2023 Hungarian Grand Prix Takeaways
The 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix offered quality moments once again. It was a record-breaking day for Red Bull, a standout performance from a potential champion, and an opening lap that turned everything around for one team. Nitrobetting shares a recap of last weekend’s action and memorable storylines while the grid prepares for the next checkered flag in Belgium.
Key Takeaways from the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
Sergio Perez's weekend had the worst possible start but he finished with a podium
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 25, 2023
The Red Bull driver says "consistency" is the target moving forwards#HungarianGP #F1 https://t.co/EHjIXLbJ5h
Red Bull Breaking Records
Red Bull keeps getting better as the season progresses. For all the excitement following Lewis Hamilton’s pole, many suggested that Red Bull was about to peak while Mercedes continued to work their way up. But, the reality is victory was never out of the picture. Remember that Verstappen won from P10 on the grid in Hungary last year.
The defending champion quickly gained P1 in the first lap, and after his final stop was at times over a second-and-a-half quicker than anyone else on the grid. Don’t expect Red Bull’s dominance to end anytime soon. In fact, we are yet to see the RB19 uncaged–but even the current version is enough to top the pack. By the end of the 70-lap race, Maz was over half a minute faster than second-place driver Lando Norris. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez improved on his previous result at Silverstone and produced a podium finish last weekend at P3. The former Racing Point driver needed a good drive, and he delivered.
Furthermore, the constructor just broke a record after scoring 12 consecutive wins. This eclipses the McLaren MP4/4’s achievements. The car is bulletproof and nearly unbeatable on various track layouts. Ultimately, a narrative that doesn’t have Red Bull on top of every race this season makes for a bigger surprise than them doing so.
McLaren’s Upswing
Lando Norris proves he is an elite Formula 1 driver. He grows better and better with each race. The 23-year-old singlehandedly won eight of Mclaren’s 11 podium finishes since joining the constructor. He is synonymous with the current Zak Brown era of the Surrey-based team.
Norris spent most of the weekend downplaying his team’s hopes of another podium finish in the wake of his P2 win at Silverstone. Their past results might not have translated well in a track like the Hungaroring. Nevertheless, the MCL60 and Norris composed a remarkable step forward. Norris is now on a bullish trend and is in a position to improve his results as the second half of the campaign approaches.
His talent was on full display yesterday. Norris recovered from losing out at Turn 1 to pick off seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. And though it was a move that helped him Oscar Piastri, that was the ideal move for McLaren as second place wouldn’t have stuck for Piastri otherwise.
Entering Austria with only 17 points to boot, McLaren multiplied its points by over four times in three races since. This impressive turnaround feels like a genuine narrative in their incremental progress. Despite Red Bull still being out of reach, the orange cars skyrocketed from barely seeing the cars fight for midfield positions to the front of the pack. The personnel changes and upgrades clearly paid off and made the constructor showcase its potential in recent weeks.
Alpine Disaster… Again
Alpine is again at the receiving end of bad luck. Both Ocon and Gasly made decent getaways from the line, with the first-year Alpine driver trying a sneaky move around the outside of Turn 1. It was a solid maneuver until Zhou hit Ricciardo and the French pair were collateral damage. For Ricciardo to hit Ocon was unavoidable, but for the crash to find Gasly is a prime example of bad luck and timing.
In an interview, Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer said: “There was a concertina effect with one car hitting another leading to our two cars coming together in an unavoidable circumstance. Right now, it’s a bitter feeling for all of us, a tough one to take, but we must keep our heads down and bounce back.”
We have reason to believe that Alpine’s morale is at rock bottom now. But, this is how motorsports is. They have new upgrades to look forward to in Spa this weekend and hope to come close to rivals McLaren.
Before Australia, Alpine was way ahead of McLaren in the Constructor standings, 44 to 17. Three races later, the board reads 87 to 47 in favor of the papaya cars.
Where to Bet on F1 with Crypto
Formula 1 features a continuously growing betting market for veteran and novice punters. Motorsport lovers will get a kick out of our F1 odds selection, which features Drivers and Constructors’ Championship futures and outright winners of each Grand Prix.
Feel free to browse sports betting guides. While you are at it, go ahead and check out all the latest F1 betting odds and more in our online crypto sportsbook.
*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.
