Why unseen Hungary heroics could be the making of F1's most overlooked driver
The chaotic start to the Hungarian GP set the scene for F1's less heralded drivers to make a name for themselves. Esteban Ocon did just that to win in fine style, but further down the order one driver was making his first visit to the points and - while the circumstances were fortunate - took full advantage of the chance presented to him
If you’d bet on Nicholas Latifi finishing the Hungarian Grand Prix in seventh, ahead of team-mate George Russell and pre-event points leader Max Verstappen on the road, you’d have raked in the cash from a set of presumably long odds. Those odds would be longer still, had one bet on a driver who had never previously scored points running in third for a very healthy portion of the race, in which he kept the likes of Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz Jr at bay.
Latifi rose to the occasion presented by the pre-race drizzle peppering the Hungaroring circuit and proved to be even more opportunistic following Bottas’ trip to Hollywood Bowl at the start of the race. Once he’d stuck to the inside line and slipped past the chaos in front of him, he sat in sixth place prior to the stewards waving the red flag to put a pin in proceedings.
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