The main race of the 2024 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix has come to a close. On July 22, 2024, Beijing time, McLaren Team emerged as the big winner of the event, occupying the top two spots in the starting grid. Towards the end of the race, they strategically swapped the positions of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, making history as the first-ever F1 race win by drivers born in the 2000s.
Starting from second position, Oscar Piastri led the race throughout, showcasing the consistent performance of the McLaren Team this season. Although McLaren initially struggled to match the pace of Ferrari and Red Bull at the beginning of the season, they have successfully surpassed Red Bull after several recent European races. The battle for the championship between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen is heating up, with Norris displaying some frustration as he supported Piastri's overtaking move. Meanwhile, Norris remains hopeful of emerging victorious in the championship race, despite potentially losing a few crucial points through his strategic sacrifice. Lewis Hamilton, who celebrated his 200th podium finish with consecutive podiums in the last two races, will embark on a new chapter next season, donning the Ferrari colors alongside Charles Leclerc.
An overtaking maneuver by Hamilton with 13 laps remaining in the race caused a malfunction in Verstappen's car, severely damaging his front wing and forcing him to pit for repairs. This allowed Leclerc to overtake him on track, with Hamilton's assist ultimately helping Leclerc finish fourth in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz's performance was disappointing, starting in fourth position but ending up in sixth place, while Ferrari's pit strategy also raised some questions.
The most outstanding performance of the race came from Sergio Pérez, who started from 16th place and managed to finish seventh despite failing to qualify for Q2. In contrast, Zhou Guanyu had a relatively poor performance, finishing 19th, while Valtteri Bottas started 16th, leaving Alfa Romeo without any points in this race. Zhou's disappointing performance makes it unlikely that he will secure a contract with a new team for the upcoming season, despite the strong Chinese market behind him.
