Hamilton kept waiting as Bottas, Ocon score firsts in Hungary and a new record for Alonso
Hamilton kept waiting as Bottas, Ocon score firsts in Hungary and a new record for Alonso
Lewis Hamilton will have to wait until after F1's summer break for his 100th grands prix victory but for Esteban Ocon, Alpine and France, the race in Hungary was a day that rewrote the history books.
From start to finish, the chaotic Hungaroring event certainly did not lack for action and threw up some very interesting facts.
Hamilton had hoped to follow up his British GP triumph with number 100 at a track on which he had won on eight previous occasions, but despite a stellar recovery drive it was not to be.
That was primarily due to a stubborn defensive performance from Ocon's team-mate Fernando Alonso who managed to keep Hamilton at bay for a number of laps when the Briton was on the charge. There was also a new record for the Spaniard.
GPFans Global looks at the best stats and facts from the weekend.
Ocon exorcises Prost demons
On August 14, 1983, Alain Prost crossed the line to win the Austrian Grand Prix for Renault. Thirty-seven years, 11 months and 18 days later, Ocon has become the first French driver since to claim a grand prix victory in a French car with a French engine.
The win was Ocon's first in any category since 2015 in the GP3 season opener in Spain, while he also became F1's 111th different race-winning driver.
Perhaps slightly embarrassingly for Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez is that Ocon has now led more laps in 2021 than the combined total of the Mercedes and Red Bull duo.
Ocon's total stands at 65, with Perez on 26 and Bottas 19. Only Hamilton [128] and Max Verstappen [403] have led more.
Williams finally ends it's point-less streak
For Williams, points appear to be like buses - they wait all this time and then they all come at once.
When Nicholas Latifi and George Russell crossed the line at the Hungaroring in eighth and ninth positions the relief and euphoria were understandable and in equal measure.
The duo later moved up a place following the disqualification of Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel, albeit with the result provisional pending the outcome of a potential appeal.
The team had last scored a point at the 2019 German Grand Prix when Robert Kubica made the most of a chaotic race to finish 10th and secure a point.
To find the last double-points return for Williams, you need to go back to the 2018 Italian Grand Prix when Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin finished ninth and 10th. Latifi's seventh is also the team's best result since the 2017 Brazilian GP.
For Russell, in particular, it also ends a near three-year wait for the Briton - and a total of 48 races - to score a point with his contracted team.
Bottas' first-time error
Valtteri Bottas blotted his copybook on the opening lap after running into the back of McLaren's Lando Norris before going on to hit Perez.
It was the first time Bottas has retired on lap one at a grand prix in 167 starts. With his Mercedes future already in doubt, incidents like that one are unlikely to aid the Finn in contractual talks.
Alonso back at the front - and a new record
Fernando Alonso enjoyed a cameo at the head of the race during the pit-stop cycle, leading for two laps before making his final stop and giving the lead back to Alpine team-mate Ocon.
This marked the first time Alonso had led an F1 race since leading at the same track when driving for Ferrari in 2014 - setting a new record in the process for the longest interval between F1 races led.
Hungary's longevity in F1
Sunday's race was the 36th consecutive time F1 had raced at the Hungaroring, making it the third-longest streak on an F1 calendar, behind Monaco [1955-2019] and Monza [1981-present].
With Monaco missing from the Covid-affected calendar last season, the Hungaroring now holds the second-longest active streak of consecutive years staging an F1 race.
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- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
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- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
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