Welcome to the coverage of Hungarian GP 2022, live from the Hungaroring circuit
It’s race day at the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking place at the iconic Hungaroring circuit. The Hungarian GP is held annually in Mogyoród and since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It was first held in 1936 and this is the 38th edition of the Hungarian GP.
In today’s race, George Russell, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start from P1, P2 and P3 positions on the grid respectively.
Lights out!
1/70 Away we go. Russell gets off to a good start, and holding off Leclerc and Sainz are on his tail. He stays in the lead, and someone’s gone off the track. Verstappen moves up the field, too. Pierre Gasly drags from the pit lane, and there’s a virtual safety as Alex Albon hit Lance Stroll. Russell held Sainz off with a very defensive move, and now he must defend further.
6/70 Sainz has set the fastest lap as he chases down Russell’s Merc, which will have to get through some heavy defensive work very soon. Kevin Magnussen has been called in to attend to something hanging off his car.
12/70 Hamilton overtakes Norris, using DRS, and then, by the same route, Verstappen moves past Norris. So, the battle for fourth will be between Hamilton and Verstappen. Hammo’s job is to hold up Max to keep him away from the Mercedes up front, that of Russell.
19/70 In comes Perez, from third, as Russell sets a fastest lap and goes to third. Leclerc is flying along up ahead, trying to stay away so he can pit and stay ahead. Verstappen is in seventh after his pit, and Perez is back in 10th. Red Bull have work to do.
24/70 Leclerc sets a fastest lap, as Verstappen rages after Sainz. We may soon enough see a battle of Verstappen and Leclerc, as has been habitual this season. Then the Alpines of Ocon and Alonso get in a tangle, and in comes Ricciardo, reading their movement, and into tenth. There’s bad blood in the Alpine team.
Verstappen takes on Russell for the lead!
28/70 Russell opens the door, and Leclerc seems to get through, but great defensive work from Russell closes the door again. That showed off Russell’s talent. Not this time.
Leclerc overtakes Russell and takes the lead!
31/70 Finally, the door opens, and Leclerc breaches Russell’s defences, going round the other side to before, and the Ferrari is ahead. Great driving from the both of them. Russell’s job now is to hold off Sainz and Verstappen.
35/70 A yellow flag, as Yuki Tsunoda takes a spin and drops to last place. He’s back of a race where nobody, at halfway, has dropped out.
40/70 Leclerc comes into the pits, goes on to the hard tyres. Russell comes into change and goes into his mediums. Sainz leads from Hamilton, Leclerc is third, on the hards. Intriguing choice. Perez is fourth, but soon to give way to Verstappen.
Verstappen takes the lead after Hamilton pits
52/70 Leclerc holds off the Mercedes into turn two, and they stay close, Russell being held off by defensive moves. Hamilton pits, and drops into fifth, and Verstappen is now in the lead.
56/70 Russell is almost nine seconds behind Verstappen, and the big race is now Hamilton coming in for Sainz to take third. The warning is of a brief and light shower.
59/70 Spots of rain on the cameras, as Hamilton gets closer and closer to Sainz. Once he gets there. Russell will likely step aside, as he is on a different strategy.
Hamilton overtakes Sainz for third!
62/70 The Mercedes shows the greater grip, and has half the straight left by the time he whips past.
Hamilton overtakes Russell to take second!
65/70 Hamilton gets past at turn one, and now Verstappen is in his sights. The gap is 11 seconds. Can it be bridged?
69/70 That virtual safety car has rather drawn a veil over the racing. A full safety car might have seen something of a reversal of the Abu Dhabi situation. The green flag waves, and there’s a couple laps in the wet to come.
Max Verstappen wins the Hungarian Grand Prix!
The gap starts to narrow, but the Red Bull comes home in the rain. The world champion can ease it home, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, and with George Russell making it another Mercedes 2-3. Sainz comes in fourth, Perez fifth, and Leclerc, painfully in sixth. Norris was seventh, Alonso eighth, Ocon ninth and Vettel, the old man, in tenth.
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