 career wins in Formula 1, continuing to cement them as one of the best teams ever. For the first time in his career, Mclaren’s Lando Norris had back-to-back podium finishes claiming second place, followed by Perez and his Red Bull in third. Hamilton, who had pole, finished in fourth, followed by rookie Piastri and his Mclaren in fifth.
Only one race remains before the summer break at the Belgian Grand Prix at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Who will stop Verstappen and Red Bull? At this point, they are in a league of their own.
| RANK | DRIVER | COUNTRY | TEAM | FASTEST LAP |
| 1 | MAX VERSTAPPEN | NETHERLANDS | RED BULL | 1:20.504 |
| 2 | LANDO NORRIS | BRITAIN | MCLAREN | |
| 3 | SERGIO PEREZ | MEXICO | RED BULL | |
| 4 | LEWIS HAMILTON | BRITAIN | MERCEDES | |
| 5 | OSCAR PIASTRI | AUSTRALIA | MCLAREN | |
| 6 | GEORGE RUSSEL | BRITAIN | MERCEDES | |
| 7 | CHARLES LECLERC | MONACO | FERRARI | |
| 8 | CARLOS SAINZ JR | SPAIN | FERRARI | |
| 9 | FERNANDO ALONSO | SPAIN | ASTON MARTIN | |
| 10 | LANCE STROLL | CANADA | ASTON MARTIN | |
| 11 | ALEXANDER ALBON | THAILAND | WILLIAMS | |
| 12 | VALTERRI BOTTAS | FINLAND | ALFA ROMEO | |
| 13 | DANIEL RICCIARDO | AUSTRALIA | ALPHA TAURI | |
| 14 | NIKO HULKENBERG | GERMANY | HAAS | |
| 15 | YUKI TSUNODA | JAPAN | ALPHA TAURI | |
| 16 | ZHOU GUANYU | CHINA | ALFA ROMEO | |
| 17 | KEVIN MAGNUSSEN | DENMARK | HAAS | |
| 18 | LOGAN SARGEANT | UNITED STATES | WILLIAMS | |
| RETIRED | ESTEBAN OCON-LAP 2 | FRANCE | ALPINE | |
| RETIRED | PIERRE GASLY-LAP 1 | FRANCE | ALPINE |
