Lewis Hamilton WINS the Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton WINS the Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton grabbed victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix from Max Verstappen in the closing laps of a race Verstappen looked set to win.

Max Verstappen may have won seven Grands Prix, but he’d never had a pole position until this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. So, logically, you’d think his chances of winning were high. And, for most of the race, he looked likely to end where he started – at the front.

That looked even more likely when, with Hamilton just a second behind with 21 laps to go, Mercedes decided to bring Hamilton in for new tyres, and Red Bull decided to leave Verstappen out on his tyres for the rest of the race.

When Hamilton rejoined the race with those 21 laps to go he was 21 seconds behind Verstappen. But, in a cracking drive, he managed to reel Verstappen in and took the lead, and subsequently the win, with just three laps of the race to go.

Behind the Mercedes of Hamilton and the Red Bull of Verstappen, Vettel and Lecleerc took third and fourth place for Ferrari, but it was a poor race for Bottas who ended in eighth place after having to stop for a new front wing after a touch with Leclerc and Hamilton on the opening lap.

Behind the top four, Carlos Sainz drove his McLaren to a fifth place, followed by Pierre Gasly in the Red Bull in sixth, Kimi Raikkonen in the Alfa in seventh, Norris in the second McLaren in ninth and Alexander Albon took the last points place for Toro Rosso.

Hamilton goes in to the summer break 62 points ahead of team mate Bottas, and Max Verstappen 25 points ahead of Vettel and just seven points behind Bottas. In the constructor’s race, it’s Mercedes, Ferrari and then Red Bull, with McLaren 39 points ahead of Toro Rosso as the leader of the ‘rest’ pack.