Hungarian GP Takeaways: Red Bull makes history, Ricciardo passes 1st test

Following each race weekend this year, theScore’s editors offer their takeaways. We continue the 2023 schedule with the Hungarian GP.

More history for Red Bull

Domination is a concept embedded in the DNA of Formula 1. Many teams and drivers have ruled over lengthy periods in the sport’s history. But, after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull has elevated the meaning of domination to new levels following its record-breaking 12th consecutive victory.

Red Bull’s run, which dates back to 2022, has now toppled McLaren’s 11 straight wins set in 1988. To appreciate the absurdity of this feat, consider that not even Ferrari during its early 2000s dominance or Mercedes’ reign over the last decade could unseat the legendary 1988 McLaren outfit that saw Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna command the untouchable MP4/4.

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“As a young kid, I remember watching McLaren achieving that feat, and to think we’ve now bettered that,” Red Bull principal Christian Horner said. “It’s something the whole team here in Budapest and behind the scenes in (Milton Keynes) have all worked so hard for, and it will mean so much.”

It’s easy to point at reigning two-time world champion Max Verstappen as the reason for Red Bull’s dominance. After all, Verstappen crossed the checkered flag 33.7 seconds ahead of his closest competitor in Hungary and has collected 10 of the 12 wins. But, the Dutch pilot is just one piece – a big one – of a Red Bull system that might be the best in the sport’s history.

Sergio Perez, who impressively grabbed a podium from P9 on Sunday, is a great wingman to the unflappable Verstappen. But, it’s behind the scenes where Red Bull really excels. Chief technical officer Adrian Newey is regarded as one of the sport’s greatest-ever aerodynamicists and has designed 12 – soon to be 13 – cars that have won driver’s titles. Horner, despite all his gamesmanship in the press, will go down as an all-time team principal after putting Red Bull on pace for its sixth constructor’s crown since 2005. The pit wall – commanded by principal strategy engineer Hannah Schmitz – and pit crew, which orchestrated a stunning 1.9-second stop Sunday – are also irreplaceable assets. There are many more individuals who deserve credit, but it’s clear the Milton Keynes outfit has built an almost flawless team from top to bottom.

Are we witnessing the most dominant team in Formula 1 history? It certainly feels that way, as Red Bull has almost desensitized the sport and its viewers to its constant superiority. Notching 12 straight wins is the team’s biggest achievement to date, but that might change quickly.

Verstappen is on the heels of Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine straight wins after collecting his seventh in a row, and he needs just seven victories to beat his own historic feat of 15 wins in a season. The granddaddy of all accolades, a perfect season, has never been done before, but Red Bull is already halfway there. – Daniel Valente

Ricciardo sets immediate bar over Tsunoda

Now we’re going to find out what Yuki Tsunoda is really made of.

After dominating the head-to-head battle with Nyck de Vries prior to the Dutchman’s sudden ouster from AlphaTauri, Tsunoda immediately played second fiddle to new teammate Daniel Ricciardo in Hungary. The affable Aussie, in his first race since replacing De Vries and returning to the grid, showed his pedigree by outperforming his Japanese peer all weekend. Despite getting tangled up – through no fault of his own – in a first-lap incident that wiped out both Alpine drivers and relegated him to last place, Ricciardo used a monstrous stint on medium tires to eventually fight his way back to a 13th-place finish, the same position in which he qualified.

“I was immediately disappointed (after getting hit by Zhou Guanyu), but then the next thought was, ‘Please don’t have damage, I need to do this race, I need to learn the car,'” Ricciardo explained afterward.

“It was pretty much impossible from the tail of the field to get back anywhere inside the points, but I think we still put on a strong showing,” he added. “I felt good in the car, and that was something that was certainly a question mark (after) not doing it for eight months.”

Tsunoda, meanwhile, crossed the line 15th after starting the race two places lower. With all due respect to De Vries, Ricciardo – in the same machinery – immediately presents a tougher challenge than anything the feisty Japanese driver faced earlier in the year. How he responds will go a long way to determining if the Red Bull prodigy can realize his full potential, or if the 23-year-old will fall by the wayside, like so many before him.

Ricciardo has thrown down the early gauntlet and figures to only get better as the season goes along and he gets more comfortable piloting the AT04. Your move, Yuki. – Gianluca Nesci

Hamilton gives Verstappen, Red Bull a scare

It was only three one-thousandths of a second, but what a time it was.

For the second time all year, a non-Red Bull driver finished fastest in qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton clinching his ninth pole position at the Hungaroring. Sir Lewis now has the most pole positions at any single grand prix ever.

People will talk about Red Bull’s supremacy, and rightfully so, but this also serves as a great time to both look back on how dominant Mercedes was and how quickly it’s gotten its car right this year.

Despite not starting P1, Verstappen ran away with the checkered flag, winning by over 33 seconds. But it’s interesting to note that’s only the largest winning margin since Hamilton put a 53-second gap between himself and second-place Verstappen at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix. Hamilton is already in the conversation as an all-time great, but the 38-year-old still has plenty to offer and is leading the team that sits comfortably in second in the constructors’ standings.

So, not only was Hamilton’s pole position Saturday a declaration to any would-be midfield contender – with Ferrari and Aston Martin really fading – but it was also a shot across the bow for Red Bull in 2024. A win for Mercedes on Sunday feels impossible, but Red Bull surely can’t sweep the entire season, and Mercedes has put itself in as good a position as any to end the streak. The Silver Arrows are figuring it out, and we all know Toto Wolff – who noted he believed the Mercedes was the second-fastest car Sunday despite not finishing on the podium – is incredibly motivated to be the one to scupper Red Bull’s quest for a perfect campaign. – Michael Bradburn

McLaren proves it’s legit

The expectations have officially been set: McLaren must swing with the big teams for the rest of the season.

The Hungaroring, though generally pretty slow, is a demanding track on both the driver and car. And Lando Norris finishing second in consecutive races – and extending a streak of top-four finishes to three races – was a huge development for a team that didn’t look up to the challenge out of the gate.

Perhaps best of all, though, is Oscar Piastri’s arrival. The young Aussie isn’t just playing a key second driver for McLaren, he’s putting pressure on Norris to continue performing. Since claiming the first points of his career in Monaco, Piastri has finished 11th, fourth, 16th, and now fifth. There’s high variance in those results, as you’d expect with any inexperienced driver, but he clearly shows the most poise of any rookie on the grid. In fact, this week, his competition essentially went from De Vries and Logan Sargeant to Ricciardo, whose McLaren seat he took. Piastri can’t look at it this way, but many will measure him against his veteran countryman.

With roughly half the season left, these latest performances have to give the team confidence that it can catch not only Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, but even Aston Martin who continues to struggle after a very hot start carried almost entirely by Fernando Alonso. – Bradburn

New qualifying format is flawed but shows promise

Formula 1 tried a new qualifying format at the Hungarian GP, which limited drivers to the hard tire in Q1, medium in Q2, and soft in Q3. The format had its drawbacks but offers an exciting twist to the session.

Saturday’s session was a can’t-miss event, as the grid shuffled around numerous times until the dust settled at the end of Q3 and Hamilton was rewarded with his first pole since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.

However, that was far from the only surprise.

Each round of qualifying was topped by a non-Red Bull driver. Hamilton topped Q3, while McLaren’s Norris led Q2 and, amazingly, Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu was Q1’s quickest. Meanwhile, George Russell and Carlos Sainz – last year’s Hungarian GP’s front row, finished 18th and 11th, respectively.

Whether the mixed-up grid was a result of certain teams excelling on specific tire compounds is hard to say after just one trial. But, a lack of track running in free practice due to teams trying to conserve tires also can’t be discounted. And that’s exactly where some of the format’s issues were revealed.

In the name of sustainability, Formula 1 drew up this new qualifying format – which is slated to return for Monza – in hopes of reducing the amount of tires used and discarded. Instead of the usual 13 sets, teams were supplied with only 11. With all three compounds required for qualifying, teams had to be mindful of having a fresh set of each. That means less cars on the track in free practice, resulting in less data to compile, which, in turn, leads to an increased opportunity for a mixed-up grid.

While great for the show, it wasn’t so great for those in attendance Friday, who were met with less than the usual amount of action. They weren’t the only ones bothered, as a number of high-profile F1 drivers also came to the fans’ defense.

“Not really a great format, this change that they made for this weekend, it just means we get less running,” Hamilton told Sky Sports on Saturday. “Not ideal, and there’s a lot of wet tires I think they throw away after every weekend, like a lot, maybe they should look at something like that rather than taking time on track away from the fans.”

Verstappen also chimed in: “It’s a shame. There are so many people around and you basically don’t run a lot, so we will have to see what we can do to improve that. We are literally just saving tires, which I think is not the correct thing.”

The new format has some kinks to work out, but it’s a promising concept worth exploring further. – Valente