Mercedes are showing signs of life in these past few races and they’ll be aiming to gain more momentum at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The reigning constructors’ titlists are fresh from a superb performance in the French Grand Prix as they were the primary beneficiaries of Ferrari’s misery. However, they still have a long way to go in order to get back into the championship mix.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel made headlines when he finally launched his Instagram account, although he caught everyone off-guard with his first-ever post.
Learn more about the latest Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 updates here at SBOTOP.
Mercedes hopeful to follow up spectacular outing in France
It was all smiles for Mercedes during the French Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton finished P2 and teammate George Russell was third. But despite getting their best result of the season so far, the Silver Arrows aren’t satisfied at all.
“I think it’s simply we’re just lacking performance on the single lap and we’re lacking performance on the initial stages of the stint so there’s something to understand. Second and third is a good result but we need to work out how to win and there’s still a gap,” said team principal Toto Wolff.
Wolff specifically pointed out their qualifying in France where Hamilton and Russell were both off pace. Normally, backing the Silver Arrows in Hungaroring is the sensible thing to do, but it’s no longer the case this time.
However, despite Red Bull and Ferrari’s dominance, this weekend’s race might provide another opportunity for Mercedes to narrow the gap since there’s a high chance of heavy rain that could even out the playing field.
Esteban Ocon hungry for more at Hungaroring
Ocon is fresh from a P8 finish in his home race last week, while teammate Fernando Alonso was at P6 to move Alpine four points clear of McLaren for P4 in the constructors’ standings.
The Frenchman is excited to return to Hungary for the first time since standing on top of the podium 12 months ago and he won’t be simply aiming for points this weekend since he wants to prove that last year’s victory isn’t a fluke.
“It will be emotional to be back in Budapest for sure,” said Ocon. “I can already feel all the memories of last year coming back. But that was last year, and we need to be fully focused as a team to deliver another solid weekend.”
Sebastian Vettel’s farewell tour
After weeks of speculation about his future, Sebastian Vettel confirmed that he’ll be stepping away from Formula 1 at the end of this season.
The four-time Formula 1 champion made the announcement on Thursday, saying that his goals “have shifted from winning races and fighting for championships to seeing my children grow.” He also added that he’ll be focusing on other interests such as raising awareness for issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and climate change.
Vettel joined Aston Martin in 2021 after spending six seasons with Ferrari. Before racing for the Prancing Horse, the German driver won all four his world championships at Red Bull from 2010 to 2013.
His final race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November will be the 300th race of his career – a milestone that only six other drivers have reached.
History
Hungaroring is more known as a Red Bull circuit, but it is Lewis Hamilton who has reigned supreme here with eight poles along with eight victories.
The 2021 edition of this race saw two major crashes on Lap 1 that eventually led to six total DNFs. Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll, given their roles in causing multiple-car collisions during the opening lap, were each given five-place grid penalties afterwards.
Esteban Ocon notched his first-ever Formula 1 win while Sebastian Vettel finished second on the track, but was later disqualified since his team couldn’t present the sufficient fuel sample to the FIA from the car post-race.
As a consequence, Lewis Hamilton – who was behind Vettel in the track – was promoted to P2 while Carlos Sainz Jr. took P3.
What are the odds?
Red Bull are poised to end their Hungaroring drought with Max Verstappen leading the way at 1.35, while teammate Sergio Perez is at 2.13.
Assuming they can overcome themselves, the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. can go toe-to-toe with the pacesetters since they’re priced at 1.45 and 1.91 respectively.
But Mercedes are in form so their Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 odds look good. They can genuinely threaten for the podium once more as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are pegged at 1.65 and 2.07.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FORMULA 1 STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
