One more race, then Formula 1 says goodbye to a three-week break. And the last Grand Prix before the holiday in Hungary's capital, Budapest, promises to be a spectacle.
George Russell starts in the Mercedes on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky) for the first time in his career from pole position. The sovereign world championship leader Max Verstappen, on the other hand, has to start from position ten in the Red Bull.
hunted
Before his crazy lap, Mercedes looked pretty weak in Hungary. But George Russell brought everything together on Saturday and duped the competition spectacularly. First place on the grid is particularly important in Hungary because overtaking is difficult. However, both Ferrari and Red Bull are much stronger over an entire race distance. "I'm so happy about our progress. We'll do our best," said Russell anyway and wants to defend his position with all means for a long time.
Hunter I
Ferrari currently has the best car in Formula 1. But the track, which had cooled down drastically compared to Friday's practice, caused the Scuderia big problems. Neither second-placed Carlos Sainz nor third-placed Charles Leclerc managed to get the tires up to temperature. "But we can do better in the race," said World Cup runner-up Leclerc. Before the 13th round of the season, the Monegasse is 63 points behind Verstappen.
hunter II
First Max Verstappen cursed on the radio, then he trudged angrily through the paddock. A technical problem spoiled the qualification for the world champion from the Netherlands. The 24-year-old has never won in Hungary - and the prospects are poor this year as well. Even for the exceptional driver it will be very difficult to fight his way up from tenth place.
suspended
The German drivers go into the Grand Prix with very gloomy prospects. Three days after his retirement announcement at the end of the season, ex-world champion Sebastian Vettel starts from 18th place. In the Aston Martin, even reaching the points in the top ten is a very demanding task for the 35-year-old. Mick Schumacher should also find it difficult to take anything countable with him. The 23-year-old starts from 15th place in the Haas racing car.
The weather
Every day is different in Hungary. 34 degrees summer heat and blazing sun on Friday were replaced on Saturday by 19 degrees and sometimes violent thunderstorms. On Sunday it should be over 20 degrees warm again and stay dry during the Grand Prix. These new conditions pose major challenges for the teams, because so far they have only been able to prepare for them theoretically and not with tests on the track.
