Hamilton wins eighth Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton took advantage of his 90th career pole position to win the Hungarian Grand Prix for the eighth time.

The race was threatened with the chance of rain right from the off which led to many thinking there would be a chance of a fight between the Mercedes and the likes of a Red Bull or maybe a Racing Point. However the rain never came and Mercedes dominated from lights to flag with Hamilton leading every lap and taking fastest lap on the final lap, whilst pulling out a sizeable lead on second placed Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Bottas needed at least second and fastest lap to be level on points with Hamilton heading into the Silverstone double header.

The race started on a damp track but quickly dried after the race had begun. Hamilton got away well with Bottas who started second and Sergio Perez starting fourth both bogging down on the start once the lights had gone green.

With a drying track the pit window opened earlier than normal with many drivers pitting within the first 15 laps for dry tires. This mixed up the field with the likes of Bottas and Charles Leclerc coming out in 18th and 19th meaning they would have to fight their way through the field to get back up front.

Bottas with the superior car over the Ferrari of Leclerc managed to get himself back to a podium finish whereas Leclerc found himself fighting for the sole remaining points finish in tenth with his teammate for next year and current McLaren driver Carlos Sainz. Sainz eventually found his way past and took home the final point in a disappointing weekend for the Monaco born driver.

Hamilton’s dominance was clear throughout the race not only with consistent fast laps but also in the fact that he was able to lap up to sixth placed Sebastian Vettel. (Meaning only the top five drivers finished on the lead lap). The Williams of Nicholas Latifi was the only driver to be lapped more than once finishing five laps down to race winner Hamilton.

Hamilton’s win today means he is now level on race victories (8) with Micheal Schumacher’s at a single race. Schumacher won eight times at Magny Cours in France.

The next race is the British Grand Prix on August 2nd.