The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend delivered a compelling mix of drama and dominant performances, marked by a rain-affected practice session, an incredibly tight qualifying influenced by a novel tire rule, and a historic victory for Red Bull on Sunday. As the Formula 1 circus descended upon the Hungaroring, anticipation was high, with a returning veteran driver, several prominent names starting out of their usual positions, and unexpected contenders vying for top-ten grid slots. This created a fertile ground for both stellar and less-than-impressive displays across the field. Here, we delve into the individual efforts, evaluating each driver’s contribution to an unforgettable weekend.
Join us as we present the RaceFans driver ratings for the Hungarian Grand Prix, offering a detailed analysis of every performance on track.
Max Verstappen – 7/10
Max Verstappen’s performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix was emblematic of his season-long dominance, culminating in Red Bull’s record-breaking win streak. While he ultimately secured a commanding victory, leading every lap, his initial frustration at narrowly missing pole position to Lewis Hamilton by a mere 0.003 seconds highlighted his relentless pursuit of perfection. Despite this minor setback, Verstappen executed one of his best starts of the season, seizing the lead from Hamilton into Turn 1 and never looking back. Over the course of the race, he steadily extended his advantage, first over Oscar Piastri and then over Lando Norris, ultimately crossing the finish line over half a minute ahead of his closest rival. His impressive race pace and strategic two-stop (Medium-Hard-Medium) approach also earned him the bonus point for the fastest lap, underscoring the sheer speed of his Red Bull RB19. Although the car’s superiority was undeniable, Verstappen’s faultless drive was a testament to his exceptional skill and focus.
Sergio Perez – 5/10
Sergio Perez’s Hungarian Grand Prix weekend was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. It began disastrously with a crash during his very first push lap in opening practice, setting a negative tone. His qualifying session, while marking his first Q3 appearance since Miami, was still underwhelming, placing him a distant ninth, over four-tenths behind his teammate. However, Perez demonstrated resilience and strong race craft on Sunday. Starting on hard tires, he made an immediate gain on Zhou Guanyu and then skillfully overtook Fernando Alonso. His two-stop strategy (Hard-Medium-Medium) proved effective, allowing him to quickly dispatch Carlos Sainz and close in on Lewis Hamilton. A successful undercut move propelled him past Hamilton into fourth, and he then executed a decisive overtake on Oscar Piastri to claim the final podium spot. Despite his late charge to challenge Lando Norris for second, he ultimately secured third. While his recovery was commendable, the fact that Red Bull’s dominant car allowed him to salvage a podium from such a poor starting position suggests he still underachieved given the machinery at his disposal. His qualifying struggles remain a persistent concern.
Charles Leclerc – 6/10
Charles Leclerc endured a weekend filled with frustrating setbacks at the Hungaroring, some self-inflicted and others beyond his control. He managed to secure a respectable sixth-place grid position, out-qualifying his teammate, Carlos Sainz. However, his race was plagued by a series of issues. A brutally slow 9.4-second pit stop, caused by a wheel gun problem, saw him emerge from the pits well behind his teammate and potentially Lewis Hamilton, costing him crucial track position. Further compounding his woes was the discovery that his drink tube was too short for his helmet, leaving him without hydration for the entire race. To cap it off, Leclerc received a five-second time penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit by a mere 0.7 kph. This penalty ultimately dropped him from sixth to seventh in the final classification, allowing George Russell to climb ahead. Had it not been for the catastrophic pit stop, he likely would have held sixth comfortably, making it a weekend where a combination of mechanical failure and a minor error prevented a stronger result.
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Carlos Sainz Jnr – 5/10
Carlos Sainz’s Hungarian Grand Prix weekend was a mixed bag, certainly not his best performance in a Ferrari, but far from his worst. He argued that the Alternative Tyre Allocation (ATA) rules had hampered his qualifying, as he struggled on the medium tires during his Q2 elimination, placing him 11th on the grid. However, Sainz made amends with a brilliant opening lap on soft tires, jumping five positions into sixth. This strong start put him in contention, but his race pace couldn’t sustain this early advantage. He briefly benefited from his teammate’s slow pit stop but then lost a crucial position to the recovering Sergio Perez. In the later stages, he was overcut by Charles Leclerc after his second stop and eventually overtaken by George Russell, who had started seven places behind him. Finishing eighth, one place behind Leclerc, highlighted a race where he couldn’t quite maximize his opportunities. While his opening lap was impressive, his overall execution through the weekend left something to be desired.
George Russell – 5/10
George Russell’s Hungarian Grand Prix was a tale of extreme contrasts. A disastrous qualifying saw him eliminated in Q1, starting a shocking 18th on the grid. His complaint about traffic before his final push lap felt like a weak excuse, especially when many others managed to improve. This poor Saturday set him up for a challenging Sunday. However, Russell mounted an impressive comeback drive in the race. Starting on hard tires, he skillfully navigated the chaos of Turn 1, gaining four positions immediately, and then passed Kevin Magnussen. Despite battling battery overheating warnings during his first stint, he steadily climbed the order. Through a combination of overtakes on Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda, and Valtteri Bottas, and a strong undercut on Fernando Alonso during his second pit stop, he worked his way up to eighth. He then meticulously hunted down and overtook Carlos Sainz to finish seventh on track, subsequently moving up to sixth after Charles Leclerc’s penalty. While his recovery of 12 places was commendable, especially given Toto Wolff’s post-race claim of Mercedes having the second-fastest car, his Saturday blunder meant he had to perform such a recovery in the first place, leading to an overall underachievement given the car’s potential.
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Lewis Hamilton – 6/10
Lewis Hamilton ended a 33-race pole drought with an absolutely thrilling final effort in Saturday’s qualifying, snatching pole position by a mere three-thousandths of a second. This spectacular lap set the stage for a highly anticipated battle with Max Verstappen at the start. However, the race start proved to be his undoing. Hamilton promptly lost the lead to Verstappen and then two further positions to the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, dropping to fourth. He maintained this position for much of the first stint before being strategically undercut by Sergio Perez, falling to fifth. He managed to regain fourth by overtaking Piastri later in the race, and ultimately finished less than two seconds behind Perez. While a fourth-place finish is a solid result, especially after starting from pole, it’s difficult not to ponder what could have been. Had he been able to hold onto the lead at the start, the narrative of his race, and indeed the entire Grand Prix, might have been very different. The initial joy of pole position proved short-lived as the race unfolded.
Esteban Ocon – 5/10
Esteban Ocon’s Hungarian Grand Prix weekend was an unfortunately short and entirely forgettable affair. Alpine’s performance seemed to lack the competitive edge they had displayed in previous rounds, with both cars failing to progress beyond Q2, Ocon qualifying 12th. His race, however, ended abruptly on the very first lap, through no fault of his own. Caught up in a chain reaction initiated by Zhou Guanyu making contact with Daniel Ricciardo, Ocon was shunted into his teammate, Pierre Gasly. The impact caused severe damage to his Alpine, so significant that his race seat broke in two. Fortunately, Ocon emerged unharmed, but the incident forced his immediate retirement from the race. It was a cruel and frustrating end to a weekend where he had little opportunity to showcase his driving, compounding a generally challenging outing for the Alpine team.
Pierre Gasly – 5/10
Much like his teammate, Pierre Gasly experienced a Hungarian Grand Prix weekend he would rather erase from memory. Qualifying 15th, over three-tenths slower than Ocon, he too failed to make it out of Q2, indicating Alpine’s struggles at the Hungaroring. His race met an even swifter and equally unfortunate end. Gasly became the second innocent victim of the Turn 1 chaos, when Esteban Ocon, having been hit by Daniel Ricciardo (following contact from Zhou Guanyu), collided with him. The impact caused terminal damage to Gasly’s car, forcing him to pull into the pit lane and retire at the end of the very first lap. It was a disheartening conclusion to a weekend where he never truly had the chance to demonstrate his potential or recover from a subdued qualifying performance. Both Alpine drivers were collateral damage in an incident entirely out of their control.
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Lando Norris – 8/10
Lando Norris continued his impressive run of form, securing his second successive podium finish and firmly solidifying McLaren’s significant leap in performance. Qualifying third, less than a tenth off pole, Norris felt he could have done even better with his final lap. At the start of the race, he skillfully overtook Lewis Hamilton but initially fell behind his teammate, Oscar Piastri, running third. However, Norris’s strategic execution and consistent pace shone through. He successfully undercut Piastri during the first pit cycle, taking over second place and then steadily pulled away from his teammate. While Max Verstappen’s Red Bull was in a league of its own, Norris masterfully managed his pace over the final stint, confidently holding off the charging Sergio Perez to secure a well-deserved second place. His drive was controlled and assured, demonstrating excellent judgment and pace management. Being the first driver to finish behind Max Verstappen in recent races is almost akin to a victory, highlighting Norris’s superb form and McLaren’s potent upgraded package.
Oscar Piastri – 6/10
Oscar Piastri continued to impress as the clear rookie of the season, although his performance in Hungary, while strong, wasn’t quite at the same elevated level as his standout showing at Silverstone. He qualified a commendable fourth, just behind his teammate, Lando Norris, though he admitted his lap “wasn’t my best.” His race start was exceptional, demonstrating superb awareness to brilliantly seize second place, where he then spent the first 17 laps directly behind the race leader. This early phase was a highlight, showcasing his raw speed and aggressive yet controlled approach. However, the race took a turn after the first pit stop, where he was successfully undercut by Norris, dropping him to third. Piastri later claimed to have suffered floor damage, which contributed to his fading pace over the final two stints, causing him to drop significantly behind his teammate. He also received a black-and-white warning flag for exceeding track limits three times. Ultimately, he was passed by both Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton, finishing fifth, half a minute adrift of Norris. While fifth is a respectable result for a rookie, especially given the McLaren’s performance, his relative drop-off compared to his teammate and Silverstone’s heroics prevents a higher grade.
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Valtteri Bottas – 6/10
Valtteri Bottas delivered a standout qualifying performance, easily reaching Q3 and securing his season-best grid position of seventh. The Alfa Romeo’s unexpected pace on Saturday was a significant story of the weekend, raising hopes for a strong points finish. However, the race proved to be a disappointment. Their qualifying speed simply did not translate into Sunday’s race pace. Bottas suffered a messy opening lap, being aggressively pushed out of five positions, and also appeared to be passed illegally by Lance Stroll. After an early pit stop, he worked his way back into tenth place before his second and final stop. However, a significant portion of his race was spent battling Alexander Albon for 11th. Despite having DRS for over 20 laps, Bottas was unable to find a way past the Williams, demonstrating Albon’s robust defense and perhaps a lack of outright pace from the Alfa Romeo on race day. Finishing 12th, less than a second behind Albon, meant missing out on points after such a promising qualifying. While frustrating, he did show significantly better race pace than his teammate, Zhou Guanyu.
Zhou Guanyu – 5/10
Zhou Guanyu’s Hungarian Grand Prix epitomized the stark contrast between Saturday success and Sunday despair. He was one of the weekend’s qualifying stars, securing a career-best grid position of fifth, impressively out-qualifying both Charles Leclerc and his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, despite having three lap times deleted. All this good work, however, unravelled in the opening seconds of the race. Zhou suffered a bizarre system error at the start, causing his car to bog down and leaving him vulnerable to the approaching pack. This led to him hitting Daniel Ricciardo, which in turn triggered the multi-car pile-up involving both Alpines. His race never truly recovered from this incident, for which he received a five-second penalty. Running as low as 16th, he struggled to make progress, eventually finishing 16th, half a minute behind Bottas. While the initial system error was incredibly unlucky, his subsequent collision was an unforced error that effectively ended his and others’ races. All the promise of his stellar qualifying remained unfulfilled.
Lance Stroll – 5/10
Lance Stroll’s performance in Hungary reflected Aston Martin’s general struggles at the Hungaroring, where their previous competitive edge appeared to dull. He failed to join his teammate, Fernando Alonso, in Q3, qualifying 14th after having his fastest time deleted for track limits. This marked another qualifying session where he was significantly outpaced by Alonso. In the race, starting on soft tires, he benefited from the chaotic start, gaining four places, including an overtake on Valtteri Bottas that appeared to be outside track limits but was not penalized. He ran in tenth for a while, making an early first stop and executing an undercut on his teammate before eventually letting Alonso back past. Stroll ultimately secured the final point in tenth place, becoming the first lapped finisher. While a tenth-place finish in an Aston Martin might have warranted a harsher rating earlier in the season, given the team’s diminished performance in Hungary, it was likely a par score for Stroll. He showed some recovery in the race, but his qualifying consistency remains an issue.
Fernando Alonso – 6/10
Fernando Alonso described his ninth-place finish at the Hungaroring as a fair reflection of Aston Martin’s performance level during the weekend. If taken at face value, this implies it wasn’t one of his extraordinary performances, but rather a solid, expected delivery given the car’s current form. Alonso reached Q3, unlike his teammate, securing eighth on the grid. In the early laps of the race, he ran in seventh before being passed by the recovering Sergio Perez. He maintained eighth for a significant portion of the middle stint, but a slight delay in his pit stop, where his rear wheels didn’t fully stop, cost him a couple of crucial seconds. This allowed George Russell to execute an overcut, dropping Alonso to ninth. He then pulled away from his teammate, Lance Stroll, finishing ninth, 25 seconds ahead. As ever, Alonso was the stronger of the two Aston Martin drivers, maximizing the car’s potential on a challenging weekend for the team. He finished as the last car on the lead lap, a testament to his consistent effort.
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Kevin Magnussen – 3/10
Kevin Magnussen’s Hungarian Grand Prix was another challenging weekend, highlighting a growing performance disparity within the Haas team. He was consistently behind his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, in every session. His qualifying was particularly poor, failing to progress out of Q1 and ending up 19th, a significant half-second slower than Hulkenberg in a tightly packed midfield. While he benefited from the Turn 1 shunt to gain six places at the start, he quickly lost ground, being passed by George Russell on lap two. Magnussen then ran in 16th under pressure from Logan Sargeant before his second stop dropped him to the rear of the field. He ultimately finished 17th, more than half a minute behind his teammate, and was the last car running until Sargeant’s late spin. His score reflects a weekend where he was considerably off the pace in both crucial qualifying and the race, struggling to extract performance from the Haas VF-23.
Nico Hulkenberg – 6/10
Nico Hulkenberg’s Hungarian Grand Prix followed a familiar pattern, showcasing his exceptional qualifying prowess despite his car’s limitations. He was in the top ten in every timed session and consistently ahead of his teammate, Kevin Magnussen. Once again, he seemingly over-performed the Haas to reach Q3, qualifying a respectable tenth. However, as is often the case with the Haas, its race pace and tire management characteristics led to a gradual decline down the order on Sunday. He ran ninth during the opening stint but dropped to 14th after his first pit stop. Further places were lost during the second pit stop cycle, though he eventually regained 14th. In the closing laps, he was caught by Logan Sargeant but expertly held him off to finish 14th, a lap down. While he didn’t score points, this result was arguably higher than expected given the Haas’s race-day struggles. His clear superiority over his teammate continued to be a notable aspect of his performance.
Yuki Tsunoda – 4/10
Yuki Tsunoda faced a direct comparison with his new (and returning) teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the weekend did little to enhance his standing. His struggles began in practice when he damaged his upgraded front wing. In qualifying, he failed to follow Ricciardo into Q2, ending up 17th, just 0.013 seconds behind him. While he made a strong start on soft tires, gaining six places through the Turn 1 chaos and making a decisive move on Valtteri Bottas, his early gains couldn’t be sustained. Pitting early and then running a long middle stint on hard tires, he emerged 16th after his final stop. He gained one place in the final laps due to Logan Sargeant’s spin, finishing 15th, 15 seconds behind Ricciardo despite his initial track position advantage. In a tight midfield, being outperformed by a teammate returning after half a year’s absence, and driving a car for the first time, was a significant blow to Tsunoda’s weekend assessment.
Daniel Ricciardo – 7/10
Daniel Ricciardo’s return to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri at the Hungarian Grand Prix was a remarkably solid effort, immediately justifying Red Bull’s decision to place him in the seat. Despite not having driven the AT04 before and being away from grand prix racing for half a year, he impressed from the outset. He comfortably out-qualified his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, reaching Q2 and securing 13th on the grid. His race start was unfortunate; he was caught up in the Turn 1 melee, hit by Zhou Guanyu, which subsequently led to the collision with the Alpines. Miraculously, his car sustained no serious damage, though he dropped to the back of the field. From there, Ricciardo demonstrated his experience and race craft, grinding away at the back. After his second stop for medium tires, he systematically picked off Magnussen and gained places as others pitted or ran into trouble. He finished in a highly respectable 13th place, one lap down but a significant 15 seconds ahead of his teammate. His performance, especially considering his lack of recent seat time, earns him extra credit and was a significant boost for AlphaTauri.
Alexander Albon – 7/10
Alexander Albon delivered a fantastic performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, exceeding expectations for Williams on a track that was not supposed to suit their car. He narrowly missed out on Q2 by just one-hundredth of a second, lining up 16th. In the race, he capitalized on Zhou Guanyu’s poor start to gain a place and was one of the first drivers to pit for hard tires. His team’s aggressive strategy, combined with Albon’s ability to extract pace from his tires over long stints, proved brilliant. He utilized clear air to move up to 12th before his second stop, where he successfully undercut Valtteri Bottas to gain 11th. For over 20 laps, Albon then showcased a masterclass in defensive driving, holding off the much faster Bottas, who was constantly within DRS range, without making a single error. Finishing 11th, he was the highest-placed driver outside of the top five teams. Only the sheer dominance of the top constructors, who monopolized the points, prevented him from securing another well-deserved point for Williams.
Logan Sargeant – 4/10
Logan Sargeant continued to struggle in his rookie season, delivering an underperforming weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix that offered little in the way of positive results. He was the slowest in Q1, lining up last on the grid, though he admitted his final qualifying lap could have been better. Despite gaining three places in the Turn 1 melee, his race lacked consistent progress. A slow first pit stop denied him the chance to overcut Zhou Guanyu, though he did manage to undercut Kevin Magnussen at his second stop. Sargeant showed decent race pace at times compared to his teammate, Alexander Albon, across his first two stints. However, he appeared to struggle with tire degradation late in the race and ultimately spun at the chicane under pressure from Yuki Tsunoda. He was eventually called into the pits to retire, though classified as a finisher in 18th. This weekend highlighted his ongoing challenge to deliver when it matters most, particularly under pressure.
Over to you
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