Mercedes will be aiming a hat-trick at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, as Lewis Hamilton returns to a track where he has won a record eight times and claimed pole position last year. The idea of Mercedes being in a position to win anything, let alone three races in a row, after a 2023 season dominated by Red Bull and Max Verstappen had looked like wishful thinking back in March. It’s true today, though, when George Russell won in Austria and his seven-time champion teammate Hamilton won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for a record ninth win.
I love Hungary, Hamilton admitted after his emotional home win, which left him in tears. So, yeah, I am really looking forward to that, to go in there, but just also the trajectory we’re on and the fact, you know, the car is starting to really come alive and feel great, the British driver added.
Hamilton won in Hungary with McLaren in his rookie season in 2007 and repeated the feat in 2009 and 2012 before moving to Mercedes, where he won in 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. A top-three finish this weekend would be his 200th podium, and another pole would be his 10th on the circuit. Russell took his first F1 pole in Hungary in 2022, finishing third behind Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Mercedes has claimed the last four pole positions in Hungary, a slow circuit known as ‘Monaco without the walls’ where overtaking is difficult and qualifying is extremely important. The reality is that triple champion Verstappen has won the previous two editions and is chasing his own Hungarian hat-trick to avoid Red Bull’s longest winless streak since 2021 when he was competing with Hamilton for the title. Mercedes is already the first team since Ferrari in 2022 to beat Red Bull twice in a row.
We had a brilliant race in Hungary last year and have good memories here as we achieved a record 12 wins in a row, Verstappen said. Hopefully, we can have a great race again this year and achieve another good team result, added the Dutch driver, who is now 84 points clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris after 12 of 24 races.
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez sorely needs a solid and clean weekend after bagging only 15 points in the last six races, and his future at the club is being put into question despite signing a new contract only last month.
