There is a good chance that we will see a team other than Mercedes take the race victory this weekend, as we find ourselves at the Hungarian Grand Prix, an event which Mercedes has only one once. Luck was not on Lewis Hamilton’s side, as Nico Rosberg took the pole position.
The Hungarian Grand Prix will be held at the Hungaroring, as it has been for every year that it has been included in the Formula One World Championship. Overtaking is quite difficult, due to the twists and turns of the circuit, making starting position very important. The circuit is underused during the rest of the year, only hosting F1 and WTCC events. The circuit has been renovated, including some new kerbs and a new electronic track limits system for the FIA to use to monitor and enforce track limits violations.
Mercedes has locked out the front row of the grid, once again in 2016, but they may not be able to achieve a 1-2 finish this time. This is not a circuit that has given the Silver Arrows much luck in the past. Last season, the teammates locked out the front row of the grid, but found themselves in the bottom half of the points at the end, after many issues for the team. In 2014, Rosberg was on pole, but dropped to fourth position at the end, behind his teammate, who had to start from the pit lane after qualifying troubles. This year’s race could bring some issues for the team again and could allow one of their other main rivals take a race victory. If I had to pick a Mercedes driver to win, I would say that Hamilton’s chances are better, given the fact that he has won four times at this circuit.
But I don’t think that a Mercedes will win the race. Instead, I think that Red Bull may be the scene for the team’s second race victory in 2016… and more specifically, the second career victory for Max Verstappen. Red Bull is a strong favourite to win here in Hungary and it is a circuit that suits their cars. With both Red Bulls starting alongside each other, it will be very important to see which driver ends up in front after the first corner. However, even if Verstappen is beaten by Daniel Ricciardo, he may still have a strong chance to overtake his teammate and eventually take the race victory, given the Australian has certainly not been on top of his game so far this season.
Red Bull won’t have an easy victory though; they will have Ferrari close behind. The Italian mega-team is under pressure to get their first race victory this season and return the team to their former glory and dominance, which they witnessed in the early 2000’s, with Michael Schumacher on the team. This season was supposed to be Ferrari’s season to provide some serious competition to Mercedes, but so far this season that has not been the case and their time is running out. Rumors of a team meeting with the Ferrari president suggests that the pressure is high within the team and a race victory would be vital to the current team leaders. However, it may be an impossible task to achieve victory in Hungary, given that the team is falling behind on research and development, compared to their main rivals.
Mercedes may not want to win this race, as statistics show that the past 11 winners of the Hungarian Grand Prix did not go on to win the World Drivers’ Championship in their respective year. Maybe it might be better if the Mercedes teammates slow down and let another driver take the victory.
