Was Hamilton's Hungary solo start a good or bad look for F1?

Formula 1 is fond of changing its rules. At the end of this year, essentially the entirety of the car design regulations are being altered in a bid to encourage closer, more unpredictable racing.

The aim is for thrilling battles such as Fernando Alonso versus Lewis Hamilton at Budapest last weekend to become the norm rather than the exceptional exception. A lofty aim, so brace for the results perhaps not being so spectacular…

But that is a topic to discuss another day (probably the day of the 2022 season-opener), as last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix produced another rule-focused talking point to highlight. This one also concerned Hamilton – specifically, his solo grid start following the red flag early in the race eventually joyfully won by Esteban Ocon.

F1’s rules were tweaked – after a fair bit of toing-and-froing – for 2017 to allow for standing starts to take place if races began with exploratory laps behind the safety car in wet conditions, and then a year later there was an added update that once again allowed for additional standing starts if a race was red-flagged (this had last been done in 2001).

The 2020 Italian GP restart was the first such reoccurrence of the standing restart rule, and it has happened five times since then (although not at the 2021 Emilia Romagna race, where a dry line only on the right-hand side of the grid meant the FIA used its discretion to apply a rolling safety car restart that Max Verstappen so nearly blew).

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12 runs wide from Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B at the restart of the race

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

This rule tweaking has been something of a success given the drama of Hamilton going off in Baku (above) or Charles Leclerc roaring clear towards a shock near-win at Silverstone last month. Only George Russell might regret the 2020 Tuscan GP needing two restarts given a poor third standing start there cost him what would’ve been his first points for Williams (and in F1) 19 races before they came so emotionally for the Briton and Nicholas Latifi last weekend.

PLUS: Why unseen Hungary heroics could be the making of F1's most overlooked driver

But in Hungary, the standing restart took a rather shocking twist given the dry-to-wet circumstances of the race.

“Once the last car was in pitlane, the start signal would have been initiated. Then once that went off, the green light at pit exit would have come on and it would have been the order from pitlane exit” Michael Masi

Unlike in Germany 2019 (which was also a wet start after an initial safety car start, so not a red flag-following standing start – a subtly different distinction we appreciate), the conditions had changed so much with the fierce sunshine emerging during the 30-minute red flag following Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll getting things so wrong in separate incidents at Turn 1 that the drivers needed to swap their intermediates for slicks. And fast.

That led to 14 of the remaining 15 runners piling into the pits and leaving Hamilton taking to the grid alone.

“Loads of people [have] come into the pitlane already,” he reported to Mercedes.

“Roger, we think this is the right one”, replied Peter Bonnington.

George Russell, Williams Racing FW43B

Photo by: Williams

The pack had played things cautiously by refitting inters for the restart time in the pitlane, which surprised Mercedes. But with the drivers able to discuss tactics with their engineers on the lap out of the pits behind the safety car, as opposed to the formation lap, where this is banned – somewhat controversially given the tedious penalties given to the Haas drivers in similar circumstances at this same event in 2020 – bold calls could be made.

And they were, en masse. But they weren’t easy, with Ocon calling it “heart-breaking”, knowing his was risking brilliant and unexpected track position at a venue where overtaking is tough if it didn’t work out with a poor stop or being caught waiting for cars to pass after he’d been serviced.

PLUS: The “heart-breaking” call that led to Ocon’s Hungarian GP triumph

Had Hamilton come in as well, here’s what would’ve happened.

“Once the last car was in pitlane, the start signal would have been initiated,” according to F1 race director, Michael Masi. “Then once that went off, the green light at pit exit would have come on and it would have been the order from pitlane exit.”

“Christian [Bryll, F1’s official race starter] would have activated the start lights, as per normal once the last car was in pitlane. The start lights would have been activated, five red lights, red lights go out, once the red lights have gone out the pit exit would have opened. It would be irrespective [of the pit stops taking place], because effectively the race from our side, or the resumption, hasn't recommenced until that point.”

Mercedes maintained its decision to leave Hamilton out was “100% the right decision”, per team boss Toto Wolff. And this is because the squad’s position at the start of the pitlane would’ve left it vulnerable to Hamilton having to wait for cars to pass once he’d been serviced.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

This is a logical defence, but Mercedes’s own calculations reckoned he would’ve lined up sixth in the queue – likely aided by Alonso appearing to back off to create a gap to allow Ocon to have left the Alpine pitbox before he arrived. Yet sixth is far better than the 14th and 3.4s seconds off 13th – where Hamilton found himself once he’d done his sole and solo full racing lap on the inters.

In terms of having Hamilton take the start solo and F1’s image, from one perspective, it did look extremely odd – to the point of being pretty silly. But it was also thoroughly excellent entertainment in the moment and set the scene for the rest of the race. Ocon was established up front with the pursuing Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton had to race back from the very rear of the field.

Preventing drivers from switching tyres in circumstances such as the restart would regulate-away legendary F1 moments such as Spyker’s Markus Winkelhock and Nurburgring 2007

Had he rejoined in front of Alonso in the queue, logic dictates that Hamilton would've won this race, and probably with ease (although he likely would’ve still needed the aggressive two-stop call or to have created a tyre-life offset against his remaining rivals up ahead given the Hungaroring’s tight nature meant his early passes on Antonio Giovinazzi and Mick Schumacher weren’t simple).

Plus, preventing drivers from switching tyres in circumstances such as the restart last Sunday would regulate-away legendary F1 moments such as Spyker’s Markus Winkelhock and Nurburgring 2007, as was called to mind this time last year with the penalties for the Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.

There almost certainly needs to be a wider safety review of all the cars and crews crowding the pitlane at the same time, as the Alfa/Haas crash involving Kimi Raikkonen and Nikita Mazepin was potentially very dangerous, and was disastrous for the Russian as it put him out through no fault of his own (and it held up Pierre Gasly too).

But, overall, the sight of a world champion taking the start solo will go down as a famous F1 image and it produced a brilliant race that might otherwise have been a damp squib.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images