Max Verstappen won his first pole at the Hungaroring. Given the ever-improving form of the car Red Bull Racing and given the fact that the so-called is not needed here Party Mode, which Honda not yet, all indications were that victory for the young Dutchman was just a formality. But unfortunately it turned out completely differently. Verstappn managed a great start and then remained in the lead almost until the end of the race. However, he failed to break away from Lewis Hamilton. It just indicated he was Mercedes Benz faster. If a racer can drive so close to a competitor despite the dirty air, we can't deny it.
Speed confirmation Mercedesa followed in two stages. After a later first stop, Hamilton made up for the six-second gap in just two laps and almost overtook the young Dutchman. From then on, it continued as in the first stint. Hamilton drove nicely in Verstappn’s shadow. Then followed the second stage and Mercedes tactical step. After the second stop, Lewis was 19 seconds behind Verstappn. He patched the hole in 17 laps with fresh tires including overtaking. For Max, this was the final show of how superior Mercedes actually is Formulas 1. If the silver arrows actually show everything they either want to show or they have to show.
"I think we could see here how much reserves they still have if they really need to push to the fullest. Lewis was hot that day too, but we could see their real dominance. When they had to add, then we could see that this car is still the most dominant. It's that simple. In some races, they may not even need to show it,”So Verstappen.
That's why Verstappen relativized his victories in Austria and Germany. “Of course, they had their problems. In Austria with overheating, and in Germany these were the circumstances, so that in both cases they could not put full pressure at all.“But in Hungary, Mercedes showed its true face and proved what is possible if the silver arrows concretely press on the gas. “At the Hungaroring they had to show everything, gas to the end because I was also pushing to the fullest. And then we can see what they're capable of as a team,Added Verstappen.
That's why it is Verstappen despite a long lead in the race he easily overcame the defeat. “Of course, at some point my tires literally died and it was just a question of when the reversal would happen. Because of this, I was not overly disappointed when he overtook me.”So Verstappn was not defeated in a direct duel with Hamilton, but much more for defeat by unequal weapons. “For this to happen was simply a completely normal matter. We need to be realistic here. Lewis was simply faster. And if you’re second, then you can still take a risk with an extra stop."
