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Lewis Hamilton likely would have passed Sebastian Vettel and Esteban Ocon in the closing stages of the Hungarian Grand Prix without the obstinacy of Fernando Alonso’s 11-lap defence, but had that been the case Formula 1 would have missed out on a magic moment.
If Hamilton completed his recovery drive, it would have been a brilliant performance but it would also have been just another one out of 100 triumphs. As Daniel Ricciardo said after the race, “it’s kind of cool that Lewis didn’t win” because it allowed an outsider to take a shock victory.
Ricciardo was at pains to stress this was not aimed at specifically Hamilton and he did so very clearly, so anyone willfully misinterpreting what he’s said as an attack on the Mercedes driver would be disingenuous.
It’s simply that Hamilton happened to be the only regular winner in position to prevent an interesting underdog win. So Ricciardo, like many watching, was delighted to see an unexpected winner. He would have said the same was it, say, Max Verstappen or Valtteri Bottas that was in contention to prevent Ocon’s win.
Instead, it reflects that when extraordinary circumstances arise, it can be disappointing if a result that will be remembered for decades is missed out on.
“I don’t mean to put him in this conversation, but in a race like this it’s kind of cool that Lewis didn’t win in terms of somewhere took the most of the opportunity,” said Ricciardo.
“I’m not trying to be negative about Lewis, what I’m trying to say is Ocon got a hold of it and someone got to live out their dream.
“He’s got his first Formula 1 win, something I’m sure he dreamed of since he was five or six years old.
“When you’ve worked pretty much your whole life for that, I’m glad at least someone could make the most of that opportunity.
“For that, I’m happy he won. I’m happy it’s another first-time winner, it’s nice to see.”
Hamilton himself was delighted for sometime Mercedes stablemate Ocon’s victory, proving that everyone can enjoy a first-time, shock win like this.
Along with Pierre Gasly’s maiden triumph for AlphaTauri at Monza last year and Sergio Perez’s for Racing Point in the 2020 Sakhir GP, it will be one of the most memorable results of this period.
The reason it would have felt like a waste had there not been a surprise winner, whether it was Ocon or perhaps Sebastian Vettel taking the first victory for the Aston Martin brand, is how rare it is. To illustrate that, just consider the circumstances required for Ocon to be in a winning position.
Five of the seven cars that outqualified Ocon were either eliminated or damaged, while Pierre Gasly was intact but had to go the long way round at Turn 1 and dropped back to 12th.
Ocon himself had to avoid the first-corner carnage, with the collision between Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc happening right in front of him in Turn 1. He not only had to get through that cleanly but then needed Hamilton and Mercedes to drop into early-race traffic thanks to the timing of the switch to slicks.
Relive @OconEsteban's incredible start, and take a look at just how CLOSE he was to the Turn 1 chaos 🤯#HungarianGP 🇭🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/IOo3zJaODZ
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2021
Then he needed Alonso’s stubbornness, Hamilton’s suffering in traffic at a circuit where overtaking is difficult and no disruption from ill-timed safety cars even to have the chance to do his part of closing out the victory, which he did brilliantly.
That it required all of those factors, and more, for what was the sixth-fastest car based on qualifying pace in Hungary to win reveals why it’s so rare for this to happen. And why, often when races are disrupted by the unexpected, the natural order has enough time to reassert itself.
But the races where the shock victory is closed out are special.
Victories like Pastor Maldonado’s for Williams in Spain 2012, Giancarlo Fisichella’s for Jordan at Interlagos in 2003, Johnny Herbert’s for Stewart at the Nurburgring in 1999 or Olivier Panis for Ligier at Monaco in 1996 are among the most talked-about to this day.
The 2021 season will always be remembered first and foremost for the stunning championship battle between Verstappen and Hamilton. But days like last Sunday at the Hungaroring are something special in their own right and just as memorable.
