© Getty ImagesTop Five Moments From HungaroringA look back at the Hungarian Grand Prix
Whatawaytogointothesummerbreak,withtheTeamextendingitsleadintheConstructors’ChampionshipandMaxpullingfurtherawayfromhisrivalsintheDrivers’Championship.
There was plenty to talk about, but here are our top five moments from the Hungarian Grand Prix…
TheStrategyTeamStrikeAgain
The original plan was for Max to start on the hard tyres, but due to the ambient temperatures a call was made for the Dutchman to start on the soft tyres. This was a brave decision, but one that paid off in style. It gave Max a flying start and he’d climbed his way up to P5, before he came in at the end of lap 16 for his first set of mediums.
He was then sitting in P4 before attempting the undercut for his second set of the yellow-walled tyres. This worked a treat and as others pitted in front of him, he was able to take the lead on lap 51, where he stayed until the chequered flag.
Everyone Say "Thank You, Hannah"© Getty Images
On lap 42 Max could see he was going to be able to get in front of Charles Leclerc, who was the net leader at the time. He swept past the Ferrari driver and looked to have it all under control, but on the same lap, as Max exited the penultimate corner, he had an uncharacteristic spin. He spun a full 360 degrees and stopped just to see Leclerc power past him. Luckily for the Bull, he stayed on track and didn’t damage his tyres. Once back on the throttle, Max was able to get back in the groove and pass the Ferrari driver who was struggling to get heat into his hard tyres. From there on it was the standard ice-cool Max who just waited for Hamilton and Sainz to pit so he could take the lead of the race.
The RB18 Gave Us A Twirl On The Catwalk© Getty Images
After a tricky qualifying session, both Max and Checo knew they would have to fight for a good point haul. The pair made an awesome start and were up to P8 and P9 in no time at all. By the fourth lap both Max and Checo were on the tails of the Alpine drivers and within another four laps both the Bulls were in front. To take the win Max moved up nine positions in the race, and Checo moved up six to P5. There was podium potential for Checo in the dying laps of the race, but when the VSC came out on lap 68, the Mexican had to settle for P5, still a fantastic drive.
We Never Get Tired Of Seeing Dou-bull© Getty Images
The Oracle Red Bull Racing pit crew were firing on all cylinders at the Hungarian Grand Prix. When Max came in on lap 16 to swap out his soft tyres for a set of mediums, he was in the box for just 2.33 seconds – pretty impressive we all can agree. However, when Checo pulled into the box at the end of the 42nd lap he was stationary for just 2.19 seconds. Those two times saw the Team set two of the three fastest pit times of the race. Checo’s was the quickest of the race (and season so far), and Max’s was third, they were split by a McLaren stop.
The Pit Bulls Performed The Quickest Stop Of The Season So Far© Getty Images
Not many people were expecting a hatful of points from Sunday’s race. But the Team and drivers were poetry in motion and able to claim a fantastic haul of points. With nine races remaining, the Team is 97 points clear at the top of the Constructors’ Championship with 431 points. Max is leading the race from Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings by 80 points with a total of 231. And Checo goes into the summer break just three points behind Leclerc in third. On this run of form, it’s a shame there’s not race for three weeks!
The Sooner We Hit The Chequered Flag, The Sooner We Get Into Summer Break© Getty Images
