IN A DRAMA-FUELLED RACE, IN EXTREMELY WET AND SLIPPERY CONDITIONS, ALPINE’S ESTEBAN OCON CLAIMED HIS MAIDEN WIN AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX 2021 AFTER WITHSTANDING PRESSURE FROM SEBASTIAN VETTEL FOR MUCH OF THE RACE! (THIS WAS ALSO ALPINE’S DEBUT WIN!)
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX 2021
EARLY INTO THE RACE ON TURN ONE, VALTTERI BOTTAS MADE CONTACT WITH THE BACK OF LANDO NORRIS’S CAR (PERHAPS BECAUSE OF THE SLIPPERY CONDITIONS, AND VALTTERI BEING UNABLE TO BREAK IN TIME.) VALTTERI LOST CONTROL, AND SLID ACROSS THE TRACK, TAKING OUT RED BULL’S SERGIO PEREZ WITH HIM.
IN THE MEANTIME, LANDO NORRIS CRASHED INTO MAX VERSTAPPEN AND LANCE STROLL AND CHARLES LECLERC ALSO CRASHED, WHICH RESULTED IN THEIR RETIREMENT AS THEIR CARS WERE SO BADLY DAMAGED, PLUS ALSO THE RETIREMENT OF SERGIO PEREZ, AND VALTTERI BOTTAS FROM THE RACE FOR THE SAME REASON.
THE SAFETY CAR CAME OUT, AND THE RED FLAG WAS RAISED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS BECAUSE OF THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF DEBRIS ON THE TRACK, AND ALL OF THE CARS WENT BACK TO THE PIT-LANE. THE TEAMS OF THE DAMAGED CARS THEN WENT TO WORK ON FIXING THE CARS. LANDO NORRIS’S CAR HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE LEFT-HAND REAR SIDE OF THE FLOOR OF HIS CAR, WHICH WAS SADLY IRREPERABLE, AND THEREFORE MCLAREN NEEDED TO RETIRE HIS CAR UNDER THE RED FLAG.
MAX VERSTAPPEN’S CAR BEING RE-BUILT IN HUNGARY
MAX VERSTAPPEN’S RED BULL WAS PATCHED UP, AND HE WENT BACK INTO THE RACE IN 13TH PLACE.
DRIVER REACTIONS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE RACE (BELOW)
THE RACE WAS EVENTFUL FURTHER IN ALSO, WITH AN INTERESTING WHEEL-TO-WHEEL DUEL BETWEEN LEWIS HAMILTON AND FERNANDO ALONSO, WHICH SEEMED TO GO ON FOR HOURS UNTIL LEWIS EVENTUALLY OVERTOOK HIM, AND THEN ANOTHER BETWEEN LEWIS AND CARLOS SAINZ DURING WHICH CARLOS ALSO DEFENDED HIS POSITION VALIANTLY, BUT EVENTUALLY YIELDED TO LEWIS’S PRESSURE, CATAPULTING LEWIS INTO A PODIUM POSITION.
AFTER SUCCESSFULLY FENDING OFF SEBASTIAN VETTEL, ESTEBAN OCON DIDN’T LOOK BACK, AND STORMED ON TO VICTORY TO THE JUBILANT CHEERS FROM THE CROWD.
HOWEVER, LATER ON, AFTER A DISCUSSION BY THE STEWARDS, SEBASTIAN VETTEL WAS DISQUALIFIED FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO SUPPLY A FUEL SAMPLE AFTER THE RACE. (IT IS NECESSARY FOR A ONE-LITRE SAMPLE OF FUEL TO BE TAKEN FROM A CAR AT ANY TIME DURING THE EVENT AND IT WAS ONLY POSSIBLE TO TAKE A 0.3 LITRE SAMPLE FROM SEBASTIAN’S VEHICLE.)
ESTEBAN OCON (1) SEBASTIAN VETTEL (2) AND LEWIS HAMILTON (3) ON THE PODIUM IN HUNGARY
HOWEVER, ASTON MARTIN IMMEDIATELY LODGED AN APPEAL BEFORE THE FINAL CLASSIFICATION WAS ISSUED, WHICH MEANT THAT SEBASTIAN HAS TECHNICALLY BEEN REINSTATED AS SECOND UNTIL A VERDICT IS REACHED.Â
LEWIS LEADS THE RACE AT THE START OF THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX 2021
