F1 Hungarian GP live commentary and updates – Race day

WELCOME TO RACE DAY IN HUNGARY

Charles Leclerc starts on pole for Ferrari, Yuki Tsunoda starts from the pitlane for Red Bull - be prepared for a whole lot of action inbetween. At the moment it's warm at the Hungaroring and looking like the rain will hold off.

GET IN THE RING

Over on Sky, Martin Brundle is having a more proftable grid walk than usual and has bumped into a whole host of unusually loquacious celebrities, including one W. Axl Rose, who will be waving the chequered flag (not that he seems to know whether this will be at the beginning or end of the race).

Famously, in the dog days of the 1990s, Rose would insist on having arrows on the floor between his 'green room' and the stage so that he would not have to look anyone in the eye...

Front or rear Axl?

We all know Red Bull's pit crew has had some problems with the wheel guns lately. Perhaps now they'll be coming up roses?

W. Axl Rose and the Red Bull pit crew

Photo by: Ronald Vording

STRATEGY CORNER

Pirelli have shared their prognostications for potential tyre strategies – or 'sdradder-gies' as per those dossers in broadcasting who pronounce their 't's as 'd's...

STATS CORNER

Those who care about meaningless statistics will be delighted to know that this is Ferrari's first pole position at the Hungaroring since Sebastian Vettel won from there in 2017.

Not that this counts as any sort of operational intelligence but some people love such gems of knowledge.

TYRE CORNER

And as the tyre covers come off, we see most of the field on mediums - apart from Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly on hards, and Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon on softs.

Leclerc leading comfortably for now

Charles made a clean start and then had less to worry about than he otherwise might into Turn 1, thanks to the internecine battle between the two McLarens.

It's currently Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Alonso, Norris, Bortoleto, Stroll, Verstappen, Lawson and Bearman in the top 10.

Norris passes Alonso for P4 at Turn 1 at the beginning of Lap 3. 

Verstappen has already passed Liam Lawson for P8, now he mugs Lance Stroll up the inside into Turn 6.

BOO FOR BORTOLETO

As Max Verstappen occupies his mirrors, there's more bad news for Gabriel Bortoleto - he's been 'noted' for moving before the lights went out.

HULKENBERG ALSO 'NOTED'

Both Saubers now being examined for startline infractions.

Hulkenberg has been into the pits anyway - straight off those softs and on to mediums. He's now right at the back, 17s off Tsunoda in P19.

Isack Hadjar had an eventful opening lap and is reporting on the radio that his hand has been injured in a gravel strike. He's currently P11.

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Bortoleto has been exonerated

No further investigation into the Bortoleto start.

He's got a busy race on his hands, though. Alonso in front of him has dropped off the leading foursome to the tune of over 7s. Fernando is now leading a veritable conga line of cars - P5 to Tsunoda in P19.

IT IS HE

Leclerc has pulled out a lead of 2.85s over Piastri, who has been informed that the Ferrari seems to be pushing the pace too much... and that other drivers are contemplating a one-stop. Oscar seems un-keen on that.

Norris has set the fastest lap of the race and is now within DRS range of Russell (P3), who is 2.27s off Piastri.

"We need to get past Russell," race engineer Will Joseph tells Norris. Nil defecatum Sherlockium?

VERSTAPPEN TARGETING ONE-STOP?

Interestingly (although we use this word lightly), Max Verstappen has dropped to 1.3s off Bortoleto in that train. Could he be into tyre-management mode for a potential one-stop?

Hulkenberg receives notice of a five-second time penalty for jumping the start. This will displease him since he's almost up to the back of the midfield train.

As we start lap 14, Norris has dropped out of DRS range to Russell to we wonder if some tyre and temperature management is going on, with a view to a potential undercut.

Colapinto pits at the end of lap 13 for him. He emerges on new hard-compound Pirellis - clearly a play by Alpine to pick up track position. He was gaining nothing by being stuck in that train.

Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

Ocon and Albon pit at the end of lap 14 - hards for Ocon, mediums for Albon. Clearly a response to that move by Alpine. They emerge ahead of him in P18 and 19.

Next time around Sainz comes in to get off those softs. He emerges on hards. Net P17 ahead of team-mate Albon.

As we approach the pitstop phase for the leading group, Fernando Alonso has picked up his pace to the tune of over a second a lap!

Verstappen pits at the end of lap 17. On go hards.

Alonso still making progress - catching Norris at eight tenths a lap. Norris says "my tyres are gone".

A McLaren comes into the pits at the end of lap 18 - but it's Piastri! Hard tyres. He emerges between Alonso and Bortoleto, P5 for now. A crunch lap (or two) to make progress while 'introducing' those tyres gently.

A response from Ferrari and Mercedes – their mechanics are out in the pitlane, Leclerc locks his right-front tyres as he approaches the pitlane speed limit line. Russell now arrives in the pitlane. Both of them emrge on hards.

Leclerc emerges just behind Alonso but with Piastri right on his tail.

Replays showing Leclerc locking his new right-front up on his out-lap.

Leclerc passes Alonso for what's currently P2 until Norris pits.

At the current rate of progress, when Norris pits he will almost certainly emerge behind Russell and may also get stuck behind Bortoleto.

Beginning of Lap 22, Piastri DRSs past Alonso into Turn 1.

That chasing pack has really splintered, what with the various pitstops. Bortoleto, Stroll and Lawson - yet to pit - are now lapping in a gaggle. Bearman in P9 is 6s behind Lawson and leading a train of his own - Hadjar, Hamilton, then a 2s gap to Gasly in P12, who has Verstappen on his tail.

Replays on the world TV feed now showing Verstappen pulling off another pass into Turn 6 to claim that 13th place, Nico Hulkenberg the victim.

Leclerc now 9.7s behind Norris so McLaren's options are narrowing. Meanwhile Russell is onto Alonso's tail and making heavy weather of passing the Aston Martin for P4.

George gets by at the beginning of lap 26.

Alonso is clearly 'extending' his first stint, as are the cars behind him - much to the vexation of Verstappen and the Red Bull strategists. Very few other midfield runners took the bait when Verstappen pitted and he's now stuck behind the people running long first stints.

Verstappen gets by Gasly for P12 and his next target is Hamilton's Ferrari.

At the start of lap 28, Norris's advantage to Leclerc is 6.2s. If he pits now he will definitely come out behind Russell, possibly Alonso, but certainly not sixth-placed Bortoleto unless he has a really slow stop.

Leclerc now chuntering on the radio that Ferrari is going to lose this race "because of these things". Whatever they are, they were supposedly discussed before the race.

Verstappen past Hamilton into Turn 4 - it was a 'let me through or we crash' move which cause Hamilton to skitter over the run-off. This will no doubt have the fan community taking up their various cudgels and pitchforks...

The question now is what happens when the Leclerc-Piastri train catches Norris. We're currently on lap 31 and they will be on him at the end of this lap or during the next.