The Formula 1 paddock returns to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the popular Hungaroring circuit.
Max Verstappen is looking for a seventh grand prix victory in a row at a track where he won last year from 10th on the grid. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season, currently holding a 99-point to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second.
Yet the biggest talking point this weekend is Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid with AlphaTauri. The Australian, dropped by McLaren last year, replaces Nyck de Vries for the remainder of this season and starts at a track where he claimed his second F1 victory in 2014.
Lando Norris will be hoping to back up his strong performance for McLaren at Silverstone two weeks ago, a race where Lewis Hamilton finished third for Mercedes. Hamilton is an eight-time winner in Hungary. On Friday, Charles Leclerc was quickest in second practice after Sergio Perez crashed in first practice.
Follow live updates from the Hungarian GP with The Independent
F1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX – QUALIFYING
What is the new qualifying format this weekend?
14:58 , Kieran Jackson
F1 is trialling a new ‘alternative qualifying format’ this weekend in Hungary. It was originally set to debut in Imola in May but that race was cancelled.
The format is as follows: timings will be the same, but mandatory tyre allocations will not.
Q1 – hard tyre
Q2 – medium tyre
Q3 – soft tyre
Could well spice up the pecking order!
F1 qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE
14:56 , Kieran Jackson
We’re just five minutes away from qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix!
A qualifying session with a difference, too, given the new mandatory tyre allocations. Can anyone topple Max Verstappen?
The Dutchman is eyeing a sixth pole position in a row!
Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top
14:49 , Kieran Jackson
Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo is pondering. This year, a presence in the paddock – but not on the racetrack – has been a curiously flummoxing existence for someone so synonymous with a seat at the 20-man table. In his own words, he has been doing “everything the drivers are doing… other than the driving.” So aside from the obvious of the lights-to-flag racing, what has the Australian found the most difficult about his eight months away from Formula 1?
“I’d say the starting grid on Sunday,” he says, a glint in his eye, a longing for something previous. “I love that feeling before you’re about to race. It’s intense, it’s nerve-racking but it’s awesome. I miss that buzz.”
Well, miss it no longer. The Honey Badger is back. Officially on loan from Red Bull to sister team AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season, Ricciardo last week replaced the axed Nyck de Vries and will be in the cockpit in Hungary this weekend. It represents a lifeline – his lifeline – back into the sport, a carving of an opportunity so desperately craved. In the end, he only missed 10 races.
Full interview below:
Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top
Driver Standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:
14:44 , Kieran Jackson
1) Max Verstappen – 255 points
2) Sergio Perez – 156 points
3) Fernando Alonso – 137 points
4) Lewis Hamilton – 121 points
5) Carlos Sainz – 83 points
6) George Russell – 82 points
7) Charles Leclerc – 74 points
8) Lance Stroll – 44 points
9) Lando Norris – 42 points
10) Esteban Ocon – 31 points
11) Oscar Piastri – 17 points
12) Pierre Gasly – 16 points
13) Alex Albon – 11 points
14) Nico Hulkenberg – 9 points
15) Valtteri Bottas – 5 points
16) Zhou Guanyu – 4 points
17) Yuki Tsunoda – 2 points
18) Kevin Magnussen – 2 points
19) Logan Sargeant – 0 points
20) Nyck de Vries – 0 points
Lewis Hamilton fastest in final practice at Hungarian Grand Prix
14:35 , Kieran Jackson
FP3 REPORT
Lewis Hamilton raised the prospect of springing a surprise pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix after finishing fastest in final practice.
The seven-time world champion ended the concluding one-hour running before qualifying at the Hungaroring 0.250 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Full report below:
Lewis Hamilton fastest in final practice at Hungarian Grand Prix
Nervous, Checo? Sergio Perez crashes in practice as Daniel Ricciardo returns in Hungary
14:25 , Kieran Jackson
Weekend preview by Kieran Jackson
Two practice laps. That’s all it took for Sergio Perez to show – much to his own astonishment – how the Red Bull pendulum has swung ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. From a position of such strength three months ago off the back of two wins in four races, the Mexican’s spot at the runaway leaders in Formula 1 looks to be shrouded in more doubt as the weeks go on.
On Friday, barely five minutes into first practice at the short and twisty Hungaroring in Budapest, Perez inexplicably clipped the grass and crashed heavily into the barrier at turn five. The shunt is a sign of the times.
Full piece below:
Sergio Perez crash in Hungary practice a sign of the times
What is the new qualifying format this weekend?
14:17 , Kieran Jackson
F1 is trialling a new ‘alternative qualifying format’ this weekend in Hungary. It was originally set to debut in Imola in May but that race was cancelled.
The format is as follows: timings will be the same, but tyre allocations will not.
Q1 – hard tyre
Q2 – medium tyre
Q3 – soft tyre
Could well spice up the pecking order!
Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat
13:58 , Kieran Jackson
Analysis by Kieran Jackson
Within the Red Bull ecosystem, encompassing two teams on the Formula 1 grid and the junior team below, there is no doubting who the senior statesman is. When Dr Helmut Marko speaks, people listen. And for Nyck de Vries, the writing has been on the wall for a while now.
Asked after the British Grand Prix whether Red Bull’s ‘third driver’ Daniel Ricciardo could replace De Vries at Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, Marko grinned. A grin which told us everything we need to know. “We’ll have the tyre test next week and then we’ll see,” he stated.
That test, with Ricciardo in the cockpit of Red Bull’s RB19 rocketship for the first time this season, took place on Tuesday morning at Silverstone. Hours later, the Australian’s return to F1 was confirmed.
Full piece below:
Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat
Constructors standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:
13:45 , Kieran Jackson
1) Red Bull – 411 points
2) Mercedes – 203 points
3) Aston Martin – 181 points
4) Ferrari – 157 points
5) McLaren – 59 points
6) Alpine – 47 points
7) Williams – 11 points
8) Haas – 11 points
9) Alfa Romeo – 9 points
10) AlphaTauri – 2 points
Lewis Hamilton fastest in final practice at Hungarian Grand Prix
13:38 , Kieran Jackson
FP3 REPORT
Lewis Hamilton raised the prospect of springing a surprise pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix after finishing fastest in final practice.
The seven-time world champion ended the concluding one-hour running before qualifying at the Hungaroring 0.250 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Full report below:
Lewis Hamilton fastest in final practice at Hungarian Grand Prix
The moment Lando Norris came of age in British Grand Prix – and it wasn’t his super start
13:30 , Kieran Jackson
Comment by Kieran Jackson
At the beginning of the season, a mere 10 races ago, Lando Norris endured an opener of excruciating torment in Bahrain. With his stricken McLaren impacted by a “pneumatic pressure leak”, the Brit valiantly took the chequered flag in dead last after pitting an astonishing six times throughout the race. It was, simply, a shambles.
But that now seems nothing but a distant memory, four months on in the safe haven of the British Isles.
Most observers did not raise an eyebrow when McLaren announced a number of upgrades to their car ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix last week. It is the phase of the season where every team is changing parts in search of that extra tenth or two of speed. Usually, by way of natural progression, the improvement is gradual. Yet out of an abyss of doom to start 2023, the papaya have come storming back into contention.
Full piece below:
The moment Norris came of age in British Grand Prix – and it wasn’t his super start
What is the new qualifying format this weekend?
13:18 , Kieran Jackson
F1 is trialling a new ‘alternative qualifying format’ this weekend in Hungary. It was originally set to debut in Imola in May but that race was cancelled.
The format is as follows: timings will be the same, but tyre allocations will not.
Q1 – hard tyre
Q2 – medium tyre
Q3 – soft tyre
Could well spice up the pecking order!
Toto Wolff on Lewis Hamilton’s new contract:
13:04 , Kieran Jackson
“We haven’t signed it but emotionally we have!”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after FP3:
12:55 , Kieran Jackson
“This tyre format is weird, no one understands where you are. Put on the softs and the grip was very good, Lewis is able to add another two and three tenths.
“George was saying the car was completely transformed with the soft on. A second quicker. We don’t see how we can run it in the race though.
“If teams just drive one tyre in FP1 or FP2, it doesn’t make any sense. You can’t really understand the pecking order. It’s not broken, let’s keep it.
“To a large degree we’re on next year’s car. Slowly but surely everything is transitioning to next year.”
FP3 CLASSIFICATION
12:47 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton a happy man after FP3!
12:39 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton the fastest man in third practice!
12:34 , Kieran Jackson
An encouraging hour for the eight-time winner in Hungary Lewis Hamilton – he’s quickest with a 1:17:811!
Max Verstappen is second, 0.250secs back, with Sergio Perez in third.
Nico Hulkenberg – who has been so impressive for Haas on Saturdays so far this season – is fourth, with Lando Norris fifth.
6-10: Russell, Leclerc, Sainz, Alonso, Bottas
Daniel Ricciardo, incidentally, down in 18th but quicker than his AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in dead-last!
Should make for an interesting qualifying I reckon!
Max Verstappen not happy:
12:30 , Kieran Jackson
“Unbelievable! No f***ing grip!” says Verstappen!
He’s not overly happy out there is the championship leader!
He won’t like being behind Lewis Hamilton either!
Final qualifying simulation runs coming up now…
Lewis Hamilton quickest in FP3!
12:27 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton goes fastest with a 1:17:811 on soft tyres for Mercedes!
Max Verstappen is 0.250 secs back for Red Bull in second, with Sergio Perez in third.
4-10: Norris, Russell, Alonso, Bottas, Stroll, Zhou, Albon
10 minutes to go… and both Ferraris are in the bottom-three!
Alfa Romeo now towards the top of the standings
12:03 , Kieran Jackson
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are second and third respectively after half-an-hour!
Bottas is just 0.011 secs off Verstappen’s leading time of 1:18:478.
Zhou is 0.066 secs off Verstappen, with Lando Norris in fourth and Sergio Perez fifth.
“Just randomly lost the rear there,” Verstappen said. That’ll be the wind, Max….
Lewis Hamilton down in 10th for the time being, with George Russell in 14th.
McLaren look quick again!
11:49 , Kieran Jackson
Oscar Piastri has just put in a belter of a lap, going third – 0.471 secs off Verstappen‘s leading time of 1:18:478.
Esteban Ocon goes fourth, with Lando Norris in fifth.
6-10: Gasly, Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton, Alonso
20 minutes gone in FP3…
Max Verstappen top of the timesheet early on
11:40 , Kieran Jackson
After finishing an odd 11th place in second practice on Friday, Max Verstappen is back where he belongs here – top of the timesheets in FP3 early on with a 1:18:478 on mediums, with Sergio Perez setting the exactly the same time in second!
Charles Leclerc is third for Ferrari, with Lance Stroll fourth and Alex Albon fifth.
“I think I’m struggling with the wind,” says Carlos Sainz on what is clearly a gusty day.
Both Mercedes and McLaren drivers yet to leave the pits after the first 10 minutes…
FP3 underway!
11:34 , Kieran Jackson
It’s a stunning day in Budapest as we get underway with third practice!
Daniel Ricciardo among one of the first drivers out on track in the Hungarian capital…
FP3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE
11:28 , Kieran Jackson
We’re just a few minutes away from the third and final hour of practice at the Hungaroring!
It was a tough day to read on Friday, with the first practice a washout and FP2 producing a mixed-up leaderboard – what will Saturday morning bring?
Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing: ‘That’s how Red Bull work’
11:19 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton has criticised Red Bull’s decision to axe Nyck De Vries after just 10 races.
Daniel Ricciardo has been handed a second chance in Formula One, replacing De Vries at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri for the concluding dozen rounds of the year, starting at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
De Vries, 28, crashed on multiple occasions and failed to score a single point, with a best finish of 12th in Monaco, before he was handed his marching orders by Red Bull’s ruthless motorsport adviser Helmut Marko 48 hours after he finished 17th and last at the British Grand Prix.
“I am not surprised to see Daniel back but I was surprised to see the decision they took for poor Nyck,” said Hamilton at the Hungaroring.
‘That’s how Red Bull work’: Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing
Constructors standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:
11:09 , Kieran Jackson
1) Red Bull – 411 points
2) Mercedes – 203 points
3) Aston Martin – 181 points
4) Ferrari – 157 points
5) McLaren – 59 points
6) Alpine – 47 points
7) Williams – 11 points
8) Haas – 11 points
9) Alfa Romeo – 9 points
10) AlphaTauri – 2 points
Sebastian Vettel hints at return to F1: ‘I have some ideas’
10:58 , Kieran Jackson
Sebastian Vettel revealed he “has some ideas” about a return to Formula 1 in some capacity in the future.
The 36-year-old retired from the sport after the 2022 season, leaving a lasting legacy with his four championship triumphs with Red Bull from 2010-2013.
The German, who also raced for Ferrari and Aston Martin, is a climate change activist and campaigner and regularly spoke out about environmental issues towards the end of his career. Now, Vettel admits that he would be open to a return to F1 down the line, hinting that the sport’s sustainability could be a potential avenue.
Full quotes below:
Sebastian Vettel hints at return to F1: ‘I have some ideas’
Christian Horner responds to Red Bull-cost cap punishment accusations:
10:43 , Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top
10:30 , Kieran Jackson
Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo is pondering. This year, a presence in the paddock – but not on the racetrack – has been a curiously flummoxing existence for someone so synonymous with a seat at the 20-man table. In his own words, he has been doing “everything the drivers are doing… other than the driving.” So aside from the obvious of the lights-to-flag racing, what has the Australian found the most difficult about his eight months away from Formula 1?
“I’d say the starting grid on Sunday,” he says, a glint in his eye, a longing for something previous. “I love that feeling before you’re about to race. It’s intense, it’s nerve-racking but it’s awesome. I miss that buzz.”
Well, miss it no longer. The Honey Badger is back. Officially on loan from Red Bull to sister team AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season, Ricciardo last week replaced the axed Nyck de Vries and will be in the cockpit in Hungary this weekend. It represents a lifeline – his lifeline – back into the sport, a carving of an opportunity so desperately craved. In the end, he only missed 10 races.
Full interview below:
Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top
Driver Standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:
10:27 , Kieran Jackson
1) Max Verstappen – 255 points
2) Sergio Perez – 156 points
3) Fernando Alonso – 137 points
4) Lewis Hamilton – 121 points
5) Carlos Sainz – 83 points
6) George Russell – 82 points
7) Charles Leclerc – 74 points
8) Lance Stroll – 44 points
9) Lando Norris – 42 points
10) Esteban Ocon – 31 points
11) Oscar Piastri – 17 points
12) Pierre Gasly – 16 points
13) Alex Albon – 11 points
14) Nico Hulkenberg – 9 points
15) Valtteri Bottas – 5 points
16) Zhou Guanyu – 4 points
17) Yuki Tsunoda – 2 points
18) Kevin Magnussen – 2 points
19) Logan Sargeant – 0 points
20) Nyck de Vries – 0 points
Nervous, Checo? Sergio Perez crashes in practice as Daniel Ricciardo returns in Hungary
10:24 , Kieran Jackson
Weekend preview by Kieran Jackson
Two practice laps. That’s all it took for Sergio Perez to show – much to his own astonishment – how the Red Bull pendulum has swung ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. From a position of such strength three months ago off the back of two wins in four races, the Mexican’s spot at the runaway leaders in Formula 1 looks to be shrouded in more doubt as the weeks go on.
On Friday, barely five minutes into first practice at the short and twisty Hungaroring in Budapest, Perez inexplicably clipped the grass and crashed heavily into the barrier at turn five. The shunt is a sign of the times.
Full piece below:
Sergio Perez crash in Hungary practice a sign of the times
F1 qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE
10:22 , Kieran Jackson
The Formula 1 paddock returns to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the popular Hungaroring circuit.
Max Verstappen is looking for a seventh grand prix victory in a row at a track where he won last year from 10th on the grid. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season, currently holding a 99-point to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second.
Yet the biggest talking point this weekend is Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid with AlphaTauri. The Australian, dropped by McLaren last year, replaces Nyck de Vries for the remainder of this season and starts at a track where he claimed his second F1 victory in 2014.
Lando Norris will be hoping to back up his strong performance for McLaren at Silverstone two weeks ago, a race where Lewis Hamilton finished third for Mercedes. Hamilton is an eight-time winner in Hungary.
FP1 starts at 11:30pm; qualifying is at 3pm (BST).
