Lewis Hamilton notched a storybook victory two weeks ago at Silverstone, winning his record-setting ninth British Grand Prix and re-establishing Mercedes as a force to be reckoned with. After a weekend off, Formula One is back in action in Budapest at the Hungarian Grand Prix—and the action on track is only getting better.
Back-to-back wins for the Silver Arrows have made it a four-team race at the front of the grid, with Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes all in contention for landing on the top of the podium. The latter has stolen each of the last two victories and will now look to make it three in a row at the Hungaroring. Only two weeks remain until the summer break, a time when teams will get a chance to reset and assess their standing before the final stretch of the season.
Here’s what to watch going into the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix:
A Level Playing Field
The past two F1 campaigns had already lost their momentum by the time the paddock arrived in Hungary. Max Verstappen was running away with the drivers titles and Red Bull was dominating each and every weekend, making it difficult to expect competitive racing in Budapest.
This year couldn’t be more different.
After another breakneck start to the year for Verstappen, the chase pack of Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes have sharpened their approaches (and machinery) to close the gap. Four different drivers have won the last five races, and there have already been six different winners in just 12 races this year—double the amount of different drivers that won races in 2023. That number has only been reached twice over the past decade, and we’re only at the season’s halfway point.
104 pole positions 🤝 104 race wins
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2024
Lewis Hamilton last took pole at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix - will he do it again this weekend? 🤔#F1 #HungarianGP @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/wYHy3slspK
Going into any race weekend, it feels like any one of eight drivers (Verstappen, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Sergio Pérez, George Russell or Hamilton) could be first to the checkered flag. Just in the last few weeks, a number of different factors have changed the outcomes of the races: a dominant qualifying in Monaco, a crash in Austria and tire strategy in the rainy conditions in Great Britain.
Hungary should bring more of the same fierce competition. McLaren still might have the best car on the grid. Verstappen still might be able to grit out a podium or even a win in a shockingly unpredictable Red Bull. Russell and Hamilton still might come out of nowhere (as they did in Austria and Great Britain) to steal victory. Any of these outcomes seem feasible, making Sunday’s race one of the most intriguing of the season.
McLaren Trying to Make Up for Missed Chances
Remember when a papaya-colored car last won a race in 2024? Well, if you forgot, that’s probably because it’s been more than two months since Norris nabbed his maiden win at the Miami Grand Prix.
What followed has been a series of “what if” moments for McLaren, replete with five second-place finishes, one third and a whopping zero wins.
Eight straight races with a finish on the podium is certainly nothing to scoff at, but Norris, Piastri and the rest of the team have been outspoken about their frustration with missed opportunities. Every point counts after Red Bull and Verstappen raced out to a hefty lead in the standings early in the year—especially when the difference between victory (25 points) and second place (18 points) is so significant.
McLaren has taken a chunk out of Red Bull’s advantage in the constructor’s standings but Norris can’t seem to reel in Verstappen, having gotten outscored by the three-time world champion in four straight race weekends. Hungary presents a prime opportunity for the team to put a stamp on its recent rise and show that after the summer break it’s coming not only for one championship, but two.
Sergio Pérez’s Slump
While the rest of the top teams on the grid seem to be making strides forward, Pérez is moving in the opposite direction—and now it’s code red for Red Bull’s second driver.
Verstappen’s teammate has scored a total of just 15 points over the last six race weekends; and that includes an additional opportunity with the sprint race in Austria. He has plummeted down the drivers standings into sixth place after a strong start to the season. Now, the biggest points gap between teammates in F1 this year lies at Red Bull—Verstappen leads all drivers with 255 points, 137 more than Pérez.
To make matters worse, the increase in competition has meant that the team’s closest rivals have made up serious ground on Red Bull during Pérez’s struggles. Sainz, Piastri and Hamilton—all currently the second-place drivers on their teams in the standings—have outscored their Red Bull counterpart by 48, 68 and 68 points, respectively, across the last six races.
Team principal Christian Horner has taken note, calling the 34-year-old’s recent performance “unsustainable” and only opening up the door for speculation about his future with the team going forward. Pérez agreed to a contract extension with Red Bull earlier this season, but there’s still an out if the team wants to change course. Should his performance not improve, there’s reason to believe that the team could look for another candidate to join Verstappen, whether that be reserve driver Liam Lawson or RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Though Pérez attempted to downplay the mounting pressure Thursday ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, these next races are critical if he wants to hold onto his seat with the back-to-back world champions.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hungarian Grand Prix Preview: A Crowded Fight at the Top.
