The 3 challenges of the Hungarian Grand Prix

Leclerc, winning to continue believing

While he had all the cards in hand to sign a 4^e victory this season at the Grand Prix last weekend, Charles Leclerc lost everything. Having made a mistake all alone in the double right of Beausset while he was comfortably leading the race, the Monegasque offered the triumph on a plateau to Max Verstappen who didn't ask for so much. Result ? 25-0 in favor of the Batavian but above all a lead of 63 points for the last city now.

What state of mind will Charles Leclerc be in in Hungary this weekend? Only he can know. At the sporting level, the Monegasque knows that he has only one choice: leave the Hungaroring with the winner's trophy and nothing else to hope to still believe in the title at the end of the year, or at least to have a little chance.

Charles Leclerc remains in retirement at the French Grand Prix. ©DPPI/M. by Mattia

On paper, Charles Leclerc has the equipment to win on Hungarian soil. In Austria a fortnight ago, he ended a 3-month drought without a victory by extinguishing Max Verstappen in front of his supporters. In France, he took pole position and was on track to win the Grand Prix before the tragedy... Unless there was another personal blunder, or Ferrari, the Monegasque should be able to fight for 1^st place and thus continue to dream of the title. On the other hand, a poor performance could cost him dearly when we know that he is 63 lengths behind Max Verstappen…

Alpine-McLaren, two-way duel for 4^e place

Yes, come in Red Bull and Ferrari the gap was created, between Alpine et McLaren the fight has never been so close. Arriving in France last weekend, the two teams, currently in a duel for 4^e place among the Manufacturers, were tied on points. When it was time to bend the saplings, the Blues had taken the upper hand thanks to the 12 units brought back by Fernando Alonso et Esteban Ocon against 8 for Lando Norris et Daniel Ricciardo.

Here are the two structures separated by 4 small points only one round before the summer break. Currently, the momentum is on the side ofAlpine. Fernando Alonso is in full swing with 7 consecutive points finishes, alone Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen do better than him in this area. Esteban Ocon also brings big points to the Blues like his 5^e place in Austria. At Silverstone, they could have carried out an excellent operation but a technical problem forced the Norman to retire while he was firmly installed in 5^e position.

Alpine and McLaren are dueling for 4th place in the championship. ©DPPI/J. Delfosse

On the McLaren side, we alternate between the good and the less good. If Lando Norris is almost flawless given the equipment he has at his disposal, Daniel Ricciardo is struggling to find his cruising speed and is not always in the game. In France, the two men certainly crossed the line in the Top 10 but they were systematically behind Alpine. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Englishman and the Australian will have to step up if they want to show that McLaren is indeed the 4^e force of the plate and not Alpine...

A weekend conditioned by the weather?

How can we not forget the last edition of the Hungarian Grand Prix? In addition to Esteban Ocon's victory, the Hungarian meeting was marked by the showers that fell a few hours before the start forcing the drivers to start on intermediate tires. This time, we could relive the same episode but throughout the weekend!

Rain caused drama at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix last year. ©DPPI/A. Vincent

If the heat will be there for the Hungarian Grand Prix, it is especially the rain which should punctuate this Hungarian weekend. Indeed, the latest forecasts report very unpredictable weather from Friday to Sunday above the Hungaroring. The risk of rain is significant since the radars predict rain on Friday afternoon, thunderstorms on Saturday and showers in the morning of Sunday, a few hours before the start of the Grand Prix, as in 2021. Enough to predict a new lively start and a new French victory? In any case, we sign.

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