F1 2016: Hamilton Takes the Championship Lead With Hungarian GP Victory
Sameer Contractor
1 min read
Jul 25, 2016, 02:38 AM
Claiming his fifth victory this season, Mercedes-AMG driver Lewis Hamilton secured the number one position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, also taking the lead in championship standings surpassing teammate Nico Rosberg (+1.977s). While Rosberg started at the pole, the race was pretty much decided at turn one when Hamilton passed the German driver and went on to lead the race for the remainder of the 69 laps. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo finished a well-deserved yet distant third (+27.539s), fending off competition from the very aggressive Sebastian Vettel (+28.213s).
After claiming a podium at the British GP, Max Verstappen (+48.659) had to settle for fifth as both Red Bull cars were simply no match for the Mercedes W07s. Verstappen though managed to maintain his pace despite continued efforts from Kimi Raikkonen (+49.044) to overtake the Red Bull driver after the latter had the initial lead in the battle for the fifth place. Finishing seventh was Fernando Alonso (+1 lap), securing this season's best weekend, ahead of Carlo Seinz (+1 lap) of Torro Rosso. Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Nico Hulkenberg of Sahara Force India finished ninth and tenth respectively with teammate Sergio Perez (+1 lap) finishing 11th.
Most drivers opted for the two pitstop strategy running on softs and then supersofts with the sun shining brightly throughout the 70 laps, even though the qualifying sessions were more of a slush fest. Hamilton maintained his pace for most of the race with the gap extending to 4 seconds. The battle however, turned for the fifth place after Raikkonen tried to take the inside line and ended up damaging his front wing after making contact with Verstappen's Red Bull. Nevertheless, the Dutch driver maintained his lead.
The Hungary GP saw only one retirement occur, that of Jenson Button, who faced a stuck pedal as his car lost hydraulic pressure and was asked not to shift. The McLaren driver soon pitted but was put under investigation for breaching radio communication rules. He was handed a drive-through penalty later. Kvyat was also put under investigation for speeding in the pitlane and received a 5-second penalty.
It was Hamilton's fifth win at the Hungaroring, making him the most successful driver on the circuit beating Michael Schumacher's record. The Brit lad now stands on the top with a six-point advantage over Rosberg. With the half races for the season complete, the German GP is up next, which is Rosberg's home ground and will give the driver an opportunity for redemption. Things are certainly going to be more aggressive from here.
After claiming a podium at the British GP, Max Verstappen (+48.659) had to settle for fifth as both Red Bull cars were simply no match for the Mercedes W07s. Verstappen though managed to maintain his pace despite continued efforts from Kimi Raikkonen (+49.044) to overtake the Red Bull driver after the latter had the initial lead in the battle for the fifth place. Finishing seventh was Fernando Alonso (+1 lap), securing this season's best weekend, ahead of Carlo Seinz (+1 lap) of Torro Rosso. Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Nico Hulkenberg of Sahara Force India finished ninth and tenth respectively with teammate Sergio Perez (+1 lap) finishing 11th.
Lewis Hamilton at Hungary GP
The Hungary GP saw only one retirement occur, that of Jenson Button, who faced a stuck pedal as his car lost hydraulic pressure and was asked not to shift. The McLaren driver soon pitted but was put under investigation for breaching radio communication rules. He was handed a drive-through penalty later. Kvyat was also put under investigation for speeding in the pitlane and received a 5-second penalty.
Hungarian GP marks the half past marker for this F1 season
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