The Frenchman precedes Hamilton and Sainz, Vettel 2nd but disqualified. Bottas and Stroll hit Verstappen (then 9th) and Leclerc (out)
budapest (Hungary)
Esteban Ocon had never won a Formula 1 GP. Equally unprecedented was the scene of Lewis Hamilton alone on the grid, at the restart after the suspension of the race, unaware that behind him all the others had taken the path of the pits to mount the dry tires. And the rainbow shirt worn by Sebastian Vettel during the Hungarian anthem will also go down in history this weekend, a gesture in defense of the LGBT community affected by the law of the Orban government, for which the German has ended up under investigation. “Then disqualify me, I’m very happy.” Sebastian Vettel thus reacts to the news. “During the national anthem – he explained – I kept the rainbow t-shirt” (with the words ‘Same Love’), like his mask. “I did it in support of those people who suffer in this nation because some make law that instead of protecting children probably threaten them and compromise their growth – added the German driver -. I am happy to collect any penalties they want to impose on me ».
In short, the initial rain was only the first variable of a daring race that sent everyone on vacation with the Englishman back in the lead of the World Championship. Max Verstappen is overtaken and with his morale down, in pieces like his Red Bull, among the cars damaged by the series of accidents at the first corner triggered by Valtteri Bottas, with an unfortunate Lance Stroll who “played bowling” with the others, to use the words of Charles Leclerc, who was immediately knocked out on a Sunday when Ferrari came close to the podium with Carlos Sainz, fourth after starting fifteenth.
During the summer break the world of F1 will still be agitated by controversy, because the penalty of five positions on the grid at the next race trimmed in Bottas and Stroll is considered by many to be mild, especially for Stroll. “A maneuver that makes no sense for a professional driver”, the lash of Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto. “The FIA must absolutely examine this situation”, added his Red Bull colleague, Christian Horner, who was already harboring anger over the Silverstone accident between Verstappen and Hamilton, which also cost the Dutchman’s third Power Unit, changed shortly before. departure to Hungary.
“Bottas did a shit … Something noisy and smelly came out of his brain”, Verstappen vented, who at the end of August in Belgium will restart with 8 points behind Hamilton, who passed unscathed in the initial chaos, then distracted (or badly advised by the Mercedes garage) when at the restart the rain was decreasing: “We always complicate our lives, it’s crazy that he was left alone on the starting grid” he said, before being examined by the team doctor after suffering a slight vertigo . From fourteenth, he overtook his opponents one after the other, setting up an epic duel with Fernando Alonso who, holding on in defense for about ten laps, saved his teammate’s victory. A first time for Ocon who, perhaps unaccustomed, then left his Alpine in the wrong place on the track. There was too much emotion for the first exploit of his F1 career, which reached the 78th race. In the evening Vettel was disqualified for lack of the required fuel (0.3 liters against one liter) and risks other penalties for the affair of the jersey.
“What a moment, what a feeling too good, we lived through difficult moments but we got over them and went back to where we need to be”, exulted Ocon, thanking Fernando Alonso, his teammate at Alpine: “We also won thanks to his defense against Hamilton “. –