Rate the race - Round 12 Hungary

Ghost Train

Half way through the season, how did you rate Hungary

Inquitus

5

Somewhere between a 6 and a 7 I think based on the new F1 dynamics we have all come to accept, competitive race, some race incidents, some good overtakes, a good start and an excellent strategy call by Merc to bring the final laps of the race into a proper contest for the lead. 3 different teams on the podium is always a good thing to see. I'll cogitate a bit on it, maybe watch the highlights on CH4 later and then pass my verdict!

Ghost Train

6

Good to have a battle up the front. First half of the race was great. A bit too easy for Hamilton later in the race. A pity Ferrari didn't have more pace

Dont be at yourself

6

Gave it a 7. If Max's tyres has held out for 3 more laps would have been a 9.

AMKC

3

A 4 for me. It was a below average race with very little happening really except for the small bit at the beginning but that was not a lot. The track is not great really either. No where on it to pass. The only reason Hamilton could pass Max was because he had a faster car and DRS. A pity Max did not win but hopefully Red Bull will be faster after the summer break.

the_pen_turner

4

i gave it a generous 5. not a lot happened . very litle overtaking and battles. no real question of who would win . hamilton was faster all the time

Woodsie1

7

i thought it was a great race,seeing hamilton claw back that time then take max was a special piece of strategy and driving.
The 2 toro rosso lads battle for half a lap was pretty special(haas boys take note ffs).
For a dry race it was pretty decent.
8/10

d8491prj5boyvg

6

It was enjoyable. I gave it 7. The tyres have created new scenarios that create "interest". But it's empty. Like eating McDonald's. Nice at the time but you are unfulfilled. You can see through it. Merc called a strategy nobody saw, Max was a sitting duck and helpless to stop the pass when the time came. It wasn't a contest, it was a car that could drive vs one that couldn't. That isn't an interesting battle.

Red bull are partly to blame. They should have known he'd be defenseless, especially when it was clear Hamilton would catch him. There was time to respond with 10+ laps left when it was clear Hamilton had the upper hand.

Red bull obviously don't have the strategy team merc have. They would have had anticipated the merc move and had a plan if they did

Stoolbend

Red Bull have one of the best strategy teams. It’s just no one expected Merc to actually make a bold decision like that.

I think it was a great race. Easily 7 or 8. Kept interest the whole way through.

d8491prj5boyvg

6

Stoolbend wrote: »

Red Bull have one of the best strategy teams. It’s just no one expected Merc to actually make a bold decision like that.

I think it was a great race. Easily 7 or 8. Kept interest the whole way through.

I have no doubt they have an excellent strategy team, but not good enough and not as good as Mercedes. They should have seen the possibility of the additional pit stop. Any good simulation would show the option with a flashing red light. Especially as hamilton pushed early on and used his tyres then instead of saving them for when Max's were on the way out. They were caught napping. The F1 equivalent of ballwatching.

Inviere

6

Abraham Angry Self-help wrote: »

I have no doubt they have an excellent strategy team, but not good enough and not as good as Mercedes. They should have seen the possibility of the additional pit stop. Any good simulation would show the option with a flashing red light. Especially as hamilton pushed early on and used his tyres then instead of saving them for when Max's were on the way out. They were caught napping. The F1 equivalent of ballwatching.

There was nothing they could have done, by the time Lewis was half way around his first lap on new tires, the undercut was done, so whatever happened, Max was going to be second place. They could have pitted Max from the lead, but then Lewis would have stayed out, and turned up the wick on the PU to keep enough of a gap to win the race. Don't forget that fundamentally, RB still isn't quite toe to toe with Mercedes all things being equal, so even if they had pitted Max, it's probably not likely he could have got the pass on Lewis given the nature of Mercedes power, in combination with the dynamics of this particular track being hard to pass on.

I enjoyed the race, it was fun trying to crunch the numbers and figure out if Lewis was going to catch Max, and how the various strategies played out. I'm not normally one for giving points because of maths, but Lewis & Max were in a class of their own, and it was fun to juxtapose the teams different approaches and see how it played out on track. 7 from me.

Dont be at yourself

6

On the whole 'there's nothing RB could have done thing', it's maybe obvious to say, but if they had maintained the gap between Max and Ham for just an extra few laps, the undercut wouldn't have been a viable strategy for Hamilton. It's clear that Merc were looking at a 2nd stop; they told him to push right up to Verstappen, and the pit crew even came out a lap before he pitted.

d8491prj5boyvg

6

As soon as Hamilton pitted they needed to follow suit, staying out wasn't an option. They needed to figure out when to pit to manufacture a good overtake. They don't have the power but needed to create their own undercut. A soft v medium advantage would have done that. They were in shock and held tight.

With hindsight it was obvious. Mercedes spent the hards pushing early in the stint. No joy. Then switched to mediums. If they were staying on the hards they'd wait till the end to push. It was obvious at that point they were gonna switch. Hindsight is 20/20 for the armchair supporter but red bulls top notch strategists should have seen that

2011

6

Inviere wrote: »

Don't forget that fundamentally, RB still isn't quite toe to toe with Mercedes all things being equal, so even if they had pitted Max, it's probably not likely he could have got the pass on Lewis given the nature of Mercedes power, in combination with the dynamics of this particular track being hard to pass on.

Agreed.
Still I have to hand it to Mercedes, great tactics.
I didn't expect them to pit Lewis when they did.
Lewis did well to chase Max down at the rate he did, however I don't think he expected the pass to be as straight forward as it was in the end.

I'm not normally one for giving points because of maths, but Lewis & Max were in a class of their own, and it was fun to juxtapose the teams different approaches and see how it played out on track.

In my view Lewis does not belong in the same "class" as Max, this would be very apparent if they were both driving the same car.

Edit: I gave it a 7

Inviere

6

2011 wrote: »

In my view Lewis does not belong in the same "class" as Max, this would be very apparent if they were both driving the same car.

How do you mean?