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Oscar Piastri returns to the Hungarian Grand Prix aiming to extend his 16-point lead over McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Piastri has six wins this year.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren. (Picture credit: AFP)
Oscar Piastri returns to the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, the site of his first victory, aiming to extend his lead in the title race over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
The 24-year-old Australian, with six wins from 13 races this year, currently holds a 16-point lead over Norris. Despite this advantage, he remains cautious of the challenges ahead.
“I’m looking forward to going back to where I had my first win,” said Piastri. “It’s a great city and a cool track and a fun weekend so it will be nice, but once we are in the cars and out on track all that will be forgotten.”
Last year’s victory came with assistance from team orders. Piastri initially took the lead from pole-sitter Norris but fell behind during the pit stops. McLaren instructed Norris to relinquish the position, handing Piastri his maiden triumph, much to Norris’s discontent.
This time, Norris is determined to secure victory independently, aiming to reduce Piastri’s lead. In Belgium, where Piastri overtook him following a rolling start on a rain-affected track, Norris has shown inconsistency compared to the steady performance of the metronomic Melburnian. Norris’s minor mistakes have been highlighted, while the composed Piastri rarely errs.
A similar scenario could unfold this weekend, with McLaren dominant after securing 10 wins and aiming for their 200th win before Formula One’s summer break.
Following the high-speed and rain-stricken Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes forest, the Hungaroring, located 25km north of Budapest, presents a very different challenge. This sinuous and slow track, with one straight dubbed “Monaco without the barriers,” offers contrasting weather conditions with warm, sunny conditions expected, although thunderstorms threaten to add complexity.
The race joined the world championship calendar in 1986 when venturing behind the Iron Curtain into eastern Europe was still considered adventurous. However, the first Hungarian Grand Prix was held 50 years earlier in Nepliget, a Budapest park.
Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, in dire need of a podium finish after a disappointing Belgian experience, has won a record eight times at the Hungaroring and achieved a record nine poles. This could be his chance to secure his first Ferrari podium and alleviate some pressure on the Maranello team.
The track is known for surprising winners, often granting maiden triumphs, and is fondly remembered by Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin. Alonso was 22 when he became the youngest driver to take pole and win a Grand Prix in 2003.
He followed this with a drivers’ title two years later, becoming the sport’s youngest world champion at a venue where Briton Nigel Mansell clinched the title in 1992.
This weekend marks Alonso’s record 22nd contest in Hungary. Four-time champion Max Verstappen is set to start his 200th race for Red Bull. The Dutchman won in 2022 and 2023, but his dominance has waned with Laurent Mekies at the helm for the second race weekend following Christian Horner’s dismissal.
With AFP Inputs
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Budapest, Hungary
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