The Hungarian Grand Prix is usually a dull event, as the Hungaroring track is traditionally difficult for overtaking. But not this time, because it was the overtakes that divided opinions: was Oscar Piastri’s planned overtake on Lando Norris fair? Fatal, for the British driver, were the overtakes suffered at the start? And what about Max Verstappen’s disastrous attempt to overtake Lewis Hamilton, seven laps from the end? Beyond what everyone is free to think, these were the elements that lit up the Budapest race, transforming it into the most surprising race among those held so far in the 2024 Formula 1 championship.
Oscar Piastri won, as you know. The new Ice Man who comes from a distant continent. Italian surname, vague origins from Tuscany, crystalline class, only 35 grand prix behind him, minimal errors even in a still incomplete growth phase.
The Australian is only 23 years old but knows perfectly well how to get what he wants. He is doing it without fuss and without creating enemies, unlike Max Verstappen’s rise. Fair on the track, loyal to teammate Lando Norris, who was in the lead until a few kilometers from the end and then was forced to give up the leader position. Was it right to do so? Yes, and we say this with a heavy heart for Lando Norris who, once again, was fast for the entire distance but failed at the start when – and it wasn’t the first time – he lost positions, losing the race in those meters as well.
The British driver had flown to the lead by order of the McLaren box, fearing Lewis Hamilton’s overtake. A defensive pit stop, with the immediate promise via radio to Oscar Piastri that Lando Norris would later step aside.
In hindsight, considering the mess Max Verstappen made with Lewis Hamilton, the 7 points sacrificed by Lando Norris would have been precious in the tough chase for the 2024 Formula 1 world championship. But McLaren did not think about this and wanted to return the race leadership to Oscar Piastri, perhaps recalling certain errors to his detriment in previous grand prix.
In cold technical terms, McLaren should have let Lando Norris win, but at that point, internal orders would have been disrupted and the relationship between the two drivers damaged. Opinions fragment on these things, but one must think that F1 is a team game with a background of stratospheric interests, so sometimes feelings are put aside to favor convenience.
Enzo Ferrari did not justify Gilles Villeneuve’s bitterness and disappointment when Didier Pironi prevailed at Imola in 1982, breaking team orders, because after all, a Maranello car had won and the other came second. Just as it happened in Budapest with McLaren.
In short, the reasons of the heart – of the fans in this case – do not always prevail. But it is clear that such a strong McLaren will affect the rest of the championship, especially since Red Bull does not seem so reactive to the point that Max Verstappen is furious about the car’s setbacks and his race strategy, forgetting his mistakes, starting with the mad braking to pass Lewis Hamilton, which cost him very little in terms of points.
The Dutchman is back to his old self: argumentative with rivals and also argumentative with his team, with Mercedes waiting for him with open arms and Carlos Sainz ready to move immediately to Red Bull. We shall see.
Speaking of Carlos Sainz, he was brilliant during the three practice sessions in Budapest and not seen in the race, while Charles Leclerc with harder tires was even faster than McLaren and Red Bull for a few laps, but always distant from the top, even though Frederic Vasseur says that the 20-second gap from McLaren is much better than the over-minute gap twelve months ago from Red Bull. Very true. But if the logic is this, Ferrari should also explain why one year ago, after the Hungarian Grand Prix, it led McLaren by 80 points while now it is down by 17. Take heart, the race is already in Belgium on Sunday, the last round before the summer holidays that Formula 1 also takes. And it wouldn’t be bad at all for Ferrari to leave with a positive result to boost morale for the second part of the 2024 Formula 1 championship.
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