After all that, Lewis Hamilton still leads the Driver’s Championship standings, with 202 points. Rosberg is on 181 points, with today’s winner Vettel now on 160.
But never mind that – Vettel’s first win in Budapest puts him level with Ayrton Senna on the all-time winners list. Vettel dedicates his win to Jules Bianchi, and after the heartache of this week, I can’t think of a finer tribute than that brilliant race. Thanks for joining me. It’s been fun. Bye!
Hungarian Grand Prix result
- Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
- Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull)
- Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
- Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso)
- Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
- Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
- Jenson Button (McLaren)
- Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
- Felipe Nasr (Sauber)
- Felipe Massa (Williams)
- Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
- Pastor Maldonado (Lotus)
- Roberto Merhi (Manor)
- Will Stevens (Manor)
Retired: Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Sergio Pérez (Force India), Nico Hülkenberg (Force India).
Hats off to Sebastian Vettel, who led from the first corner and showed the composure of a champion as chaos endlessly bubbled behind him. He wasn’t the only one making a comeback, with the Red Bulls of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo making the podium.
Compared to the dominance of recent races, today was a disaster for Mercedes, with Hamilton finishing sixth after a race packed with problems, and a late puncture forcing Nico Rosberg from second down to eighth.
Hamilton extends his championship lead, but this was a rare day in the sun for the rest of the field. Fernando Alonso, who has endured a miserable season, came home in fifth, a place behind Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen, as the teenager secured his best-ever Formula One finish.
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Sebastian Vettel wins the Hungarian Grand Prix!
After one of the most dramatic races in recent memory, Sebastian Vettel wins his first Hungarian Grand Prix! Daniil Kvyat is second, with Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in third.
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Lap 68: I’m not guaranteeing anything yet, given what’s gone before, but it looks like a Vettel, Kvyat, Ricciardo podium. Verstappen is fourth, Alonso in fifth, and Hamilton in sixth, set to extend his championship lead. That’s what I predicted before the race. I just forgot to mention it.
Lap 67: Grosjean puts up a decent fight, but Hamilton eventually gets his way, moving up to sixth. Vettel, despite all the drama, has led from the first corner, and is now two laps from victory.
Lap 66: Kvyat has a ten-second penalty for leaving the track, but with a ten-second plus cushion over Ricciardo, he won’t be too bothered. Hamilton, in seventh, is bearing down on the Lotus of Grosjean in sixth. Christian Horner thinks Rosberg didn’t leave Ricciardo enough room, and it’s hard to argue having seen the replay.
Lap 65: Ricciardo emerges in third place, and Red Bull find themselves with two podium spots. Rosberg, meanwhile, is out behind Hamilton. He may never recover from this...
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Lap 64: This is unbelievable! Yet more drama as Ricciardo tries to dive past Rosberg on the inside, locks up and almost loses control – but he holds on, the cars collide, and Rosberg picks up a puncture! His left rear tyre is shredded, and he barely has control of his car as he fights to get to the pits. Ricciardo also has to pit, with his front wing damaged – and Daniil Kvyat is up to second!
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Lap 63: Rosberg now 0.8sec behind Vettel, with Ricciardo 0.7sec further back. It’s a three-way battle for the win, while Hamilton keeps making ground. He’s past the Sauber of Ericsson – and makes light work of overtaking Jenson Button to move up to eighth! He’s motoring now, and set to retain his championship lead.
Lap 61: With Sainz dropping out, Hamilton moves past Felipe Nasr, and he’s back in the points! With Rosberg second, the two drivers are dead level in the points, with the summer break to come after this race. This could be a crucial last few laps...
Lap 60: Another investigation involving poor Maldonado – this time for overtaking behind the safety car! You just can’t do that, Pastor. It could be a third penalty for the hapless Venezuelan. Raikkonen has inevitably had to retire, and he’s joined by Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz, who has definitely lost the inter-team battle with Verstappen today.
Lap 59: Hamilton is up to 12th, with Maldonado taking his penalty. Verstappen has also done so, and stays fifth. That would be a best-ever finish from the absurdly young Toro Rosso driver. Up front, Vettel has a second on Rosberg, with Ricciardo 0.4sec behind the Mercedes in third.
Lap 58: Here’s the top ten as it stands. 1. Vettel 2. Rosberg 3. Ricciardo 4. Kvyat 5. Verstappen 6. Alonso 7. Grosjean 8. Button 9. Sainz 10. Maldonado. Lewis Hamilton is in 13th position.
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Lap 57: Verstappen, who had moved up to fifth, gets a drive-through penalty for speeding behind the safety car. Silly boy. Hamilton is apologising profusely over the team radio, but they tell him to get it together and chase down some points to hold onto his championship lead.
Lap 56: So, if Rosberg finishes second or better, and Hamilton can’t fight back into the points, the German will lead the driver’s championship. Who’d have thought it? He wants to win this, but has to be wary of Ricciardo, who picked up damage in that collision with Hamilton but is still racing gamely after the front two.
Lap 54: Predictable announcement of the day: Pastor Maldonaldo gets a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Hamilton does indeed get a penalty – a drive-through one, and from pole position, he’s probably not going to pick up a single point today.
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Lap 53: Raikkonen pootles into the pits, but I doubt there’s much they can do to save his race. Otherwise, it’s been a good day for F1’s sleeping giants, with Alonso and Button now 7th and 8th, and Vettel still in the lead.
Lap 52: Hamilton could well pick up a time penalty to boot, after that collision with Ricciardo, who is moving faster than anyone at the moment. Hamilton is down in 13th after emerging from the pits.
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Lap 51: This is a sorry end to proceedings for Raikkonen, who is easily overtaken by Ricciardo. Hamilton has damaged his front wing, and will have to pull into the pits for a replacement. A pretty shocking day at the office for the championship leader.
Lap 50: Also colliding in that chaotic restart were Verstappen and Bottas, with the Toro Rosso man clipping the rear of Bottas, causing him to dramatically lose ground. Here’s how it stands after that madness: 1. Vettel 2. Rosberg 3. Raikkonen 4. Ricciardo 5. Kvyat 6. Hamilton 7. Verstappen 8. Sainz 9. Alonso 10. Button
Lap 49: Here we go... and Ricciardo gets off to a great start on the soft tyres, pushing hard to get round Hamilton... the cars collide, Ricciardo runs wide, and Hamilton has damaged his wing! Further up the field, Rosberg zips past the wounded Raikkonen and into second – and Kvyat gets past Hamilton, who drops down to sixth!
Lap 48: So, a grandstand finish to a dramatic race is coming up, with Rosberg, Hamilton and Ricciardo all fancying their chances of passing Raikkonen and going after Vettel for the win. Who says Formula One has lost its edge, eh?
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Lap 47: Raikkonen has been told that his power unit problem can’t be fixed, but he can’t be racing. That’s a tough break for him, and he could plummet down the field in the final twenty laps. We’re still under the safety car, and Rosberg may regret sticking with medium tyres.
Lap 46: The safety car is still out, and leading the cars through the pit lane as debris is cleared from the track. Ricciardo, down in fifth place on soft tyres, might fancy his chances of attacking the Mercedes drivers ahead of him when the race restarts.
The top ten: 1. Vettel 2. Raikkonen 3. Rosberg 4. Hamilton 5. Ricciardo 6. Bottas 7. Verstappen 8. Kvyat 9. Sainz 10. Button!
Lap 44: A rough weekend for Force India, with Pérez suffering an awful crash in practice and Hulkenberg now crashing out as his front wing buckles. Scary stuff, but he’s able to walk away. Rosberg and Hamilton both pit, followed by Vettel, with the leaders taking advantage of the safety car, which has switched from virtual to actual.
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Lap 43: We have our first retirement, with Hulkenberg losing control and driving straight into a tyre wall. He’s fine, and able to climb out of the car. The virtual safety car is deployed... virtually.
Lap 42: So, things looking up a little for Rosberg, with Raikkonen struggling to the extent that Alonso, who Raikkonen had lapped, has moved back in front of him. Hamilton also seems to have peaked, with the second pit stop imminent.
Lap 41: A tasty battle for sixth is emerging, with young bucks Bottas, Hulkenberg and Kvyat within a couple of seconds of each other. Raikkonen tells his team he’s losing power – perhaps there’ll be room on the podium for both Mercedes, after all...
Lap 40: Vettel now leads Raikkonen by 9.7 seconds, with Rosberg a distant third. Whether Raikkonen is sitting back tactically, or because he can’t match Vettel’s pace, remains to be seen. I suspect the latter.
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Lap 38: Anybody out there? Regretting going to the garden centre, or some other typical Sunday activity? Hamilton is now within five seconds of Rosberg. If he gets past him, it will really smart.
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Lap 37: Mercedes tell Rosberg that Hamilton is going to switch tyres first, and will switch to primes. “I’ll stick with primes too” says Rosberg, with a hint of desperation. The team would prefer him to go to option tyres, and find a touch more pace, if he wouldn’t mind.
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Lap 36: Hamilton sets another fastest lap, and is now eight seconds behind Rosberg. This has been a big disappointment for Rosberg; he hasn’t been able to match the Ferrari’s pace, and despite Hamilton’s dreadful start, he could push his team-mate off the podium. He won’t like that.
Lap 35: We’re halfway through, and your top ten is as follows: 1. Vettel 2. Raikkonen 3. Rosberg 4. Hamilton 5. Ricciardo 6. Bottas 7. Hülkenberg 8. Verstappen 9. Alonso 10. Sainz
Lap 33: Rosberg is twenty seconds behind Raikkonen, with Hamilton eleven seconds behind his team-mate, and closing. Raikkonen has finished second here four times before; if he does what’s required, he’ll do so again. Rosberg is still on prime tyres, while Hamilton will have to switch on his second stop. That could help the German, with track temperatures rising.
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Lap 31: For a race where qualifying was a procession, on a track known for its lack of overtaking opportunities, this has been terrific so far. Vettel has steered clear of the drama though, and leads Raikkonen by seven seconds.
Lap 30: Romain Grosjean has picked up a penalty for an unsafe release. There could be more pain for Red Bull, with Toro Rosso’s Verstappen closing in on Kvyat in eighth place.
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Lap 29: Hamilton uses a little extra engine power, with his team’s permission, and uses it to cruise past Ricciardo around Corner 1, as the Australian slips under pressure. Next up for Hamilton: Nico Rosberg, sitting in third.
Lap 28: Massa has tumbled down the field to 16th, and is engaged in some Felipe-on-Felipe action with Sauber’s Nasr. Hamilton is breathing down Ricciardo’s neck, trying to make the top four an all Ferrari-Mercedes affair.
Lap 26: Hamilton runs wide, suffering understeer problems. It’s not clear if there’s a problem with the car, or a problem with his driving. He’s within a second of Ricciardo, who has switched to harder tyres, playing the longer game rather than trying to flat-out race with Hamilton – probably because Red Bull know he won’t win.
Lap 24: Maldonaldo has picked up a five-second penalty for that collision with Pérez. Vettel has taken back the fastest lap, and continues to set an unexpected pace. Today has gone far better than Ferrari could have hoped, so far.
Lap 23: Here’s the top ten, with a third of the race already gone: 1. Vettel 2. Raikkonen 3. Rosberg 4. Ricciardo 5. Hamilton 6. Bottas 7. Hülkenberg 8. Kvyat 9. Verstappen 10. Alonso
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Lap 22: Vettel pits, as does Ricciardo – and the Red Bull gets out just ahead of Hamilton, who has set a new fastest lap. Raikkonen also gets in on the act – with so many early stops, the second stops of the race could be decisive.
Lap 20: Bottas tries to squeeze past Hamilton as the Mercedes man leaves the pits, but Lewis is too switched on for that stuff, and moves over to stop the danger. “Box, box, box”, the Mercedes radio tells Rosberg, and box, or pit, he does.
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Lap 19: Raikkonen has lost the camera from his front wing, but won’t need to pit for running repairs. The Finn is still second, nearly seven seconds ahead of Rosberg. There’s a collision further down the field, with Pérez trying to overtake Maldonaldo. Their wheels touch, and Pérez spins – but he’s able to regain control and continue.
Lap 18: We’re being treated to a replay of Massa’s five-second stop, with the pit crew forced to freeze awkwardly like a conceptual dance troupe before doing the necessary. Vettel is enjoying himself out front, setting a new fastest lap and opening a 2.7sec gap over Raikkonen.
Lap 16: Mercedes tell Hamilton to keep pushing. He’s in eighth, but a distant thirty seconds behind Vettel. One team having a reasonable time out there are McLaren, both still racing with Alonso 9th and Button 13th. The fact that this is good news for McLaren tells it’s own story.
Lap 15: Massa pits too, and takes his five-second penalty. This is going pretty badly for Williams so far.
Lap 14: Bottas and Kvyat have pitted; Bottas may have suffered damage in that early clash with Ricciardo, while Kvyat says his car is vibrating – and you can tell, he sounds like he’s underwater over the team radio.
Lap 13: Hamilton goes past a passive Sergio Pérez to move up to eighth. He wouldn’t have wanted this position, but it’ll be a great test of his racing instincts. There’s more team-mate antipathy further down the field, with Max Verstappen demanding that Toro Rosso team mate Carlos Sainz lets him past. Sainz isn’t interested. The two drivers are currently 11th and 12th.
Lap 11: Surprising stat – Sebastian Vettel has never won the Hungarian Grand Prix. The two Ferraris have carved out a decent lead, with Raikkonen three seconds up on Rosberg. The decision now is whether to let them race, or ask Raikkonen to hold Rosberg up, and let Vettel move into the distance.
Lap 10: Ricciardo is on his game, steaming past Hulkenberg to take fifth. He’s not the only one making a move – Hamilton sneaks beyond Massa on the outside, so close their tyres are touching, to move up to ninth!
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Lap 9: Something I had hoped to mention before it all kicked off: because of drastically reduced track temperatures, teams are allowed to adjust their engine and brake settings to compensate.
Here’s the current top ten: 1. Vettel 2. Raikkonen 3. Rosberg 4. Bottas 5. Hülkenberg 6. Kvyat 7. Ricciardo 8. Pérez 9. Massa 10. Hamilton.
Lap 8: Replays suggest that while Rosberg made a defensive move, Hamilton’s anger wasn’t quite justified. Down in tenth on a narrow, twisting track, he’s got his work cut out to fight back here. Ricciardo has indeed passed his team-mate, and now has Hulkenberg in his sights.
Lap 7: Massa will serve a five-second penalty for missing his grid position. He’s currently ninth, ahead of Hamilton who is desperately trying to force his way past on the outside. Ahead of them, Kvyat and Ricciardo are in sixth and seventh – the Red Bull pit crew are telling Kvyat not to hold up his team-mate, but I’m not sure he’s listening.
Lap 5: With things settling down on the track, we’re seeing plenty of replays from the first lap. It was such a gutsy effort from Vettel and Raikkonen, both racing firmly but fairly, going as close as they could to Rosberg. The Ferrari paddock are whooping and high-fiving in a most unseemly fashion.
Lap 4: Another driver who made the most of that opening lap was Nico Hülkenberg, with the Force India driver jumping six spots to sit fifth, behind Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, who made contact with Ricciardo at the start. The Australian has dropped down to seventh as a result.
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Lap 3: So after that chaotic start, it’s Vettel first, Raikkonen second, Rosberg third. Just like last year, Hamilton is going to have to fight back to get himself on the podium.
Lap 2: Uh oh. Hamilton, fighting gamely to get back into position, runs wide – and he tells his team radio that Rosberg cut across his racing line! Not this again. What it all means is that Hamilton is down to tenth. Not a great start...
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Lap 1 of 69: What a start from Ferrari! Hamilton is again slow off the mark, but Sebastian Vettel isn’t, and he beats Rosberg into the first corner. Raikkonen is also chasing hard – and both Ferrari drivers get past the Mercedes! It’s a Ferrari one-two into the first corner...
Lights out
So, after a fair bit of faffing, we’re off!
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A delayed start here, which means another formation lap, which in turn means that one lap will be deducted from the total race distance. Apparently it was Felipe Massa’s fault, with the Williams driver doing a Frank Costanza by stopping short on the grid. Hamilton has been on pole, but lost the lead into the first corner, in the last two races. Can he hold his ground today?
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A minute’s silence has been held for Bianchi, with drivers, pit crew and his family forming a circle on the grid. It’s a genuinely touching moment, with many drivers on the verge of tears. Now, somehow, they have to race. Lights out in ten minutes or so.
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A reminder of the current driver standings, with Lewis Hamilton 17 points ahead of Rosberg. Another win for Hamilton over his team-mate and best buddy will have him set fair for a second straight title, even with nine more Grands Prix to go.
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Here’s the grid for today’s race, with Mercedes continuing their front row residency:
1 Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes
2 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari
4 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull
5 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
6 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams
7 Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Red Bull
8 Felipe Massa (Br) Williams
9 Max Verstappen (Neth) Toro Rosso
10 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Lotus
11 Nico Hülkenberg (Ger) Force India
12 Carlos Sainz Jr (Sp) Toro Rosso
13 Sergio Pérez (Mex) Force India
14 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Lotus
15 Fernando Alonso (Sp) McLaren
16 Jenson Button (GB) McLaren
17 Marcus Ericsson(Swe) Sauber
18 Felipe Nasr (Br) Sauber
19 Roberto Merhi(Sp) Manor
20 Will Stevens (GB) Manor
And here’s an obvious choice for a musical accompaniment:
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This is the 30th Grand Prix to be held at the Hungaroring, a twisting narrow circuit given the somewhat uninspiring nickname, ‘Monaco without the barriers’.
Despite that, there’s been plenty of drama at this Budapest circuit over the years, including Nigel Mansell clinching a world title, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso winning their first GPs and Lewis Hamilton roaring from a pit lane start to the podium last year.
Hamilton has won here in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2013; a win from pole today would put him clear of Michael Schumacher as the most successful driver at this circuit. If he can hold his lead into the first hairpin, and gets his pits right, it’ll be hard to bet against him.
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to the Hungarian Grand Prix. In Formula One, the race is usually everything – practice sessions, grid positions and paddock tension all take a back seat once the lights go out. Today, that is not the case.
The death of Jules Bianchi, nine months after his crash at Suzuka, casts a long shadow over today’s race. In a Formula One season punctuated by driver frustration, complaints about dull racing and fractious press conferences, a solemn, unified silence has descended. Much like at Imola in 1994, nobody really wants to race today.
But race they will. Lewis Hamilton starts on pole, ahead of Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg. Hamilton is looking for a fifth win in Budapest that would make this his most successful circuit. Behind the front two, Red Bull are improving, with both drivers in the front four rows, and Williams will hope to turn a good season into tangible success.
The race gets underway at 1pm BST. Until then, here’s Paul Weaver and Giles Richards on the legacy that Bianchi leaves behind.
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