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The changeable weather and hard-to-predict tyre behaviour meant much in the Hungarian Grand Prix was decided by luck and strategy, and several fine drives were therefore not rewarded as well as they should’ve been.
Below, we count down five Formula 1 drivers who deserved better than what they got from the Hungaroring this Sunday.
Charles Leclerc
Considering how badly the other drivers lining up on the even-numbered places on the grid struggled at the start, Leclerc managed a properly great getaway to run fifth (having challenged for third), and was among the earliest to commit to a switch to slicks, which gained him track positions.
Unfortunately for him, these slicks were the softs, which proved universally “rubbish”. Though he bravely fought to keep the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel and Alex Albon at bay for a number of laps, eventually the graining proved too much and the pace evaporated completely.
The stop consigned him to a strategy that appeared suboptimal, as the tyres went off and he suffered the ignominy of losing the battle for the final point, ultimately finishing a rather brutal 18 seconds down on 10th-placed Carlos Sainz Jr – nowhere near a just reward for his efforts. – Valentin Khorounzhiy
Nicholas Latifi
Latifi hasn’t arrived in F1 with a blockbusting reputation but he seems to have quietly impressed the Williams team and he aced the start of this race in a way George Russell must have been envious of.
As Russell slid backwards, Latifi charged into the top 10, and while it would have been absolutely probable that he’d have fallen well back he deserved the opportunity to at least fight for position.
It would have done his confidence a world of good and given him some vital experience in the F1 midfield.
Instead, the team released him into the path of Sainz’s McLaren in the early round of pitstops, his left-rear tyre was punctured, and he had a spin at Turn 1.
Race ruined, hard work undone. – Scott Mitchell
Pierre Gasly
Gasly has quietly been one of the stars of the season, and continued this trend at the Hungaroring, qualifying in the top 10 (while his team-mate Daniil Kvyat exited in Q1) despite engine problems on Saturday that eventually rendered him unable to take to the track in the third segment.
The resulting 10th place left him on the wet side of the grid and he slipped to 13th before retiring with another engine problem.
That’s two out of three races ruined for him by problems beyond his control after damage suffered when hit by Daniel Ricciardo in the Styrian GP. – Edd Straw
Kevin Magnussen
Scoring Haas’s first points of the year after failing to make it out of Q1 makes this a really, really good day for Magnussen and his team.
But he makes this list because the strategic decision from Haas, Magnussen’s pace early on, his ability to frustrate Lance Stroll without losing time himself, and his all-round management and speed was sublime.
And yes, he was rewarded with ninth, while team-mate Romain Grosjean fell out of the top-10 entirely.
But it was about as good an execution of a race as you will see from someone in a slow car, because Magnussen never lost sight of the fact his battle wasn’t against those he found himself racing while out of position, it was always with those at the tail-end of the top 10.
Scoring two points just doesn’t feel like appropriate reward for how well he managed that. – Scott Mitchell
Daniil Kvyat
The F1 world feed played the audio of Daniil Kvyat requesting a switch to slicks on the formation lap.
This would’ve necessitated a pitlane start – but as he’d qualified poorly, he had nothing to lose, so it came as a surprise that his suggestion was not heeded.
Haas, itself having two cars with little to lose, took the pitlane start trade-off, and was rewarded with a massive track position gain that ultimately proved key to Magnussen’s ninth place – which became 10th when Haas was later penalised.
But given the relative competitiveness of the cars, the AlphaTauri could’ve made even more of it. – Valentin Khorounzhiy
