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Formula 1
Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton starts from a record-breaking ninth pole position at the Hungarian GP, having beaten Max Verstappen by 0.003s in a dramatic qualifying on Saturday.
It is an all-McLaren second row with Lando Norris third and Oscar Piastri fourth to cement the team’s drastic improvements in recent rounds, while Zhou Guanyu recorded the best qualifying result of his F1 career in fifth.
Further back Sergio Perez will attack from ninth place, while Carlos Sainz in 11th and George Russell in 18th will also be aiming to climb the order after a disappointing qualifying.
Daniel Ricciardo makes his F1 race return starting 13th for AlphaTauri, after replacing Nyck de Vries for the rest of the season coming into this weekend.
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Pit stop
A lap later Perez pits, swapping hards for mediums, and the Mexican comes out between the Ferraris in seventh, behind Sainz but ahead of Leclerc.
Another who has lost out by pitting later is Hulkenberg, who has fallen back to 14th after his stop. Alonso meanwhile is informed that Stroll will let him through when the Spaniard gets to within DRS range.
Pit stop
Verstappen is told to pit at the end of lap 23, going from the mediums to the hards, and retains the lead. It is all going swimmingly for the world champion so far.
Stopwatch
Norris is lighting up the times now with a fastest lap of 1m23.499s - half a second faster than Piastri - while the Australian is told to take care of his tyres.
Alonso is doggedly pursuing Bottas. His tyres are 12 laps fresher and he easily executes a cutback move exiting Turn 1 to latch onto Stroll's tail.
Pit stop
At the end of lap 20 Alonso pits, ditching his mediums for hards, and comes out behind Stroll and Bottas in 11th.
All that shaking about means that, for now, it is a Red Bull 1-2 with Verstappen a comfortable 21.3s ahead of Perez. Alonso is up to third as he is also yet to serve a pitstop.
Ricciardo comes in for his first live pitstop for the Faenza team since 2013 and rejoins at the back. Meanwhile Leclerc deprives Stroll of ninth with a neat move into Turn 2.
Pit stop
The pitstop wave continues as Piastri takes his turn down the pitlane. It is a rapid 2.0s stop for the Australian but it isn't enough and Norris gets the undercut nailed to move ahead.
Pit stop
Sluggish stops seem to be afflicting several teams today. Leclerc's left-rear is the latest victim. His stop is 9.4 seconds and that drops him behind Stroll.
Pit stop
McLaren responds on the next lap and pits Norris, it is a speedy stop of 2.3s, and it gets him back out ahead of Russell (yet to pit) and Hamilton.
Pit stop
Next time around Hamilton pits to ditch his mediums for hards and comes out in eighth just ahead of Ricciardo.
Sainz timed that stop well. Had he left it too much longer he would have been at risk of dropping behind Stroll, the first of the stoppers group.
Pit stop
Sainz duly pits at the end of lap 15 to trade his softs for hards and he comes out in 11th.
Perez has latched on to the rear of Sainz, who becomes his own race strategist and says he will pit if the Mexican gets closer to him.
Pit stop
Magnussen is the latest driver from the midfield pack to bail and call for tyres. He rejoins ahead only of Sargeant.
Piastri is told he can up his pace having successfully achieved his tyre management phase. Not the most sexy of updates but for McLaren's race it will be critical when trying to keep ahead of Hamilton.
Pit stop
Ricciardo remains at the back of the queue of the drivers yet to stop. But he moves up a place to 12th as Sargeant comes in, the Williams rookie dropping to the back of the pack.
Verstappen's lead has expanded to 4.8s over Piastri on lap 13, while behind them nobody is making too many inroads to the gaps to those ahead.
Bottas sets the fastest lap on his fresh hard tyres. But pitting on the same lap as Stroll, who had the soft tyres, doesn't appear to have worked as he's still stuck behind the Aston.
Quote
"Switch position Sierra," Sainz is told over team radio. "I think it is too early," is Sainz's reply. That sounds like a steering wheel switch request rather than the position change.
A delay in changing the left-front was costly there for Tsunoda, while Zhou also has a sluggish stop at 9.7s to take on hards.
Pit stop
Stroll, Tsunoda and Bottas immediately respond on lap 10. It's a slow stop for Tsunoda, who loses out to Bottas and also to Albon. All three take hards.
Perez's next task will be to catch the two Ferraris, which will add another headache for the Italian squad with Sainz, on softs, stuck behind team-mate Leclerc on mediums.
Pit stop
Albon has ducked into the pits to trade his mediums for hard tyres. Lap nine is fairly early doors to make a stop. Does Williams have a strategy ploy up its sleeve?
Alonso held Perez off gallantly, but could do little to resist the Red Bull using DRS into Turn 1 as the Mexican moves up to seventh.
Verstappen is doing Verstappen things, as he inching away from Piastri at the front. The gap is up to 2.4s on lap eight and this race is really falling into his hands.
Bottas's recovery may be helped by deteriorating tyres on the two cars immediately in front of them. The start chaos and strong launches on soft rubber have propelled Stroll to 10th and Tsunoda to 11th from 14th and 17th respectively, but they'll start to feel the effects of this hot weather sooner than others.
All of a sudden the gaps are expanding to over a second between all of the frontrunners, and we suspect a lot of tyre conservation is already under way. Could any of them try to target a one-stopper?
Another driver to get a tardy start was Bottas, although perhaps not helped by having to immediately jink around his team-mate off the line. He's dropped from seventh to 12th and is in the train of cars bottled up behind Alonso.
Perez is piling the pressure on Alonso for seventh place. The Aston has medium tyres, the Red Bull hard tyres remember. Will DRS make the difference? Alonso has form for stout defending at the Hungaroring though - remember his role in helping Ocon's win in 2021?
Not only did Zhou get a tardy start, but he was the trigger for the first corner mayhem. He punts Ricciardo into Ocon, who then got sideways and was powerless to avoid a fast-starting Gasly. Ocon rode over the his team-mate's sidepod before coming to a rest. Ricciardo was delayed by all that too and runs last.
Stopwatch
Hamilton apologises for his sluggish start over team radio but is reminded it'll be a long hot race ahead. Verstappen's 1m24.542s extends his lead to 1.6s at the start of the fifth lap.
Pit stop
Ocon into the pits too. "Think this is going to be terminal," is the message over the radio to the 2021 winner. Nightmare start for Alpine.
Verstappen must have been dreaming of that start last night, he's already over a second clear of Piastri with Hamilton stuck behind both McLarens at the end of lap two.
Pit stop
Gasly pits with heavy damage to the right-hand sidepod and no rubber left on his right-rear tyre. Game over.
After his brilliant qualifying it was a terrible opening lap for Zhou, who drops from fifth to 16th. Russell meanwhile has moved up five positions to 13th on the hard tyres.
Verstappen leads from Piastri and Norris, then it is Hamilton who has both Ferraris behind him. Sainz made a mega start on the softs going from 11th to sixth on the first lap.
Crash
There's carnage in the midpack at Turn 1 with both Alpines taking damage.
Lights green
Here we go! Verstappen leads into Turn 1 and then both McLarens charge by Hamilton to push him to fourth!
By: Autosport Staff
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