As Formula 1 gets set to embark on its summer break and shutdown, we head to Hungary for the last race until the beginning of fall. The Hungarian Grand Prix has been a mainstay on the F1 calendar since 1986, and is a favorite among the drivers, teams and fans.
It’s also a particular favorite for Lewis Hamilton, who has won at the Hungaroring on four occasions. With victory this weekend, he would surpass Michael Schumacher as being the most successful driver to have raced in Hungary – not to mention that he would cut the gap to Nico Rosberg in the drivers’ standings.
F1 might be about to say school’s out for summer, but it certainly isn’t for MotorSportsTalk. Silly season is set to dominate the headlines during the break with Fernando Alonso appearing to be the king pin.
For the time being, let’s get back to this weekend. Here is the MST writing team’s predictions for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1)
Race winner: Lewis Hamilton. Lewis appears to have a taste for goulash, as Hungary always is a happy hunting ground for him. The Briton knows that victory here will cut Rosberg’s lead by at least half, and he should become the first driver to win the Hungarian Grand Prix five times.
Surprising finish: Sebastian Vettel. Saying Seb will get on the podium may not seem surprising, but I’m going for Red Bull to be a damn sight closer to Mercedes this weekend than in Germany. Perhaps we won’t see the 20-second wins that we’ve been used to so far this year.
Most to prove: Nico Rosberg. Am I being harsh here? Probably. Nico needs to prove that he can match Hamilton for pure race pace, so keeping his teammate in sight this weekend would be a good achievement. This title race hinges on momentum: Nico needs it heading into the summer break.
Tony DiZinno (@tonydizinno)
Race winner: Lewis Hamilton. Traditionally strong at Hungary, defending race winner and needs the win to avoid losing ground to Rosberg. Needs to make things easier for himself after his qualifying accident last week and having to drive back to third.
Surprising finish: Felipe Massa. Nearly won here in his near-title-winning 2008 season and Williams teammate Bottas can’t have all the luck. Here’s to Massa breaking his duck of late and finally getting on the podium in a car that’s quickly become the second best in the field.
Most to prove: Kimi Raikkonen. Nondescript weekend after nondescript weekend for Kimi this year. It would be nice to see the 2007 World Champion turn in some form of success.
Christopher Estrada (@estradawriting)
Race winner: Lewis Hamilton. The twisty Hungaroring could make Red Bull a bigger threat, but I think it’s still Mercedes’ race to lose. I’ll go with Hamilton, the two-time defending champion of this race. After teammate Nico Rosberg won on home ground last weekend in Germany, Hamilton needs a W here to keep pace in their championship duel.
Surprising finish: Jenson Button. With a lack of high-speed corners, Hungary should provide Button with an opportunity to get into the upper reaches of the points. The track has been good to him in the past: It’s where he got his inaugural Grand Prix victory in 2006 and he won there again in 2011 during his 200th Grand Prix start.
Most to prove: Felipe Massa. So now Claire Williams is holding out hope that her squad can catch Red Bull for P2 in the constructors’ championship. If that’s going to happen, she needs Valtteri Bottas to keep doing what he’s been doing. But more importantly, she needs Massa to shake off the bad luck that’s bitten him lately.
Jerry Bonkowski (@JerryBonkowski)
Race winner: Lewis Hamilton. Having won the last two times in Hungary and three of the last five races there, it’s hard to pick against Hamilton, especially with him needing to rally to overtake teammate Nico Rosberg for the F1 points lead.
Surprising finish: Nico Rosberg. Rosberg has been dominant this season, but he won’t be in Hungary, especially with teammate Lewis Hamilton breathing down his neck. The pressure will get to the German. Look for him to have one of his worst outings of the season.
Most to prove: Jenson Button. Sitting in eighth place in the standings and nearly 120 points behind points leader Rosberg is not a place that Jenson is familiar with, nor should he be in. Obviously, a rough start has left him behind the eight ball, but there’s still plenty of time for him to rally for a top-five season finish (although that will admittedly be a longshot, no doubt).