The world-famous Hungaroring, despite its wavy nature and inadequate overtaking opportunities (almost resembling the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya), has somehow managed to produce enthralling Formula 1 races over the years, thanks to the ever-intense rivalry between two of the most successful drivers on the grid – Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
The Hungarian Grand Prix has often witnessed the arch-rivals locking horns while challenging for the top step on the podium. The first major instance unfolded in 2019 when Mercedes orchestrated one of the smartest strategies under pressure to bring down the highly watchful Dutchman.
2019 Hungarian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton makes late plunge on Max Verstappen for race win
The odds were fairly stacked against Hamilton winning the race until an astonishing late pit stop gifted the seven-time world champion a lifeline in the battle for P1. Despite jumping ahead of Valtteri Bottas at the start, Hamilton wasn’t able to inch anywhere closer to Verstappen.
While this may have frustrated the Mercedes camp, fans were in for an absolute blast. After an intense battle for P1, both the drivers pitted for hard tires. While Verstappen pitted on lap 25, Hamilton attempted an over-cut after a prolonged first stint, which ultimately didn’t pay off. Nonetheless, with much fresher tires, Hamilton had the privilege to launch an attack on the race leader.
Flashback to Hungary in 2019 where Lewis and Max closely raced each other for the win
We didn’t know it at the time, but this battle really was a sign of the unforgettable title fight that was to come 2 years later
Awesome scenes! pic.twitter.com/t32HnRGXhH
— Matt³³⁺¹⁶ | 🇭🇺RACE WEEK🇭🇺 (@FM1_3316) March 24, 2023
Unfortunately, not only did Hamilton struggle to overtake the Red Bull, but the dirty air from the car ahead ended up overheating the brakes, forcing the Briton to yield. With absolutely nothing to lose from here, Mercedes decided to roll the dice and seek another way past Verstappen.
At the end of lap 48, Hamilton pitted for a set of medium tires followed by Peter Bonnington’s well-known radio message, “It’s hammer time.” With 22 laps to go, Hamilton needed to lap at least a second quicker than Verstappen to keep his race-winning hopes alive. But, to everyone’s shock, the Mercedes driver managed to catch the Dutchman with over four laps to spare.
2022 Hungarian Grand Prix: Hamilton attempts ‘hammertime’ repeat against Verstappen
The scenario in 2022 was a complete contrast to that of 2019, with Verstappen in a much faster car compared to Lewis Hamilton. However, despite the horrendous luck in qualifying, the Briton yet again found himself chasing after a race victory against the unstoppable Red Bull driver.
Both Hamilton and Verstappen encountered technical issues, causing a major performance loss during the qualifying session at Hungaroring. While the lead Mercedes driver had a dysfunctioning DRS wing, Verstappen had far bigger problems with the Red Bull power unit. Hence, Hamilton only managed to secure P7, with the Dutchman dropping further back into P10.
What went on during last year’s #HungarianGP? Quite a lot, in all honesty.
Here’s @f1visualized’s race animation from the 2022 race 👀pic.twitter.com/1nf7wkW4Ye
— The Race (@wearetherace) July 11, 2023
Then arrived the main race on Sunday. Pole-sitter George Russell pulled away effortlessly with the two charging Ferraris behind. Thanks to the ever-close battle, the lead was constantly changing hands between the trio. Meanwhile, both Hamilton and Verstappen were silently clearing out the mid-field and ultimately engaged in their own battle for P4 on lap 12.
But, an issue with the clutch soon forced Verstappen to back away from Hamilton’s rear wing, giving the Mercedes driver breathing space after the fierce battle. But, following the first round of stops, Verstappen found himself in P4 while Hamilton drifted off behind the yet-to-pit Alpine duo in P7.
Interestingly, it wasn’t until lap 40 that the battle for race win was blown wide open; Verstappen pitted for a set of medium tires, hoping to undercut the cars ahead, and he did! Despite the reactionary pitstops on the very next lap, neither Russell nor Leclerc was able to keep the flying Dutchman at bay.
Hungary 2022 🔙
P10 ➡️ P1, with a 360° mid race 😤🐐pic.twitter.com/wIif9J4Gvz
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) July 17, 2023
On lap 42, Verstappen suffered an untimely spin around the final corner, consequently losing a place to Leclerc. But, in just over a couple of laps’ time, the Dutchman managed to reclaim the lost position and continued his charge on Hamilton and Sainz at the front.
This forced Hamilton to attempt a repeat of the 2019 Hungarian GP by choosing to pit late in the race. From P4 on lap 63, the Briton managed to gain two places and saw the chequered flag just over 7 seconds behind Verstappen. What’s interesting is Hamilton was catching Verstappen and needed an extra few laps to snatch the lead.
Overall, with the 2023 Hungarian GP around the corner, can Hamilton and Verstappen produce yet another nail-biting fight for the race victory?