Nithyanandam Ramasamy
Hungarian GP has thrown a surprise where even the scriptwriters wouldn’t have thought of! The race was expected to be the next instalment in Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen battle until Valtteri Bottas had other ideas. After inheriting the lead on lap-5, Esteban Ocon was able to fend off constant pressure from Sebastian Vettel to register his first career F1 win. This week’s data analysis talks about shenanigans of the first lap, the performance of the top-5, Hamilton’s undercut on 3 drivers and the battle of Fernando Alonso vs Lewis Hamilton.
The First Lap:
Chaos is the word that comes to your mind when you talk about the first lap. The chaos was triggered by Valtteri Bottas when he collided with Lando Norris, who then lost control and collided with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Behind them, Lance Stroll cut the corner and collided with Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo. The first turn incident has left 4-drivers retiring on the spot and Lando Norris retiring just before the restart.
The biggest gainer from the pandemonium was none other than Nicholas Latifi. The Canadian has gained 12-places at the end of the first lap. He even spent his first stint in 3rd place. Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz were the next two big gainers, where they gained 11-places in the first lap. Lewis Hamilton was the only driver who hasn’t gained or lost any places in the first lap. Undoubtedly, the advantage of leading the pack. There are also disadvantages of it, which we witnessed during the restart. The biggest loser has to be Pierre Gasly where he lost 7-places.
The race that panned out after the restart:
The race restart was one of the bizarre scenes in F1 history. It was so Moto GP ‘Esque’ where only Lewis Hamilton has seen the five red lights as the other drivers have boxed for slicks at the end of the formation lap. Speaking in their debrief video, their technical director Mike Elliot has admitted that it was indeed a mistake despite Toto Wolff backed the decision. Lewis Hamilton has pitted in the very next lap, which eventually dropped him to last-place and promoted Esteban Ocon to the first place.
The leaders:
Esteban Ocon, after inheriting the lead from Lewis Hamilton, was able to fend off the pressure from Sebastian Vettel. Sebastian Vettel, who once again aced out-lap, has nearly caught Esteban Ocon at the end of the pit stops. How crucial was that slow stop from Aston Martin? The stop was 0.98s slower than Esteban Ocon’s. Has it denied a potential victory for Aston Martin? Maybe? Unless we consider the sample fuel of 1L, which might cost them their second-place finish, eventually.
Let’s talk about Carlos Sainz:
The Spaniard is on a form of his life this season. He has settled in quickly at Ferrari. Moreover, he has outscored his teammate Charles Leclerc after 11 races. Never count him out even if he doesn’t perform well in qualifying. He started the race in 15th place before moving up to 4th in the first lap. He has taken full advantage of the chaos ahead of him. Also, let’s not forget the way he choreographed the race for Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz was held up by Nicholas Latifi train for the major part of the first stint. The Spaniard was confident enough to refuse the pit call from his team and went on to post quick laps in free air. After pitting for hard tyres, he was also able to defend Lewis Hamilton for a period of 10-laps. Guess who predicted Lewis Hamilton will pit again? It’s Carlos Sainz. For time being, he was catching up the top-2. However, the Ferrari had a performance dip after lap-50. Possibly, down to tyre and fuel. Undoubtedly, the Spaniard has exquisitely proved he is one of the astute racing drivers on the grid at the Hungarian GP.
How did Lewis Hamilton undercut 3-cars?
Lewis Hamilton’s pursuit to move up the field was denied by the procession of George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly. However, the early pit stop call from Mercedes has altered the course of his race. On lap 18, he was down in 12th place. An early call for a pit stop from his team on lap-19 has instigated Red Bull Racing, McLaren and Williams to make a pit call in the next 2-laps and also led Lewis Hamilton to undercut all 3 drivers. From lap 18 to 22, he was able to overturn a 6-sec deficit to a 6-sec advantage. The effect of a new tyre on fresh air. The undercut paved a way for Lewis Hamilton to catch the top-5 eventually.
When an Immoval object met irresistible force?
Lewis Hamilton’s charge to the top step of the podium was denied by an impeccable defending from the youngest driver on the grid, Fernando Alonso. His defence was so exquisite that even the football clubs would wish to have Fernando Alonso in their teams. The last defender to win the Ballon D’or, Fabio Cannavaro, would be proud of his gritty defence. Fernando Alonso was able to keep Lewis Hamilton, who was on fresher medium tyres, for 10-laps. In those 10-laps, Lewis Hamilton has only lapped at a rate of 1:21.764s. He was nearly 2s slower than the lap time he did in the fresh air and 1.2s after passing Fernando Alonso.
The impact of Fernando Alonso’s defending in those 10-laps has eventually helped Esteban Ocon to win the race. An early Christmas present from Esteban Ocon awaits Fernando Alonso. It was a week to savour before we head to the mid-season break. The Hungarian GP had drama, agony, disappointment and some memorable moments. It’s indeed the best Hungarian GP we have witnessed in recent times. If Hungary could throw such races, we are in for a blockbuster of the second half.
