Sport
Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix
“The guys have just been phenomenal all year,” Hamilton said. “I feel like I really earned my keep today.”
During the race, Hamilton was in no mood for compromise, however, barking back at an engineer over the race radio, “Hey man, I’m trying to drive here. I’m happy with the way the car is,” when he received some late advice. His teammate Nico Rosberg had to abandon right near the end with flames billowing from the back of his car. He was unhurt.
“The start was difficult and when Lewis pulled in we thought we could do it on the softs,” said Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, who has never won in Hungary. “I damaged my front wing which did not help. We wanted a little bit more today.”
Vettel tried desperately to get past Raikkonen and they almost collided on the penultimate lap as the Finn blocked his move. “I had no doubt that I could keep him out,” Raikkonen said.
Romain Grosjean started third and finished sixth in an eventful race for the Frenchman.
The pressure was on tire manufacturer Pirelli at this race. The teams recently held in-season testing sessions at Silverstone to assess new tires provided by Pirelli, after several spectacular blowouts on the same circuit at the British Grand Prix in June prompted a furious response and even a boycott threat from drivers. Pirelli decided that from this race until the end of the season, it will revert to last year’s tires combined with the current compounds from this season. Soft and medium tires were available for the race and they held up well.
“The first time ever I can remember my tires not being a problem,” Hamilton said. “I really hope we’re able to do the same” in Belgium.
