Hungarian Grand Prix 2021, F1 live: Hamilton last after pit stop blunder as Ocon leads after chaotic start
Ocon #Ocon
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02:44 PM Lap 52 of 70 – Hamilton five seconds behind Alonso
Will have much fresher and quicker tyres by the time he gets to the back of him but that doesn’t mean Alonso won’t fight it…
02:43 PM Lap 51 of 70 – Top 10 and gaps
Verstappen in 11th and not too far away from being lapped.
02:42 PM Lap 50 of 70 – Hamilton asks how many cars he has to overtake for the win
Hamilton has Toto Wolff in his ear. “Lewis you can win this,” he says calmly. Hamilton’s last lap was 3.5sec quicker than Ocon’s…
That is a big pace advantage. But it won’t last for the next 20 laps. But does he have enough?
02:40 PM Lap 49 of 70 – Vettel nearly takes the lead!
Raikkonen, being lapped, gets in the way and Vettel nearly pounces at turn one!
That was close… Tsunoda is given the order to let Gasly through for sixth.
02:39 PM Lap 48 of 70 – 23 laps to go
Hamilton has 26 seconds to make up in that time. It’s definitely doable. Definitely. He has Alonso 15 seconds up the road and Sainz another four seconds ahead of him. Vettel is four seconds ahead of him.
02:38 PM Lap 47 of 70 – Ocon’s lead now less than a second
Can’t imagine the pressure he’s facing. Never won a race before, only one podium.
Hamilton pits! He’s onto the mediums. Where does he come out? Behind Alonso and in fifth.
Here we go…
02:36 PM Lap 46 of 70 – Full order
Six cars retired.
02:35 PM Lap 45 of 70 – He says his tyres have a second wind
What a surprise…
His lock up at turn one won’t help things but it was not an enormous one. Sainz has tyres fresher by 13 laps, which equalises things a little. The Ferrari has generally been a good race car in the last couple of months.
Ocon leads Vettel by 1.1s.
02:34 PM Lap 44 of 70 – Williams have both drivers in the points
Surely they will score at least one point today…
Surely…
Who does Hamilton have ahead of him? Sainz, Vettel and ocon.
Alonso still lapping very well. Catching Hamilton by at least a few tenths a lap.
02:31 PM Lap 42 of 70 – Alonso with the fastest lap
Vettel locks up into turn one and loses a few tenths. Hamilton’s pace is similar to that of the leaders, and is 1.3s behind Carlos Sainz. Not sure the Ferrari will be that easy to pass.
“Rears are —-,” Hamilton says. Sure, sure.
02:29 PM Lap 41 of 71 – It’s still very close at the front
Just a second in it now. Vettel started to drop back towards the end of the first stint. Everyone on the hard tyres now. Not sure they will all end the race on them.
Hamilton is only eight seconds off the lead but has tyres that are 18 or so laps older than the leaders Ocon and Vettel.
Verstappen stops again for a set of medium tyres. Absolute disaster for him today. Looking like he’s going to surrender the lead of the championship today, sadly. Through no fault of his own.
02:27 PM Lap 40 of 70 – Alonso now in from the lead
It was nice while it lasted.
Verstappen in 11th and probably relying on retirements to score any points.
02:25 PM Lap 38 of 70 – Ocon is fairly sedate into the pit box
But you don’t want to miss your marks. Alonso goes into the lead but can Ocon keep Vettel behind?
It’s going to be close but there’s only metres in it… the Alpine stays ahead but Vettel, with hotter tyres, gets close into turn four but doesn’t try a move… oh man. My heart-rate is rising.
Without the slow stop Vettel would have been ahead!
02:23 PM Lap 37 of 70 – Vettel stops from second!
It’s a slow stop. Slow-ish anyway. 3.3 seconds. Not a disaster but perhaps that rules out the undercut. Vettel now in third, behind Alonso – it’s now an Alpine one-two – but ahead of Sainz and Hamilton.
What do Alpine do with Ocon now? In, in, in, surely?
Yep, in he comes…
02:21 PM Lap 36 of 70 – Full order
How are we only just over half way?
02:20 PM Lap 35 of 70 – Schumacher falling back now
Ricciardo gets him first at turn one and two and then Verstappen at turn three.
Hamilton told he’s fighting for a podium. Sainz has pitted and is 1.9s ahead of Hamilton, but Sainz has tyres fresher by 13 laps. Do Mercedes need to pull the trigger again?
02:19 PM Lap 34 of 70 – Russell puts on a bold move on Schumacher
Around the outside at turn two and up the inside of turn four! He’s into ninth now. Mick has defended excellently and fairly today. Aggressive, though.
Ocon leads Vettel by 2.4s now.
02:18 PM Lap 33 of 70 – Ferrari get ready for Sainz
He was vulnerable to Hamilton, who is lapping back again in the 1:21s.
Hamilton gets Tsunoda around the outside of the quick right-hander before the hairpin. He’s up into fifth now.
02:15 PM Lap 31 of 70 – Gasly pits
That puts Hamilton up into sixth, Tsunoda still ahead.
02:15 PM Lap 30 of 70 – Ocon leads Vettel by two seconds
First time it’s been that large for a while. I think most of these guys who have yet to stop will be going straight onto the hards and one-stopping. Hamilton looks a likely two-stopper. The pace of the leaders not quite as good as Sainz and Alonso behind. A few tenths in it.
“The sky is getting black,” Alonso says. “Nothing on the radar at the moment,” he is told.
Hamilton now within DRS range of Tsunoda. How does this end? Tsunoda has three laps fresher tyres but it shouldn’t really be any competition. But whatever he can do will help his parent company.
He can’t get past with DRS this time.
02:11 PM Lap 28 of 70 – Hamilton has Tsunoda ahead
“Are we on lap 43 already?” Hamilton asks. “That’s laps remaining, Lewis,” comes the reply.
02:10 PM Lap 27 of 70 – Hamilton up to seventh
Easily through Latifi with DRS on the pit straight.
Ocon leads Vettel still by 1.6s. Still in the 1:22 and 1:23s. Vettel would come out behind Alonso were he to stop now, who would probably lend a hand to his team by getting in the German’s way. So a tricky decision for Aston Martin here.
02:09 PM Lap 26 of 70 – Hamilton sets a new fastest lap
He was in clear air, actually. Not any more. Latifi is less than a second up the road in seventh. Verstappen behind Ricciardo and in 12th and struggling to make up any time. As I said earlier, a good result for Red Bull here is just having Hamilton only score, say, 10 or 12 points and not 18 or 25.
02:07 PM Lap 25 of 70 – Full order
OUT: MAZ, NOR, PER, STR, LEC, BOT
02:06 PM Lap 24 of 70 – Hamilton does get past Schumacher
And moves into eighth. He has the Williams of Latifi up ahead next. The gap is about five seconds. Now Hamilton is in traffic he will struggle to continue to do the 1:21s he was doing in clean air. Latifi and Tsunoda, who are his next targets, have both stopped.
02:04 PM Lap 23 of 70 – Will Alpine or Aston Martin pit first?
They are both in the fight for the race win here, no doubt. Hamilton is flying and has closed up back onto Mick Schumacher again. He should get past him very easily on the pit straight if he’s patient. No need not to be.
Latifi pits from third. That has opened up the pit chances for the top two.
02:03 PM Lap 22 of 70 – Hamilton sets the fastest lap
Two seconds quicker than Ocon and Vettel, in first and second. Russell pits from 7th.
Sainz is told to box but he says he has pace and wants to run long. Is that a mistake? It could be. I don’t think his pace is all that.
02:01 PM Lap 21 of 70 – Hamilton undercuts Verstappen…
…and overtakes Ricciardo as both the Red Bull and McLaren come out of the pits…
That’s not what Red Bull wanted but I don’t think they had any real chance of beating Hamilton today with the Red Bull in the state it is.
02:00 PM Lap 20 of 70 – Hamilton goes onto the hards but comes out 12th
Still ahead of both Alfa Romeo cars who have served various penalties. Verstappen has to respond. I have no idea where this race is going now…
The hard tyre can do 50 laps. Whether it should and has sufficient pace to do so is another matter.
01:59 PM Lap 19 of 70 – Top 10
Hamilton 11th, 0.9s behind Gasly, but he comes into the pits…
01:57 PM Lap 18 of 70 – Hamilton on the blower to his team as well
“I don’t know what to say goes. I just can’t get close to people.”
Vettel moves into DRS range of leader Ocon. Gasly is lapping quicker than the leaders, too. This race is going to get even more interesting strategically.
01:55 PM Lap 17 of 70 – Hamilton complaining about low grip
He has just set the fastest lap, having just overtaken Schumacher. Gasly next up, Verstappen has gotten ahead of him somehow. Hamilton now lapping quicker than the leaders for the first time this race. Still 30 seconds behind, though.
01:54 PM Lap 16 of 70 – Full order
Raikkonen pits and takes a 10 second time penalty for the unsafe release. And it’s a slow stop as well.
01:53 PM Lap 15 of 70 – Ocon leads Vettel by 1.3
Latifi still in third and 1.7s ahead of Tsunoda in fourth.
Hamilton now has Mick Schumacher ahead of him and then next up the road is… Max Verstappen.
01:52 PM Lap 14 of 70 – Verstappen and Schumacher touch wheels!
It’s a move that started on the pit straight. He tried around the outside of turn one, ran off the track, then carried on around the outside and then the inside of turn three and four. On the straight heading into turn the next turn they touched as Verstappen get a much better exit.
Hamilton locks up and runs wide at the hairpin and loses even more time. He’s now nearly 30 seconds behind leader Ocon.
01:50 PM Lap 13 of 70 – Vettel drops back a little
1.3s the gap to leader Ocon. Yes, leader Ocon.
Verstappen still not into the points. Mick Schumacher really struggling here. I think a good result for Red Bull today would be Hamilton not finishing in the top four…
01:49 PM Lap 12 of 70 – Vettel nearly within a second of Ocon
The track is obviously, very clearly, bone dry now. Slick tyre strategy the key now.
Verstappen still not ahead of Mick Schumacher. Gasly in 12th is holding up Mick Schumacher. Hamilton’s brake temperatures are going through the roof.
Don’t think he can get too smart with Gasly, who will fight for his life for 12th.
01:47 PM Lap 11 of 70 – Top 12 and gaps
01:46 PM Lap 10 of 70 – Hamilton clears Giovinazzi
He’s now in 13th but 22 seconds behind leader Ocon. Verstappen is struggling to try and get through Mick Schumacher.
It’s a 10-second stop/go penalty for Giovinazzi for speeding in the pit lane. Raikkonen will almost certainly get a penalty for an unsafe release.
01:45 PM Lap 9 of 70 – Vettel is closing in on Ocon
Not incredibly quickly, but he made a tenth on the Alpine the last time around. Hamilton has a look at Giovinazzi but can’t find a route through.
“If you need to compromise my race to help Nicki, do it,” George Russell says.
01:43 PM Lap 8 of 70 – And breathe…
Hamilton is still 14th but is within DRS range of Latifi.
“I can’t even get close, guys,” he says. It’s hard to overtake here but he’s already 20 seconds behind ocon and lapping over a second a lap slower.
01:41 PM Lap 7 of 70 – Ocon leads Vettel by 1.5s
Latifi in third is six seconds behind the Aston Martin of Vettel.
01:41 PM This was a bizarre sight… 01:40 PM Lap 6 of 70 – Mazepin is out because Raikkonen was released into his path in the pit lane
Absolute nonsense and dangerous.
“Come on guys, get on it for the rest of the race,” Hamilton says. He’s told he can still win it. That he can.
01:39 PM Lap 5 of 70 – That has to be one of the worst decisions in the history of F1
Russell was told to give the places back as he overtook them in the pit lane. Fair enough…
Here’s the order.
Mazepin is out, somehow.
01:38 PM Lap 4 of 70 – Russell is dropping back!
What’s the problem here? What bad luck…
Hamilton pits, but where is he going to be coming out?
At the very back…
Verstappen is even ahead…
Ocon leads Vettel and Latifi!
01:37 PM RACE RESTARTS
Lewis Hamilton is the only driver who stays out so he keeps the lead…
Now the rest of the drivers come out but they are already not far behind. George Russell is in second already! Then it’s Latifi!
Have Mercedes made a mistake here? Hamilton is going to drop right back here. Russell is only five seconds behind already!
What have Mercedes done here? This is ridiculous. Why didn’t they bring him in for slicks?!
01:36 PM It will be a standing start
And, if I were Verstappen. Or any of the drivers, I’d come in at the end of the formation lap.
I think that is what may happen…
Does Hamilton come in? Nope. Ocon in second does…
Who else? Sainz? Verstappen absolutely has to twist here. And he does. Looks like Hamilton is the only driver out there on the grid!
This is incredible!
01:34 PM Second formation lap begins
“It’s definitely going to be drying quick,” Hamilton says. Think this could all get quite straightforward for him now. Not that he would have made a mess of it in the rain.
Looking at it now, I think slicks is the right call straight away. Sun is out and will dry the track very quickly. Not to mention the 16 F1 cars going around it.
01:31 PM They haven’t managed to put on a new bardgeboard onto the Red Bull
I wonder what he tries to do here… has to try and salvage something but his car will be losing a lot of time if it dries out. Not dry enough yet, though, I’d say.
01:30 PM This will be the first time that Lando Norris has not scored points in 2021
“Just annoyed, I guess. Lap one, I don’t know why that has to happen. Nothing I could do,” he tells Sky Sports F1.
01:25 PM Bottas’s gutter ball… 01:24 PM This is what Verstappen’s car looked like before they started the repairs
The sun is coming out now… and I think it has stopped raining. Verstappen down in 13th at the moment. Wonder if it will be a standing restart. I would presume not.
01:21 PM Race will restart at approx 1432 UK time
Lando Norris has been retired from the race, the damage is too severe to continue.
We’ve had more rain falling in the time they have been sitting stationary under the red flag. Wonder if anyone might start on the full wet tyres…
01:20 PM A few more images from that first lap
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland, left, and Red Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico crash during the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix at the Hungaroring racetrack in Mogyorod, Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021 – AP/Darko Bandic
© AP/Darko Bandic 01:17 PM An unsafe release from McLaren
Should be a penalty for an unsafe release. If he can keep going – his floor is pretty badly damaged.
Red Bull, meanwhile, have an awful lot of work to do on Verstappen’s car. Not sure how long this delay will last but Red Bull will hope that it’s as long as it can possibly be.
01:13 PM Norris’s front wing…
He’s down in 15th…
That was pretty amateurish driving from Bottas, to be honest. Just braked so, so, so late. Stroll went into the side of Leclerc at the first turn, going right across the kerb and spearing into the Ferrari. So that’s why those two are out…
01:10 PM This was like wacky races…
It’s all worked out very well for Hamilton…
01:09 PM Lap 2 of 70 – RED FLAG
Here’s the order…Ocon second! Vettel third.
OUT: PER, STR, LEC, BOT
01:08 PM Lap 2 of 70 – Verstappen pits…
But as he exits he has some bodywork coming off his car, which is left on the pit lane exit. It was a whole bargeboard!
“There’s so much debris,” Hamilton says.
Pérez has pulled up at the side of the track.
RED FLAG
That’s good news for Verstappen. They can repair the car.
01:07 PM Lap 1 of 70 – This is bad for Verstappen
It was all Bottas’s fault. He brakes too late, goes into the back of Lando Norris, who then goes into Verstappen… and then Bottas goes into Pérez… My word.
I am not sure Verstappen can continue with this damage.
01:06 PM THE 2020 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO
It’s a fine start for Hamilton but a terrible one for Valtteri Bottas… he drops right back.
Verstappen up into second, Pérez third…
But it’s even worse one for Verstappen as Lando Norris can’t slow his McLaren down enough and spears into him at the first turn and i will be surprised if he can carry on. So much damage…
Bottas is out already somewhere…
Here’s the safety car. Leclerc out as well. Not sure what happened there…
01:03 PM It’s raining a bit heavier now
They start to form up on the grid. This could be brilliant. And chaotic. I can see a few chancing their arm one way or another…
Giovinazzi is pitting for… what tyres? Slicks!? Yes. Mediums.
01:02 PM We’re away on the formation lap…
How much spray is there? Not too much as it stands. Stroll told that it’ll be this light-ish rain before heavier and then easing off. Helpful? Not much to be honest.
12:58 PM Everyone starting on the inters
But Hamilton says, “if it stays like this, it will not be inters… it’s drying as it comes down. This is very much on the verge.”
Will it stay like this, though?
12:52 PM Giovinazzi gets a weather update
I still don’t know what tyres they will be starting on… I think slicks, just about. In which case the soft tyres will be an advantage on a damp but not sodden track.
12:49 PM Lando Norris speaks to Sky
Says he thinks it will be a slicks start at the moment. Still another 12 or 13 minutes before they actually launch off the line, though.
12:44 PM Starting grid
1. HAM 2. BOT
3. VER 4. PER
5. GAS 6. NOR
7. LEC 8. OCO
9. ALO 10. VET
11. RIC 12. STR
13. RAI 14. GIO
15. SAI 16. TSU
17. RUS 18. LAT
19. MAZ 20. MSC
The start/finish straight is looking a little bit darker with the light (but increasingly heavy) rain that has been falling in the last 10 or so minutes. With the rain forecast to continue until at least 2.30pm BST and to increase in intensity I think a few drivers might start on the inters.
12:40 PM McLaren’s Andreas Seidl speaks to Sky Sports F1
He’s asked about the rain…
It’s not clear what the intensity will be. A lot of conversation between engineers and drivers to make sure we start the race on the right tyres. This is one of the reasons why we love this sport. As always, this opens up a lot of opportunities unfortunately in both directions.
A full wet start would be something, but would be even more interesting if it was a marginal dry/wet start.
12:35 PM Here we go… the rain has started
Only a few light drops at the moment, but Doctor Helmut Marko has put his Red Bull-branded rain jacket on. And the old gazebos are coming out on the grid, ponchos are going on in the grandstands.
Will it be a wet start? 25 minutes to go…
12:32 PM Vettel making a pro LGBT statement with his helmet
Fair play to him.
George Russell complains about Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari getting in the way at the pix exit. Was almost a near miss – a near, near miss. Would have been an extremely low-speed accident, mind you. Sainz starts 15th after making a mess of his Ferrari in qualifying.
Red equals rain and it is heading to the circuit.
We’ve had some cracking wet races here in the past. 2006, 2011 when Jenson Button won both times.
12:21 PM Constructor standings after 10 rounds
Could Mercedes take the lead again after today? They could… and I do think they will. Though the skies have darkened, somewhat…
12:15 PM Qualifying head-to-heads after 11 rounds
Note, this only includes the traditional three-session, hour-long format. Otherwise you’re not comparing apples and applies if you include the Sprint Qualifying from Silverstone.
Hamilton 8 Bottas 3
Verstappen 10 Pérez 1
Norris 8 Ricciardo 3
Stroll 5 Vettel 6
Alonso 6 Ocon 5
Leclerc 8 Sainz 3
Gasly 11 Tsunoda 0
Raikkonen 3 Giovinazzi 8
Schumacher 9 Mazepin 2
Russell 11 Latifi 0
12:09 PM It will be absolutely bone dry at lights out, guaranteed 12:05 PM Driver standings after 10 rounds – Top 12 12:01 PM Sergio Pérez did not manage to get in a second quick lap in Q3 yesterday
He was at the end of the Bottas-Hamilton-Verstappen train and just got the flag before starting his lap. Hamilton was quite slow in intentionally keeping the Red Bull of Verstappen behind him in Q3’s second runs. But then again the Red Bulls could have just overtaken… or sent their cars out first, knowing they had to beat Hamilton’s time.
Verstappen and Horner didn’t seem to fussed by it, in fairness. And I am not sure it denied Verstappen a shot at pole. Could have been second, though…
11:55 AM Watch: On board for Lewis Hamilton’s pole lap
He’s quite good around this track.
11:47 AM Weather update
Was rainy, now dry and sunny, in short.
11:36 AM Hungarian GP – Qualifying times
11:08 AM Good afternoon F1 fans
And welcome to our coverage for the Hungarian Grand Prix from the Hungaroring, just outside of Budapest. It’s 35 years since Formula One first raced at this track and very little has changed in the layout since then. It is – unfairly, I think – known as Monaco without the walls and, although it is not the greatest track on the calendar, it is far from the worst.
Another thing has not changed in the last decade or so and that is Lewis Hamilton’s dominance at this track. He was won here eight times already – his first in 2007 – and is aiming to become the first man to win nine races at a single circuit. Unbeaten here since 2017, he is in prime position – and pole position – to do so again, finishing first in qualifying quite comfortably in the end. It is his first pole position since the Spanish Grand Prix back in May, though in fairness he was quickest in the three-session hour-long qualifying at Silverstone, but that was not the final, nor official qualifying so does not count as a pole.
Tactically it’s looking pretty good for the defending champion. He has team-mate Valtteri Bottas in second alongside him and both Mercedes cars start on the more favourable medium compound tyres whilst Max Verstappen, starting third, and the rest of the top 10 start on the softs.
The plus side for Verstappen here is that it is a fairly long run to the first corner and he also starts on the clean side of the track, though with plenty of overnight rain that may not be quite so crucial. You heavily suspect that his hopes of winning the race rest on getting ahead on the first lap. If not he could face losing his championship lead – heavily cut at the last race after the clash – to Hamilton heading into the summer break. Suddenly it could all be coming up Mercedes.
The race begins at 2pm BST and, as ever, we’ll be here for all of the build-up, the race action and reaction.