Within F1 Hungarian GP There is an important doubt that must be removed that can dictate what can happen between now and the end of the year in Formula 1. It is Lewis Hamilton, Russell and Mercedes as protagonists.
that McLaren even better in performance Max Verstappen’s Red Bull This is a fact compared to the great speed (in a turn and in a race) shown from Miami, past 7 quotes. And Max remains a contender thanks to his hands on a car that suffers more than expected, especially on lower speed tracks like Budapest, too. But F1 Hungarian GP It will be more interesting than a possible battle between Norris and Verstappen. And two doubts remain to be removed, the main one is the performance of Mercedes on a track completely opposite to Silverstonein which Hamilton won.
Confirmation weekend?
Mercedes took a big step forward with its latest evolutionary package and joined the fight for everyone at Silverstone, a test full of fast corners. The star team raised the bar compared to Austria, which was also full of fast corners, where although Russell won, they were a step behind by a lap and at race pace.
At Silverstone his resurrection seemed confirmed, with Hamilton flying like the Phoenix. And now, Mercedes has another challenge: to perform again with the best on a track with low-speed corners, which, however, for current ground-effect cars is more than moderate speed.
If Mercedes manages to fight all the way to a turn and race on a track unlike Silverstone, it will send a clear message that it has joined the battle between McLaren and the red bull of Verstappen always. That means, there will be 5 cars from three different teams (waiting for ‘Checo’ Pérez to improve) in the fight for everyone between now and the end of the year.
The best warning of what’s to come in 2025 is that Toto Wolff has already told MD that he expects it to be a “mega battle”.. The Austrian predicts that 2025 will be the most equal year in recent decades and has a variety of candidates. But first, confirmation from Mercedes is missing at tracks like the Hungaroring this weekend.
For Mercedes, precedents invite us to dream. Above all, it says a lot about how good this track is at having pole positions in 2022 and 2023 with a car that is inferior to the current one. They have had four consecutive races at this track and last year’s pole went to Lewis, who won just two weeks ago at home, winning after more than 2 years and 7 months without tasting of success.
The other doubt: Ferrari
With 5 cars waiting above, Perhaps two more should be added: the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Although it seems complicated to happen.
The red team suffered a lot in the fast corners in Barcelona, Austria and Silverstone, a step behind Verstappen, McLaren and Mercedes, although Carlos was taking oil from any situation to make up for the result of the team, as was his superb fifth place at Silverstone in mixed conditions.
This same car dominates with an iron hand in the last circuit of slow corners and maximum load: Monaco. This track is traditionally called ‘Monaco without walls’. But you don’t have to trust that anymore. With the current cars, the corners of the Hungaroring are no longer slow. They are medium speed because of the huge load of these vehicles and their passing through the curves. We have to see if Ferrari can raise the level and join the fight for victory.
If they did, there could be 7 cars with 4 different teams fighting for everything on a hands-on track, which leaves no room for error because of the gravel. Emotions can be maximum. Although in the paddock there wasn’t much confidence that would happen.
Hint there’s room for surprises
Budapest is a challenge for everyone. The rain is not expected to move the candidate pool further, but the fact that any mistake will pay dearly and the chances of a ‘Safety Car’ appearing could change everything. The number of poles is large, many because it is difficult to overtake. In practice, there is only one option in the first DRS zone, when braking in Turn 1. And if a car is out of position, it can increase the chaos due to the difficulty of overtaking and leave room for surprises.
Without going any further, no one expected that in 2021 Ocon would win an Alpine also thanks to the massive defense of Alonso about Hamilton. An exciting Grand Prix is coming up.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
