Hungary – Race: Lewis Hamilton triumphs in the Hungarian hell and equals Schumacher

The temperatures are extremely high at the start of this Hungarian Grand Prix, and Lewis Hamilton, the pole sitter, is already being asked to monitor engine temperatures.

At the start, Lewis Hamilton gets a good getaway, managing to take the lead up to the first corner. It’s a difficult takeoff for Sebastian Vettel, however, who still manages to stay ahead of Romain Grosjean and Nico Rosberg. The Frenchman manages to assert himself against a very aggressive Fernando Alonso. Just behind, Felipe Massa damages his front wing by touching the rear of Nico Rosberg’s car. Carbon flies, and Nico Rosberg loses several positions while the Brazilian continues without issue. Within a few lengths, Sebastian Vettel manages to recover the ground lost to Lewis Hamilton.

In the fourth lap, the top three are within 2 seconds, while Fernando Alonso is already trailing by three seconds. Mark Webber also has a good start, finding himself as the first car on medium tires in the standings. Romain Grosjean is having a very strong start to the Grand Prix as well, catching up to Sebastian Vettel by setting the fastest lap. The battle for the podium promises to be intense, while the Red Bull driver is informed that the Frenchman is within DRS range. The three drivers have a very impressive pace and will soon close in on the last drivers, already being 40 seconds behind the leader by the 7th lap.

On the ninth lap, Jean-Eric Vergne and Giedo van der Garde are the first to enter the pit lane, while Massa is asked about his feelings on his damaged front wing. Lewis Hamilton is the first leading driver to pit and generously goes over the curb at the pit entrance without any issue. However, the Englishman comes out behind Jenson Button and will need to get past him quickly to avoid losing time. Nico Rosberg follows suit the next lap. Sebastian Vettel, under significant threat from Romain Grosjean, pits, leaving the Frenchman in the lead. The German comes out behind Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Fernando Alonso also makes a pit stop. It seems the majority of drivers are on a three-stop strategy, while Lewis Hamilton is told that Romain Grosjean appears to be on a two-stop strategy.

On the fourteenth lap, Romain Grosjean and then Kimi Räikkönen pit and rejoin the race behind Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa, respectively. The current leader is Mark Webber, which makes sense given the Australian’s start on medium tires. Jenson Button helps out Lewis Hamilton, as the McLaren driver completely blocks his two pursuers. A fine overtaking attempt by the German forced him to brake urgently to avoid contact, allowing Romain Grosjean to make an attack that also proves unsuccessful. However, the Red Bull driver is concerned about the state of his front wing after his overtaking attempt, while he is asked to let Jenson Button go to cool down his car.

On the twentieth lap, it’s Fernando Alonso who takes advantage to come back like a cannonball on the Lotus completely blocked by Sebastian Vettel. First retirement for Adrian Sutil, caused by a hydraulic leak during his pit stop. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, gets rid of Felipe Massa and, deprived of the Ferrari in front of him, sets the fastest lap in the race. Mark Webber makes his first pit stop at the end of the twenty-third lap, leaving the lead to Lewis Hamilton. Following this, Sebastian Vettel finally manages to overtake Jenson Button, quickly followed by Romain Grosjean just before the chicane. But the Frenchman and the Englishman touch wheel to wheel… Jenson Button then decides to pit to switch to soft tires.

In the twenty-sixth lap, Romain Grosjean pits earlier than a potential two-stop strategy, likely due to the collision with Jenson Button. The Lotus driver comes out ahead of the Englishman. There’s a significant gap between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, as the Mercedes driver took advantage of the German being stuck behind Jenson Button for about ten laps. With fresher tires, Mark Webber also quickly catches up to Fernando Alonso, putting pressure on the “Asturian Bull.” The fastest lap times are exchanged between several drivers, with Webber, Vettel, Räikkönen, and Grosjean each holding it briefly within seconds. Grosjean manages to overtake Felipe Massa in the circuit’s only fast corner, the Lotus driver climbing the curb in a very daring maneuver, while Esteban Gutierrez is forced to retire. The Brazilian is also overtaken by Jenson Button at the chicane, as leader Lewis Hamilton heads to the pits to change tires like his teammate, re-emerging behind Mark Webber. He is followed by Felipe Massa, struggling with his tires.

In the thirty-fourth lap, as Mark Webber was closing in on Fernando Alonso, it was Lewis Hamilton who emerged behind him and managed to overtake the Australian, before appearing in the Spaniard’s rearview mirrors. The Mercedes proves all its critics wrong who predicted the Englishman would lose everything in the race. Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso each take their turn in the pit stop, and the German comes out once again behind Jenson Button, who gets blocked by Giedo van der Garde, quickly reprimanded by his team for not obeying the blue flags. Romain Grosjean is penalized with a drive-through penalty for going off track during his overtaking maneuver on Felipe Massa, while the contact with Jenson Button will be under investigation after the race. There’s also a pass through the pits for Nico Hülkenberg, guilty of speeding in the same pit lane.

On the fortieth lap, Romain Grosjean served his penalty and found himself on Fernando Alonso’s tail, putting him under pressure but unable to find an opening. Kimi Räikkönen made another pit stop on the 43rd lap and came out behind his teammate. The Finn was followed by Mark Webber, who would have to make one final stop before the end of the race, as he had not yet used the soft tires since the start of the Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas retired due to an engine failure, stopping his car at the exit of the last corner, causing a yellow flag in the pit lane.

On the forty-eighth lap, Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest lap, while the Frenchman from Lotus makes his last scheduled pit stop and comes out behind Jenson Button. He is followed by Fernando Alonso, who emerges just ahead of the latter. On the next lap, Jenson Button is overtaken by the Frenchman, while Lewis Hamilton also makes his final stop, temporarily giving the lead to Sebastian Vettel. The Englishman then engages in an intense battle with Mark Webber, pushing him significantly to the edge of the track after a double overtaking maneuver on Nico Hülkenberg. The Australian is forced off the track, allowing Lewis Hamilton to escape.

On the fifty-fifth lap, Sebastian Vettel is still leading ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Mark Webber completes the top trio but will be forced to return to the pits to switch to the soft tires and make a very fast final stint. However, the German returns to the pits to fit new medium tires and exits behind Kimi Räikkönen in fourth place. The battle for fifth place continues between Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean, who has returned to the DRS zone. And Sebastian Vettel returns like a cannonball with his new tires and is ready to attack Iceman.

In the sixtieth lap, Mark Webber finally switches to the soft tires and emerges ahead of Fernando Alonso, with fresher and better-performing tires. The Australian undoubtedly has the task of scoring big points and depriving Alonso of some precious championship points. The Red Bull driver is told that he must now attack to catch up with Räikkönen, while Räikkönen is still under threat from Sebastian Vettel. In the pack, a small error by Paul di Resta benefits Jean-Eric Vergne, while Charles Pic finds himself in the difficult situation of having to let Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel pass at the chicane.

On the sixty-sixth lap, Nico Rosberg is forced to retire due to his engine, stopping his car on fire at the side of the track. This prompts a reaction from the Mercedes leaders, who fear the worst for Lewis Hamilton, leading the race. Jean-Eric Vergne, who started 14th, takes advantage of his superior speed to overtake his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who started 8th. The Australian’s advantage in qualifying is reversed in the race this weekend.

For the final lap, Sebastian Vettel is still attacking for second place, while the Finnish driver had left him very little room in one of the triple world champion’s overtaking attempts, which he complained about to his team.

Lewis Hamilton triumphs in the Hungarian chaos, defying all odds, as Mercedes couldn’t take advantage of the new Pirelli tire tests at Silverstone. Kimi Räikkönen managed to stay ahead of Sebastian Vettel before stopping just behind the line. The three drivers preceded Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, and Romain Grosjean, who is still under investigation. A great performance as well by Pastor Maldonado, who secures the first point for Williams this year.

Results of the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix Formula 1