What to watch for: Hungarian Grand Prix (7:30am ET on CNBC and Live Extra) - MotorSportsTalk

Lewis Hamilton enters today’s Hungarian Grand Prix with his sights firmly set on a perfect weekend, which is something of a rarity in Formula 1.

The defending world champion has finished fastest in every single session so far this weekend at the Hungaroring – FP1, FP2, FP3, Q1, Q2 and Q3 – and has just one more leg to go: the race.

However, Hamilton is also on the cusp of history. A win on Sunday would make him the most successful driver in Hungary, given that he is currently level with Michael Schumacher on four wins in Budapest.

Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg will be doing all that he can to stop the Briton from getting further away in the battle for the drivers’ championship, but damage limitation may be all that he can hope for on Sunday.

Here’s what to watch for in today’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

HAMILTON HUNGARY FOR MORE

There is something about the Hungaroring that Lewis Hamilton just gets like no other driver. The Briton is a four-time winner at the circuit, and he probably should have another one or two to his name.

The 0.575 second gap to Rosberg in qualifying was indicative in the gulf between the two drivers this weekend. Barring something out of the ordinary, Hamilton will win today’s race. The question perhaps should be ‘how much?’ – if he can crush Rosberg with a perfect display to cap off a perfect weekend, it would be a huge statement to make before the summer break.

ROSBERG RESIGNED TO SECOND?

Perhaps the only way Nico Rosberg could feasibly win in Hungary would be via an alternative strategy. It would require a huge slice of luck – a safety car, perhaps – but taking a different approach to Hamilton might be worth a gamble.

Rosberg thinks otherwise. In quite a telling post-qualifying interview with NBCSN, the German said that he would not be doing this, and instead preferred to win by skill, not luck (try telling him that after Monaco).

You have to admire Rosberg for backing himself to outrace Hamilton in Hungary. Very brave indeed.

RED BULL VS FERRARI FOR THIRD

One year on from his victory at the Hungaroring, Daniel Ricciardo looks set to enjoy his strongest weekend of the 2015 season so far. The Australian driver had a race pace that rivalled the Mercedes drivers in FP2, and he ran well in qualifying to stick his car on the second row of the grid.

A race win may be a little too optimistic for Red Bull, but a first podium of the season remains in reach. Ferrari’s reliability has been particularly poor so far this weekend, and if Ricciardo can get the jump on Sebastian Vettel at the start, he’ll be hard to beat in the race for P3.

MCLAREN TO BOUNCE BACK?

The positivity that comes out of McLaren after each race can seem a little feigned at times given the team’s struggles in 2015, but in practice on Friday, it appeared that genuine progress had been made. Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button looked capable of easing into Q2, and may even have been able to edge into Q3.

Qualifying proved to be a very different animal, though. Both cars suffered a technical problem that dumped Button out in Q1 and caused Alonso to stop on track in Q2. The end result? They will start P15 and P16 on the grid today.

That said, the pace of the MP4-30 in Hungary certainly looks like a marked improvement on other races. Points aren’t out of the question yet for McLaren, so keep an eye on its drivers in today’s race.

FORZA JULES

Following his death at the age of 25 last week, Jules Bianchi remains at the forefront of the F1 paddock’s mind. Before today’s race, a minute’s silence will be held in tribute to the popular Frenchman, and according to veteran F1 reporter Adam Cooper, Bernie Ecclestone has laid on a private jet to bring the Bianchi family to Budapest today.

The Bianchi family are en route to the Hungaroring after Bernie Ecclestone sent a plane to Nice to pick them up

— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) July 26, 2015

Let us hope for an entertaining, close and – most importantly – safe Hungarian Grand Prix today.

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STARTING GRID FOR THE 2015 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
4. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull
5. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
6. Valtteri Bottas Williams
7. Daniil Kvyat Red Bull
8. Felipe Massa Williams
9. Max Verstappen Toro Rosso
10. Romain Grosjean Lotus
11. Nico Hulkenberg Force India
12. Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso
13. Sergio Perez Force India
14. Pastor Maldonado Lotus
15. Fernando Alonso McLaren
16. Jenson Button McLaren
17. Marcus Ericsson Sauber
18. Felipe Nasr Sauber
19. Roberto Merhi Manor
20. Will Stevens Manor

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The Hungarian Grand Prix is live on CNBC and Live Extra from 7:30am ET on Sunday.

Follow @LukeSmithF1

An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”