Lewis Hamilton hunts down Max Verstappen after Mercedes masterstroke

Hungarian GP

Hamilton hunts down Verstappen after Mercedes masterstroke

Tight and tense in Budapest!

Matthew Scott

Sunday 4 August 2019 16:48 Updated: 17:01

Lewis Hamilton successfully hunted down Max Verstappen to spectacularly win the Hungarian Grand Prix at the last and send Formula 1 into the summer break with quelled hopes of a late-season title battle.

The championship leader applied intense pressure on the Dutchman after jumping team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the start, but came off second best when the pair went wheel-to-wheel around mid-distance.

After pulling into DRS range of the Dutchman, Hamilton was thwarted through Turns 1,2 and 3, before seeing an outrageous attempt around the outside of the fearsome Turn 4 send him wide and skittling across the dirty run-off.

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After seeing that fall short, and with Hamilton struggling to control brake wear, Mercedes surprisingly called their man in for a late pit-stop, challenging Hamilton to cut a 20-second lead across 20 laps.

Red Bull opted to stay out, fearing the undercut and Hamilton steadily cut down Verstappen's lead before the Dutchman's tyres lost all life in the final few laps, allowing Hamilton to sweep past him on lap 67 of 70.

Having initially questioned the strategy, Hamilton told chief strategist James Vowles after cross the finish line: "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Hamilton's championship lead jumps from 41 points to 62 points and Verstappen, perhaps crucially, remains behind Bottas in the standings.

Having started second, Bottas might have hoped for a big result to bolster his hopes of a championship and 2020 Mercedes seat, but a miserable start may scupper his chances of both.

Bottas made contact with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc through the first few corners, allowing both through as he fell to last place before recovering to eighth.

Sebastian Vettel took third from Leclerc late in the race but the Ferrari pair were well off the pace and finished a minute behind Hamilton.

Carlos Sainz was once again the highest midfield finisher in fifth, ahead of Pierre Gasly, whose own poor start may well be another nail in his Red Bull coffin.

Mercedes had expected Bottas to recover to sixth, but he could not take seventh from Kimi Raikkonen on the final lap. Lando Norris and Alexander Albon rounded off the top 10, the Thai driver getting the better of Daniil Kvyat on strategy despite the Russian winning a thrilling battle between them on-track.