Valtteri came home in P3 today with Lewis finishing in P4. Lewis (188 points) remains P2 in the Drivers' Championship,14 points off Sebastian Vettel (202 points). Valtteri (169 points) is a further 19 points back in P3.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport (357 points) leads the Constructors' Championship by 39 points from Ferrari (318 points) in P2.
Toto Wolff: Today was a tough day for the team but one that showed the values that we hold high. First of all, we cannot ultimately be satisfied with third and fourth places; we managed to limit the damage to Ferrari, and were fortunate that Red Bull accounted for themselves on the opening lap. So it's positive that we didn't lose too many points on a circuit where Ferrari had the upper hand. But it was also a great day for the team because we saw our ethos played out for everybody to see with great respect between Lewis and Valtteri. First, for Valtteri to let his team-mate past to put the pressure on Ferrari and try to challenge Kimi; second, for Lewis to sportingly give the place back in the final corner without losing any position to Verstappen. These are the values that helped us win six championships and, in the long term, it is the approach that will win us many more titles - even though it was a tough call to make and it's not a great feeling afterwards. But we stick to our principles and our word. The race was made more challenging by problems in the garage that cost us radio comms with the cars at points during the race and also affected the data we had in the garage. That particularly affected our communication with Lewis and perhaps had an impact on the outcome today, as we could have played our strategy differently if the comms had been working properly. But now we have the time to take a step back, recharge the batteries and come back with renewed energy in the second part of the season. There is still everything to play for and both championships are wide open.
James Allison: We would have preferred to head into the summer break on the back of a result like the one we enjoyed in Silverstone, but in its own way this was a race that demonstrated many of the truly great things about this team. For the drivers to treat each other with such a degree of respect, that they both could have a go at attacking the Ferraris but then reverse the positions under intense pressure, was both extremely challenging and required a great deal of trust. To do it in such a professional manner, with the looming threat of Verstappen running right behind Valtteri, was a great thing. After a well-earned summer break, we will look forward to resuming the fight in this intense and intriguing championship, and all our focus will be on ensuring that, come the end of the season, the Mercedes flags are flying high.
Christian Horner, Team Principal: "A very frustrating day for us. After both cars made good starts, Max ran wide at Turn 1 which allowed Daniel to get past on the run to Turn 2 and unfortunately Max made a mistake under braking, locked up and hit the side of Daniel's car causing sufficient damage for him to have to retire on the spot. Not only did it eradicate one car but it also landed Max with a 10 second penalty for the contact. It was particularly frustrating today because it was clear we had a very competitive race car despite the time penalty that he had to serve. His pace during the race was certainly capable of being on the podium today and gave nothing away to our competitors. It was pleasing to see Max put his hand up and immediately apologise to Daniel and to the team and we all move on from that."
Maurizio Arrivabene: A great race and a result obtained in far from easy circumstances. Once again it demonstrated the strength of character at Ferrari. Congratulations to the guys here and back in Maranello, working together in what is the mark of a great team. Seb drove a magnificent race, managing to keep the lead despite the problem with the steering wheel. He was helped by a great performance from Kimi who demonstrated, not only that he is a champion, but also that he is a true team-player. Next week, here in Hungary, prior to the FIA mandatory shutdown, we continue our development work, in preparation for the Grands Prix in Spa and Monza.
Sahara Force India scored six points in today's Hungarian Grand Prix with Sergio Perez racing to eighth place ahead of Esteban Ocon in ninth.
Robert Fernley: "A competitive Sunday with both cars scoring important points. It edges us over the 100 points mark, which is a good way to head into the summer break. We knew we had solid race pace and we made the most of an aggressive first lap, which brought both Sergio and Esteban up into the top ten. From there it was a routine afternoon with both cars executing one-stop strategies. It's a satisfying outcome because we knew our race pace was better than our qualifying times. It means we've scored points in ten of the eleven races so far this year and had double points finishes in nine of those races. It's a credit to the team for the excellent job everybody has done in the first half of the year."
Lance Stroll finished 14th whilst Paul di Resta was forced to retire from the Hungarian Grand Prix. Both drivers avoided incidents in the opening turns and gained two places each on the first lap, to P15 and P17 respectively, before the safety car was deployed.
Lance ran P15 for the duration, making the fastest pitstop of the race (2.3 seconds) on lap 29, before Hulkenberg retired, promoting Lance to P14. Paul was forced to retire from P18 on lap 60 due to an oil leak.
Felipe and Lance remain 11th and 12th respectively in the Drivers' Championship, while Paul did not score points. The team remains fifth in the Constructors' Championship with 41 points.
Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer: It was a very long afternoon to bring away very little, unfortunately. Paul, considering the circumstances, drove a great race with good consistency and stayed out of trouble. But unfortunately what appears to be an oil leak developed, as we were seeing an escalation in oil consumption so we decided to retire the car before the engine was in danger of losing oil pressure. So it's a great shame for Paul, considering his fantastic response to our urgent need yesterday. We're sorry not to give him a car that could get him to the finish. On Lance's side, he kept up with the pace the car was capable of, but we were just not quick enough today to really compete in this race. We have the summer break to refresh and come back positively at Spa. Of course, we all wish Felipe the best with his recovery to good health for the next race.
McLaren Honda recorded its most competitive outing of the season so far to score nine world championship points in this afternoon's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso drove a sensational race to finish sixth; it was a performance that included a committed overtaking move around the outside of Carlos Sainz at Turn Two, and a crackling second stint on the Prime tyre, which concluded with him setting the overall fastest lap of the race, on lap 69.
Stoffel Vandoorne earned his best finishing position of the year, in 10th spot. He was briefly held up by a first-lap melee behind Daniel Ricciardo, but recovered quickly to run inside the top 10. Towards the end of the race, he battled for ninth with Force India's Esteban Ocon, crossing the line just 0.6s behind the Frenchman.
Eric Boullier: "Today was a timely reminder that, despite a difficult season so far, at our heart we remain a passionate racing team. To score nine points and set the fastest lap of the race shows that, as soon as an opportunity presents itself, we are ready to take advantage of it.
"What can you say about Fernando's drive today, except that it was utterly sensational. He was absolutely charging out there - and, once he'd made his pit-stop and switched to the Prime tyre, he was really able to control his pace until the end.
"His pass around the outside of Carlos [Sainz] was brilliant - he knew he had to make a move stick while on fresh rubber, and he did just that. From there, he just drove away, and set a number of quick-laps before finally setting the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap. He showed today just what makes him so special.
"Stoffel also drove a very strong race. He didn't get a break at the start, as Ricciardo slowed right in front of him, but he drove strongly all the way to the finish. He'll be pleased to have scored a point just ahead of his home race; this is the reward for a lot of dedicated hard work and effort from both him and the team.
"As we prepare for the summer break, and the second half of the season, this result will send us away with added sense of purpose and determination."
Yusuke Hasegawa: "Today was a good day at the office for the McLaren Honda team. A double-points finish is definitely a positive step forward for us.
"After yesterday's encouraging result in qualifying, we knew we had a package capable of scoring some points. Both Fernando and Stoffel drove brilliantly, keeping their concentration in hot and tough conditions, and pushed throughout to bring home nine precious points.
"Today's result is the sum of a lot of hard work and daily efforts made by the team members, and I want to thank them all for this.
"Although we are now able to head into the summer break with good momentum, we are not satisfied with the overall results of the first half of the season. We will continue to push our development for improvement, and hope to have a good start of the second half in Spa- Francorchamps."
Franz Tost (Team Principal): "Carlos had a great start to today's race and was racing in P6 by the end of the first lap. He defended this position against attacks from Alonso in a very good and professional way. He then came in for a pit-stop, which I have to say was a fantastic one - we did it in around 2.0 seconds, it was very fast! Therefore we stayed in front of Alonso, even though later on he was able to overtake Carlos - his car was simply faster today. Carlos brought the car home in seventh place and I think this was the maximum he could get out of the package today. Regarding Daniil, he was in a very difficult situation, starting from P16 after the three-place grid penalty he was given yesterday. He started on the soft tyres and gained two positions straight after the start. Our calculations made us leave him out as long as possible on those tyres while the other cars, racing on supersofts, were coming in to pit. This allowed Daniil to race in free air, even though he did find traffic at times - especially at the end with Magnussen, who was on the supersoft and it was therefore difficult to overtake him. In the end Daniil finished in eleventh position, which was the best possible result for him today. The team did a very good job over the weekend. We improved the performance of the car from Friday to Sunday and to finish in the points here is a very good result to go into the summer break with. We will certainly push again next time out in Spa-Francochamps!"
The outcome of the Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday at the Hungaroring in Budapest was seemingly decided on the first corner of the first lap of the 70-lap contest. For Haas F1 Team drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean, that meant finishes of 13th and 19th, respectively, in the 11th round of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship.
The tight and twisty Hungaroring puts passing at a premium, with the best opportunity to overtake coming at the first corner of the first lap around the 4.381-kilometer (2.722-mile), 14-turn circuit. This also increases the chance for contact, as all 20 drivers attempt to seize a full race worth of opportunity in one turn.
Both Haas F1 Team drivers actually moved up a position before the race even began. When 13th-place qualifier Daniil Kvyat was issued a three-spot grid penalty for impeding during the first round of qualifying on Saturday, it allowed Grosjean and Magnussen to leapfrog the Toro Rosso driver.
Magnussen started 15th and picked up two spots at the start - one by getting past his teammate and another thanks to the retirement of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull.
Magnussen ran a one-stop strategy where he pitted on lap 31, swapping the Pirelli P Zero Red supersoft tires he started the race with for a new set of Yellow softs that carried him to the finish. He picked up two spots to rise to 11th by overtaking both Renaults of Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer when they pitted on laps 45 and 46, respectively. But while racing Hulkenberg late in the race, Magnussen pushed wide at turn two as Hulkenberg was on his outside. The move sent Hulkenberg onto the grass and netted Magnussen a five-second time penalty, which dropped him back to 13th at the conclusion of the race.
Magnussen was able to get by Grosjean at the start when his teammate banged wheels with Hulkenberg in turn one, sending Grosjean's Haas VF-17 wide and dropping him to 16th after starting 14th. This, however, would seem minor when a series of unfortunate events 19 laps later would ultimately bring Grosjean's race to an early end.
An unscheduled pit stop on lap 20 for a left-front tire puncture led to a cross-threaded left-rear wheel nut. With the left-rear wheel not completely secure, Grosjean was forced to stop the car on the track. His Haas VF-17 was pushed behind the barrier while officials delivered Grosjean back to the paddock.
Delivering the win was Scuderia Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. The four-time Formula One champion won the Hungarian Grand Prix from the pole, leading all 70 laps to secure his 46th career Formula One victory, his fourth of the season and his second at the Hungaroring. The triumph also gave Vettel some breathing room in the championship. Vettel came into Hungary with only a one-point lead over his nearest pursuer, Lewis Hamilton, but leaves with a 14-point advantage.
Eleven rounds into the 20-race Formula One schedule, Haas F1 Team remains seventh in the constructors standings with 29 points, three points ahead of eighth-place Renault and 10 points behind sixth-place Toro Rosso. Grosjean and Magnussen stayed 13th and 14th, respectively, in the championship driver standings. Grosjean has 18 points and Magnussen has 11 points.
Nine races remain on the 2017 Formula One schedule, with the next event coming in four weeks with the Belgian Grand Prix Aug. 25-27 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Guenther Steiner: "A tough Sunday to end a tough weekend to end the first half of the season. For the race, I want to see the positives first. Kevin fought hard and Romain, well there was a mistake on the tire change. The guys who change the tires are under a lot of pressure. It was the right place to happen. Romain wasn't happy with his car anyway. He was 15th, so there was nothing to be gained. If it's to happen somewhere, it should happen here. Kevin drove a fantastic race. He defended and got penalized. I don't fully agree with the penalty. It was very similar to what the same guy (Hulkenberg) did at turn one to our other car. In the end, it is what it is. We would've been 11th, which wouldn't have been in the points anyway. It happened. We need to get over it. It was a tough weekend. Now we go on a bit of a vacation and we come back again and get some points."
Fortunes didn't favour Renault Sport Formula One Team in a fast-paced and hot Hungarian Grand Prix with Jolyon Palmer finishing twelfth and Nico Hulkenberg returning to the pits three-laps shy from the chequered flag, following contact with Kevin Magnussen. Nico was classified seventeenth at the finish.
Nico started the race from P12 on his qualifying Supersoft (red) Pirelli tyres, pitting from P6 to change to a set of new Soft (yellow) tyres on lap 45. His pit stop was slow due to a recalcitrant wheel gun. Contact late in the race from a subsequently penalised Kevin Magnussen pushed Nico off track and he subsequently retired due to issues with his brakes and gearbox.
Jolyon started the race from P10 on a new set of Supersoft tyres. After running as high as P8, he pitted from P11 on lap 46 for a new set of Soft tyres.
Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director: "It's a disappointing result on Sunday from what could have been a very strong weekend for us. Our starts weren't good enough with either car to move up the order, especially for Nico to recover from the gearbox penalty. Subsequently, we were caught in quite a procession as it is difficult to pass here. It was clear that Nico had more pace than Jolyon in the early stages, so they swapped position. Unfortunately, Nico was subsequently delayed with a wheel gun issue on his stop and this dealt his chances of points a fatal blow. His race then came to a premature end after being pushed off track by Magnussen, which caused a number of issues on the car. Jo had a solid race however the pace wasn't strong enough for points. Despite the disappointment today, we have taken a clear step forward with the car, as shown in qualifying and in clean air, so we are eager to put this into play in Spa."
It was a difficult Hungarian Grand Prix for the Sauber F1 Team, finishing the race in P15 (Pascal Wehrlein) and P16 (Marcus Ericsson). Directly after the Grand Prix, the second in-season test will take place at the Hungaroring on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Gustav Malja (day 1) and Nobuharu Matsushita (day 2) in the cockpit of the Sauber C36-Ferrari. The team will then head into the summer break, along with all the other teams, for the annual factory shutdown from the 5th until the 20th of August.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: "It was a tough race for us. During the safety car period, Marcus came in for an early pit stop due to a flat spot. Pascal then also had to pit due to a slow puncture. We then decided to put our drivers on different strategies. Overall, our pace is just not good enough to fight our direct competitors. We know that it will be difficult for the forthcoming races, but we need to stay focused and motivated for the second half of the season."
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel led home a Ferrari one-two at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Pirelli as title sponsor, with nearly all the drivers adopting a one-stop supersoft-soft strategy.
Track temperatures were again in excess of 50 degrees centigrade, but tyre wear and degradation was contained in the first stint and further reduced by a four-lap safety car period shortly after the start, helping push competitors towards a one-stop strategy.
All the drivers started on the supersoft tyre, just under a second faster than the soft, with the exception of Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat and Williams reserve driver Paul Di Resta, who were the only ones to select the soft on the grid. The fastest lap, set by McLaren's Fernando Alonso, was nearly three seconds faster than last year.
The Formula 1 teams will now remain in Budapest for the second in-season test of the year, during which they will run young drivers as well. Within this test, Mercedes will dedicate one day to a blind test of Pirelli's 2018 tyre development programme.
Mario Isola: "A great performance from Ferrari with perfect tyre management in the hot conditions from all the frontrunners. In the end, because of the early safety car and also the difficulty of overtaking, nearly all the drivers opted for one stop. Before everyone heads off for the summer break, we now have the second in-season test of the year, including one day of dedicated 2018 tyre testing with Mercedes on Tuesday."
Truthometer
As we expected, most drivers opted for a one-stop strategy to avoid traffic, rather than risking the theoretically quicker two-stopper for only a small gain. Vettel made his stop from supersoft to soft on lap 32, while the Saubers were the only cars to stop twice.
