In the last race before Formula 1 takes its customary break, Max Verstappen coasted to a second straight victory Sunday (July 31) at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The win bumps Verstappen’s season total to eight and further opens up his championship lead over Charles Leclerc to 80 points (258–178). He now has 28 career F1 victories, this turn of good fortune coming amidst further Ferrari mismanagement in 2022.
Just behind Verstappen, rival Lewis Hamilton scored his second consecutive second-place finish on the year and his fifth straight podium finish. Even with those consistent results, he still sits only sixth in the standings.
George Russell started from the pole, a career first, but could not keep his Mercedes up front and wound up crossing the line in third position. While a second straight podium effort looks good, Russell’s first half report card is even better when you note he has finished outside of the top five only once, a crash at Silverstone.
Carlos Sainz made the best of Ferrariʻs botched race strategy, ending the Hungarian Grand Prix in fourth position. Sergio Perez, who started in 11th and seemed to struggle with his Red Bull throughout the race, wound up fifth.
Charles Leclerc, who held the lead during the middle stage of the race, fell victim to Ferrari putting him on hard tires at a poor time and then leaving them on for far too long. The Prancing Pony could never find pace on the hards and Leclerc watched Verstappen pass him with ease. Beginning in Spain, eight races ago, Leclerc has finished on the podium just once (winning the Austrian Grand Prix) despite earning four poles and likely having the fastest car in more than half of those eight races.
Lando Norris put together a solid weekend, placing seventh, which gives him a trifecta of sevenths over the past three events.
Fernando Alonso battled his teammate Esteban Ocon more than anyone else on track during the event and prevailed to take eighth. Ocon took ninth to give Alpine two finishes inside the points.
Sebastian Vettel, after starting from the rear, rounded out the top 10 after he announced his retirement from F1 earlier in the week.
Red Bull’s first and fifth-place finishes helped them maintain their spot atop the constructor’s championship, where they lead by a hefty 97 points over Ferrari (431–334). Mercedes continues to chip away in the standings, though and is now providing a threat for second with 304.
The Race
On what was predicted to be…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Frontstretch…