After an exciting qualifying session, an even more exciting race awaits at the Hungarian GP. With a wave of maximum temperatures looming over the Hungaroring circuit on Sunday, control of the starts and tires will be decisive in determining the final positions in Budapest.
We have predicted the 10 most sensible positions for the Hungary GP. And we inspire you, our readers, to make your own predictions for Sunday’s race as well.
10. Nico Hülkenberg
The Haas driver will start 11th with the Racing Bulls of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo ahead. The Japanese driver suffered an accident in Q3 and his car was seriously damaged.
Hülkenberg, in top form, has a good chance of scoring goals this time at the Hungaroring. We will have to take advantage of the fact that Tsunoda will not have the car perfectly adjusted to his point of convenience to attack.
9. Lance’s Ride
The Canadiens are in a smart moment in their career. This is not the case with Aston Martin, who surprised in qualifying in Hungary with both cars entering Q3.
Despite this, the speed of their closest rivals this weekend, the Racing Bulls, being superior and completing the problems is already a wonderful achievement.
8. Daniel Ricciardo
The Racing Bulls were strong this weekend. Tricky track conditions hurt them in qualifying, but in theory they perform better than Aston Martin in the high temperatures.
Therefore, we believe that Ricciardo can at least achieve 8th position and get smart points after 3 difficult races for the Faenza team.
7. Fernando Alonso
The Spanish is still a giant in Hongrie. Only his excellent defence against Lewis Hamilton will give Esteban Ocon victory in 2021.
The speed of the AMR24 is arguably not the best, but after a positive qualifying, Fernando has a wonderful opportunity on a tricky overtaking circuit to “defend like a lion” and give the team some confidence.
6. Charles Leclerc
The Monegasque driver has not given that impression since his victory in Monaco. This weekend in Hungary, he is also not comfortable with the car, as evidenced by his twist of fate in FP2 and the fact that he once again overqualified thanks to Carlos Sainz.
If the degradation is too big in the race, he at least has a chance to overtake Lewis Hamilton. With a Ferrari that excels in high temperatures, fifth position is what it can aspire to.
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5. Lewis Hamilton
The Briton has not stood out all weekend and the speed of Mercedes over Ferrari does not seem to be superior. Although he is a specialist on this circuit, the functionality of the W15 is not as smart as it has been in the last 4 races.
Hungary turns out to be a counterattack in which you have to minimize the pain instead of trying to create a surprise. Fifth position is a realistic and positive position for Lewis on Sunday.
4. Carlos Sainz
The Spanish has been very forged all weekend. However, Ferrari has the speed to fight for the top three against Red Bull and McLaren.
Only a race with a very high degradation in which Ferrari is much superior to the others in this aspect or a driver error can give him the chance to get on the podium. Otherwise, fourth place is the most he aspires to.
3. Lando Norris
The British driver had problems managing moments of tension and, above all, he failed at starts. The Hungarian polesitter starts on the outside line before Turn 1 and if Piastri starts higher than Norris, he will be able to attack him on the inside.
In this race situation, McLaren would have to give the Australian the strategy, which would also leave him in a vulnerable position against Max Verstappen.
Therefore, his race will depend largely on what happens at the start and the management of his tyres. So far this season, he has not given many explanations as to why he will have merit over his teammate at the start.
2. Max Verstappen
Red Bull’s long runs on Friday were very promising and they will have to control at least one of the two McLaren drivers with the undercut.
In fact, Verstappen can be expected to finish in P1 or P3. But given the speed of the RB20 and the strategic merit that he will also have in terms of tires, P2 is a very realistic position.
1. Oscar Piastri
After seeing his race absolutely affected at Silverstone by McLaren’s pit wall, with a crash and an attack on his teammate at Turn 1, Piastri has a magnificent chance of redeeming himself and taking his first Formula 1 victory in Hungary.
The Australian is only 22 thousandths of a second behind Lando Norris’ pole position, helped by the wake of Max Verstappen. Without it, Piastri would actually have been P1. With this in mind, let no one doubt that Oscar will try to attack Lando to take the lead of the race as soon as possible.
Read – Revealed: Max Verstappen’s tow that propelled Lando Norris to pole at the Hungary GP