Hungary Grand Prix 2014 F1: Top 10 Readers’ Results!

The eleventh Grand Prix of the season, at the Hungaroring, was won by Daniel Ricciardo ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. The rest of the top 10 included, in order, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Jenson Button. Let’s see if the 269 voters (the record of the season) followed the race order…

Lewis Hamilton – 25 points

Starting from the pits due to a breakdown during qualifying, everything almost stopped for the Briton in the first few turns. However, he quickly got to grips with the track and most of his opponents, carving his path to the podium, which he managed to hold onto despite his teammate, whom he didn’t let pass despite instructions and against whom he defended in the final lap.

2. Daniel Ricciardo – 18 points

The Australian has become the specialist in epic victories in the final laps. A big winner from the deployment of the first safety car, he expertly capitalized on his strategy to finish with a stint on soft tires during which he made quick work of Hamilton and Alonso to claim the second win of his career.

3. Fernando Alonso – 15 points

Fourth at the time of the first safety car, the Spaniard took advantage of the race restart to quickly gain an advantage over Rosberg, who could have been a bottleneck. He then perfectly executed his strategy, successfully managing a two-stop plan with a final stint of managing and defending that only Ricciardo was able to surpass.

4. Jean-Eric Vergne – 12 points

Ninth at the finish, the race for the Frenchman was particularly marked by the 18 laps during which he resisted Rosberg’s Mercedes and his ten laps spent in second position behind Alonso. Later, suffering from brake issues, the Toro Rosso driver became more subdued, still finishing the race in the points.

5. Nico Rosberg – 10 points

While he seemed set for a solo run, the German was abruptly halted by the entry of the safety car, which placed him back in the middle of the top 10. The restart, which he did not manage well by losing places to Alonso and Vergne, cost him at least a podium place, which he couldn’t regain as he never gained an advantage, whether during team orders or at the very end of the race, over his teammate.

6. Kimi Räikkönen – 8 points

Sixteenth on the grid, the Finn had a discreet race during which he focused on managing his soft tires – a specialty at Lotus – to reach his best position of the season, at the end of his most accomplished race of the season.

7. Felipe Massa – 6 points

Finish in the top 5 discreetly, that’s the Brazilian’s motto for this race. The Paulista took full advantage of the safety car to reposition himself and then gambled on tire durability, ending with two stints on medium tires.

8. Sebastian Vettel – 4 points

Another victim of the safety car, the German probably had the car to secure a podium and seemed in good shape in Budapest. However, a new stroke of bad luck coupled with an error coming out of the last corner on lap 32 definitively kept him away from the top 5.

9. Valtteri Bottas – 2 points

Second before the first safety car, he emerged from the pits in 11th position. Subsequently, the Williams driver was only able to regain the advantage over much slower drivers and couldn’t overtake Vettel in the final laps.

10. Jenson Button – 1 point

The race of the Brit, who brings back a point in his bag, was marked by McLaren’s failed gamble during the first safety car, choosing to fit a new set of intermediate tires while all the other drivers went for a second stint on slicks.

Readers’ Rankings 2014 (11/19 races)