2021 Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix

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Which constructor will be on top after Hungary?

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Formula One is back in action this weekend, this time taking on the Hungaroring for the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Most of us have hardly caught our breath after an exciting and dramatic British Grand Prix, but Formula One is set to be back on track this weekend amidst a tight championship battle.

The infamous lap 1 collision at Silverstone took current drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen out of the race, and Lewis Hamilton was able to get the win and close the championship gap to just 8 points.

Near the front of the field, it’s been an impressive year for Verstappen and Red Bull, with their rivals in Hamilton and Mercedes struggling to keep pace on track. Behind the front runners, Lando Norris from McLaren has had a fantastic season to date, and he finds himself in third in the drivers' standings currently, ahead of both a Mercedes and a Red Bull driver.

The two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are 6th and 7th in the standings, respectively. Mattia Binotto’s team finds themselves comfortably ahead of the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo’s performance this season has been disappointing for fans, given that his teammate has proven that the MCL35M is capable of contending for top 5 spots consistently.

In the mid pack, an interesting dynamic has emerged between the AlphaTauri, Alpine and Aston Martin drivers. The six combined cars occupy 9th through 14th in the drivers' standings with less than 30 points difference between those positions.

Looking at the constructor standings, Mercedes now sits just 4 points behind Red Bull after the double podium finish at Silverstone. A significant step back from the top two are McLaren and Ferrari, with 15 points separating them after Leclerc’s podium finish two weeks ago.

The Hungarian Grand Prix will also see the return of the standard qualifying format, with three practice sessions scheduled, followed by a qualifying session to determine the starting order of the race. The British Grand Prix was the first showcase of the F1 sprint qualifying format.

With the single-digit margins in both the driver and constructor championships entering this race, plus the off-track drama that has ensued since lap 1 incident at the British GP, this promises to be another exciting week for F1. Let us know below in the comments who you think will emerge victorious.
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Mike Smith
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

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Comments

LeSunTzu
davehenrie said:
I kinda like the cause/pay method. In these cost capped days, if one should be the cause of a wreck that damages other cars, then the cost of those repairs/replacements should come from YOUR team's capped expenses. Bottas was clearly the cause because he was A) penalized for the incident, and B) EVERYONE here, with the exception of one vote for Lando, was the cause. WE should be the adjucators of all things racing.(or racin' , if you prefer) Thus, at the end of the year, when Mercedes has exceeded their budget by replacing engines and trannies for Red Bulls and Ferraris, Bottas and Hamilton should be the ones getting 5 to 10 grid place penalties.
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Do you know any sport like that? Can you imagine any sport like that? "Sorry boys, but don't tackle Messi, the club cannot afford the bill if you're clumsy". :roflmao:
 
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D
LeSunTzu said:
Do you know any sport like that? Can you imagine any sport like that? "Sorry boys, but don't tackle Messi, the club cannot afford the bill if you're clumsy". :roflmao:
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Let's call them penalty points then. Bottas ruined several cars, after X amount of Euros spent replacing damage, he loses grid posisitons. Same for Lewis or any other driver prone to running into the back of other cars during yellow flag conditions(coughVettelCough)
 
Ken Verhagen
The best part of this race was Alonso's defense. Simply superb and looking like the Alonso in his early career. I'll be the first to admit I didn't think he had anything left in the tank when he came back, but boy was I wrong. Hopefully Alpine can put a more competitive car together with the new rules and we can see him fighting at the front again.
 
Terry Rock
Good race yesterday....especially for Hungary.
I could see that Bottas/Norris collision coming from a mile away.
The young guns are fast but they still lack much of the ability to predict outcomes based on car placement.
Lando did a great job getting away but the minute he pulled back in front of Bottas, that accident was on.
Bottas was at fault for the collision because he has too late on the brakes trying to make up for the really poor getaway.
The front aero would have all but disappeared the moment Lando pulled in front to defend the position.
That would have meant little to no downforce across the front axle.
On a damp track that was a recipe for disaster.
A move seasoned move would have seen Lando continue to the right.
 
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PickABetterUsername01
Terry Rock said:
Good race yesterday....especially for Hungary.
I could see that Bottas/Norris collision coming from a mile away.
The young guns are fast but they still lack much of the ability to predict outcomes based on car placement.
Lando did a great job getting away but the minute he pulled back in front of Bottas, that accident was on.
Bottas was at fault for the collision because he has too late on the brakes trying to make up for the really poor getaway.
The front aero would have all but disappeared the moment Lando pulled in front to defend the position.
That would have meant little to no downforce across the front axle.
On a damp track that was a recipe for disaster.
A move seasoned move would have seen Lando continue to the right.
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No, Lando did what he had to do, Bottas should have been more careful, it's simple like that.
 
Terry Rock
PickABetterUsername01 said:
No, Lando did what he had to do, Bottas should have been more careful, it's simple like that.
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Nobody is blaming Lando for the crash.
Just saying he could have anticipated that on a damp track, it probably was not a good ided to place the car where he did.
On a slick surface the odds of getting punted in a braking zone goes way, way up....especially with heavy fuel.
Some points are better than no points.
 
PickABetterUsername01
Terry Rock said:
Nobody is blaming Lando for the crash.
Just saying he could have anticipated that on a damp track, it probably was not a good ided to place the car where he did.
On a slick surface the odds of getting punted in a braking zone goes way, way up....especially with heavy fuel.
Some points are better than no points.
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Nah, you don't expect the second Merc driver and one of the most experienced driver of the grid to make an amateur simracing mistake. He's in a Mclaren, had a great start, and a very good chance at a podium, it's Hungary after all, pretty hard to overtake, so of course you gotta go for it. Lando couldn't have done anything better, tired of this bullshit of "what the victim could have done" to avoid the stupid mistake of the insane and desperate driver behind him.
aL9XAGoR_700w_0.jpg


Alonso was an absolute legend, I still can't believe what he did in this race, was possibly one of the greatest performances I've ever seen in F1. And to listen to Hamilton bitching the entire time on the radio just made everything so much better.
 
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Sasha Jednak
Well penalties (rules) are :poop: and I think we all know it. You want to crash, push off track, and so on, no problem you get 5-10sec or if to late in race you get 3-5 positions in next. But don't you there change the engine or you will get 10 places.:roflmao: Then we ask ourselves why there is no racing... Because they need to nurse the cars 24/7 in order not to get that damn 10 places penalty. But if 2 cars get to close racing they both have option to push each other, because it will give small penalty. And "winner" can continue without competition while nursing own car without bruises and to a good result.
Imagine Max and Lewis (2 best drivers on the grid at the moment) being able to push cars, without these worries for engines...
To be honest, based on recent races and knowing that Austria is specific track, it is quite clear which car is faster and better at the moment. Adding costs for 3 crash DNFs in 2 races, doesn't help other team with upgrades that can help there. So I'll start with "Congrats on _ title" and put 8 after Spa is dominated by them. It was good while it lasted, same as with Vettel and Ferrari.
 
zwiss
muzikant said:
www.express.co.uk

Max Verstappen 'would've been killed in my day' as Lewis Hamilton crash concerns raised

Sir Jackie Stewart has raised concerns in Formula One after Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton Silverstone crash.
www.express.co.uk www.express.co.uk
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True.
In the 60's aggressive driving was far too dangerous.
Max himself has been the most spectacular driver since a long time: aggressive overtakes and defending, weaving in the breaking zone on the straights (forbidden by the FIA now) etc...
But also Sergio Perez in his McLaren year, the (mostly successful) dive bombing by Daniel Ricciardo...
The younger generation think they can't get hurt and race like it were a sim race.

Jackie Stewart also says in this interview: "The early laps at Silverstone was a good example of that because I think both drivers were overdriving, particularly when you think about it being only the beginning of the race."
BOTH DRIVERS WERE OVERDRIVING.
Please don't say that Jackie doesn't know anything about racing or he is a Hamilton fanboy :)
 
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muzikant
zwiss said:
True.
In the 60's aggressive driving was far too dangerous.
Max himself has been the most spectacular driver since a long time: aggressive overtakes and defending, weaving in the breaking zone on the straights (forbiden by the FIA now) etc...
But also Sergio Perez in his McLaren year, the (mostly successful) dive bombing by Daniel Ricciardo...
The younger generation think they can't get hurt and race like it were a sim race.

Jackie Stewart also says in this interview: "The early laps at Silverstone was a good example of that because I think both drivers were overdriving, particularly when you think about it being only the beginning of the race."
BOTH DRIVERS WERE OVERDRIVING.
Please don't say that Jackie doesn't know anything about racing or he is a Hamilton fanboy :)
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you have to comment a lot on my articles... Jackie Stewart also says the penalties are too low but you may have forgotten that;)
 
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BrainsBush
Rule is rule ok. But in my humble opinion it's a bit strange that Stroll and Bottas get a 5 place grid penalty for causing the collisions and Perez and LeClerc 10 places because they have to change crucial engine parts as a consequence of the collisions caused by Bottas and Stroll. Or am I missing something in this 'logic'?
 
jongen
BrainsBush said:
Rule is rule ok. But in my humble opinion it's a bit strange that Stroll and Bottas get a 5 place grid penalty for causing the collisions and Perez and LeClerc 10 places because they have to change crucial engine parts as a consequence of the collisions caused by Bottas and Stroll. Or am I missing something in this 'logic'?
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Well, first off, Bottas and Stroll's penalties are part of the sporting regulation and Perez and Leclerc's penalties are part of the technical regulations. The latter is very well defined, there's little wiggle room, whereas the former is far more disputable and mushy. Basically, the latter is like an offside call and the former is a yellow card - there is a correct answer to the latter, but not the former.

Furthermore, I'd argue (and I think most would) that the punishment should fit the action of the penalized party rather than its consequences. Bottas and Stroll clearly made mistakes. The only wet running they'd had was the formation lap. I don't think they were reckless, they were simply too optimistic about that corner and they caused collisions. They made the same mistake Hamilton did, without any mitigating factors, in Baku's late restart... except there were carbon fibre ad hoc crash barriers in front of them rather than a runoff area.

Whatever material damage Leclerc and Perez suffered should, in my opinion, be wholly irrelevant to their penalties. Just like, in football, a player should be reprimanded for doing no physical harm to his adversary with an illegal tackle, but not for twisting said adversary's ankle with a legal one, what Bottas and Stroll are ultimately guilty of is causing a collision and a lack of car control, rather than damaging other people's cars.

---

Much more debatable, I would think, is teams not being at fault having to revise their budgets/allocations due to opponents' actions. Being taken out is an inherent risk of being on a race track, one that should be punished if it was caused by someone else (under sporting regulations), but that doesn't mean that they have to pay long term technical consequences for it, especially if costs are capped as they currently are. I suppose there could be exemptions (such as an PU change not carrying a penalty as long as the car is retired following a crash, and the old PU being rendered unavailable), but ultimately, I think this should be independent of Stroll and Bottas' mishaps.

It's also a bit of a headscratcher that a rally driver and a wet weather overachiever are the ones to have screwed it up, but hey :).
 
LeSunTzu
jongen said:
It's also a bit of a headscratcher that a rally driver and a wet weather overachiever are the ones to have screwed it up, but hey :).
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Possible answers are: it started raining after they were in the grid so they had no clue about the grip; being good in wet conditions, Stroll might have been slightly overconfident; Bottas was put off balance by his poor start and the dirty air from Norris' car.

Btw Palmer's analysis shows Gasly almost collected Pérez too.
 
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muzikant
AxelP800 said:
Looking forward to 2022 and congrats Ham for 8th title, I have given up
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Mercedes will then be remembered...becoming world champion after knocking off the red bull twice. Still having a hard time with the ridiculous grid penalties and that Redbull needs new engines all the time. Pushing another car off is thus encouraged and rewarded. getting too weird for this and Fia makes this sport unnecessary dangerous
 
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After_Midnight
zwiss said:
True.
In the 60's aggressive driving was far too dangerous.
Max himself has been the most spectacular driver since a long time: aggressive overtakes and defending, weaving in the breaking zone on the straights (forbidden by the FIA now) etc...
But also Sergio Perez in his McLaren year, the (mostly successful) dive bombing by Daniel Ricciardo...
The younger generation think they can't get hurt and race like it were a sim race.

Jackie Stewart also says in this interview: "The early laps at Silverstone was a good example of that because I think both drivers were overdriving, particularly when you think about it being only the beginning of the race."
BOTH DRIVERS WERE OVERDRIVING.
Please don't say that Jackie doesn't know anything about racing or he is a Hamilton fanboy :)
Click to expand...
I'm not going to disrespect Jackie Stewart in any way but I tend to disagree partly here.
I think Jackie underestimated the importance of being the one in front out of Copse. (seen in the sprint qualifying)
muzikant said:
you have to comment a lot on my articles... Jackie Stewart also says the penalties are too low but you may have forgotten that;)
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I'm not a native English. The way I understand Jackie might be different to you.

For me he was talking about penalties regarded in terms of safety these days in Formula 1.
So drivers tend to take more risks because the consequenses (injuries or even death) are much lower than it was in Jackie's days.

BTW: Have anyone noticed how close Gasly was to wipe Perez of the track even before Bottas ? :confused:
Timestamp: 5:13
 
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BP
After_Midnight said:
I'm not a native English. The way I understand Jackie might be different to you.

For me he was talking about penalties regarded in terms of safety these days in Formula 1.
So drivers tend to take more risks because the consequenses (injuries or even death) are much lower than it was in Jackie's days.
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I'm a native speaker and you are correct; he meant the physical penalty of driving that hard is much less compared to driving in the old days (i.e. you have a much higher chance of surviving today).
 
muzikant
jackie is definitely right.. he himself was the godfather from the start for safety as he experienced a horror crash at Spa. But it will never be completely safe
 

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