“Hopefully I don’t stop at 44. That would be terrible,” said Verstappen, not meant to be taken seriously, at the press conference after the race. However, the world champion will probably not have to deal with numbers games of this kind for too long, as he already has the chance of his next success at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps this weekend.
That he will be the favorite again is not a bold prediction. Red Bull Racing has won 21 of the last 22 Formula 1 races, 18 of them by the Dutchman. What was remarkable about the triumph in Hungary was that Verstappen was not the fastest in a practice session or in qualifying. At the end of the race, he was still 33.731 seconds ahead of second-placed Lando Norris – the last time there was a larger lead was in September 2021.
APA / AFP / Ferenc Isza Verstappen’s distance to the competition was greater than the picture suggests
With “surgical precision”
At that time, Hamilton won the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi with a lead of even 53.271 seconds over Verstappen. Almost two years later, the balance of power has turned 180 degrees. “It’s like Formula 2 against Formula 1,” commented Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff on the hopeless battle of the pursuers. At the start, Verstappen passed Hamilton, who was starting from pole position for the 104th time.
He “revenged his great F1 enemy with the precision of a surgeon”, as the Spanish newspaper “Marca” put it. The Brit finally missed the podium in fourth place. For the 25-year-old winner, the sweltering heat at the Hungaroring was apparently almost something of a drive. “In glorious sunshine, he emerged after 70 laps with his hair barely tousled,” reported The Guardian.
Celebration mood at McLaren
After the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Hungary, not only is Red Bull celebrating, McLaren also has a lot to celebrate.
“It’s not usually that easy”
“Such days are rare that things are going so well. Normally it’s not that easy,” said the two-time world champion. “People forget a little how difficult it is to win twelve races in a row,” he referred to the record set by his Red Bull racing team, which now has the longest winning streak in Formula 1. With the upgrades that brought the team to Budapest taking full effect in the race, there’s a good chance the record will stand at 13 after the weekend.
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Verstappen brings Red Bull record victory
“He is one with himself and the car,” said team boss Christian Horner, emphasizing Verstappen’s irrepressible self-confidence. Like the legend Alberto Ascari, record champion Michael Schumacher and most recently Nico Rosberg, the world championship leader achieved seven victories in a row. Only Sebastian Vettel managed two more in 2013. In the World Cup, Verstappen is already 110 points ahead of stable rival Sergio Perez, who finished third on Sunday.
The rest of the field currently has no chance in the hunt for Verstappen. McLaren may have made great progress after a completely messed-up start to the season, but they must first confirm this. Mercedes is still looking for the old strength of the permanent winner years. Ferrari is completely off track and Aston Martin has completely lost its early form. So the topic with the number 44 should have been settled soon.