🎖 Records & Trophies Broken in Hungary

Hello there, fellow speed enthusiasts! 👋

Hot off the press, in today’s issue we’ll be covering the action packed weekend in Hungaroring and the amazing Spa-Francorchamps circuit where we’ll be racing next weekend.

Hungary was a wild ride from start to finish, with Hamilton catching everyone off guard and getting that long awaited pole position.

The new qualifying format looks promising and we’ve had some surprising results after the quali session, which by the way wasn’t the closest one in F1 history.

In the race, Verstappen pulled off a mind-blowing comeback and claimed a spectacular victory, smashing one of Formula 1's longest-standing records! Talk about history in the making!

And guess what? The competition is fiercer than ever with teams improving left and right. The field as never been tighter!

📈Here's the global race pace after the Hungarian GP

🔵 RB > ⚫️ Mer = 🟠 McL > 🔴 Ferrari > 🟢 Aston

Driver performance by teams

• VER vs PER: 0,51s/lap difference

• HAM vs RUS: 0.37s

• NOR vs PIA: 0.41s

• LEC vs SAI: 0.1s

• ALO vs STR: 0.33s

• RIC vs TSU: 0.26

• Aston had no pace

• The Haas is a tire-shredder

🤯 Qualifying in Hungary equalled the closest top 10 in F1 history

The new qualifying format in Hungary was a real game-changer!

Drivers had to rock hard tires in Q1, medium tires in Q2, and soft tires in Q3. It was all about leveling the playing field and putting on a show.

Guess what? Lewis Hamilton snagged pole position by a mere 0.003 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, and it was his first time on Pole since 2021.

The Briton now holds a smashing 9 pole positions at the Hungaroring, breaking the record for most poles at a single circuit!

McLaren was on fire too - Norris and Piastri securing third and fourth place.

But the real jaw-droppers were Alfa Romeo, with Zhou taking an impressive fifth place, and Bottas landing in seventh.

It was a close call between Hamilton and Hulkenberg, who finished tenth, with just a tiny 0.577 seconds difference separating them.

That's exactly the same as the qualifying record set during the Brazilian GP when Barrichello, the pole sitter, had an equal margin to tenth-placed Fernando Alonso.

It's incredible how history repeats itself in Formula 1 - Read More

🏆 Verstappen Dominates and Red Bull Breaks Record with 12 Consecutive Wins

In the race, things went very different than the quali sessions!

Hamilton totally botched his start, with Verstappen seizing the opportunity and zooming into the lead right at the first corner.

From that point on, the Dutchman was on fire, totally owning the race from start to finish, and man, he had a whopping 33-second lead over Norris, who came in second place!

He accomplished a remarkable feat, becoming only the fifth driver in Formula 1 history to secure seven consecutive Grand Prix wins, following the footsteps of Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Nico Rosberg.

🎖 The two-time world champion thus achieved his 44th F1 win, securing Red Bull’s 12th consecutive win, including the final race of 2022.

Red Bull outlined McLaren’s record from 1988 and are totally on track for the most dominant season in Formula 1 history!

But this record wasn't the only thing that was broken.

🥲 Norris broke Max's $45,000 trophy in celebration as he smashed his champagne bottle onto the podium! - Read More

🟠 McLaren again proved to be Red Bull's closest challengers

McLaren started the season pretty bad, no sugarcoating it. But then, things turned around big time once they hit Austria.

They brought in some killer improvement packages for their MCL60, and boy, did it show – Silverstone can vouch for that!

Hungary was supposed to be a real struggle for them being a technical track with lots of slow corners that doesn't exactly suit their car.

But they blew everyone's minds and against all odds, those Brits managed to keep ahead of the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin.

In qualifying, Norris and Piastri pulled off some serious magic, locking down the third and fourth spots, respectively.

When the race kicked off, Piastri even snatched second place and Norris secured third.

Norris undercut Piastri to finish second without problems, while the Australian was fifth, showing off some sweet race pace.

With Norris bagging two podiums in a row, it's a clear sign that McLaren's in the fight and ain't backing down! - Read More

👊 Great comeback by Russell and Pérez

Sergio Pérez finally made it back to Q3 in Hungary, although the Mexican could only finish ninth, which is still a poor result for a Red Bull.

Nevertheless, Checo showcased an impressive comeback during the Sunday race.

He skillfully overtook Hamilton, Piastri, Alonso, and Russell on the track, ultimately achieving an admirable third position.

In this way, Pérez finally got a good result after several very bad races, and was named driver of the day, calming the doubts about his performance.

George Russell, on the other hand, could only finish eighteenth in qualifying.

In the race, the Briton was impressive, and moved up to sixth position, demonstrating the great pace of the Mercedes, which seems to be the third team behind Red Bull and McLaren. - Read More

🤦‍♂️ Self-sabotage by Ferrari?

Carlos Sainz had a spectacular start, gaining four positions in the first lap and moving up from eleventh in just 600 meters.

The Spaniard found himself trailing behind his teammate Leclerc, who had medium tires while Sainz was on softs.

They had different strategies and it would make sense to let Sainz pass, right? Nope, it didn't happen!

They stuck to their different strategies, and Sainz had to deal with it. Tough luck!

Ferrari's first big fiasco came with Leclerc's slow stop, 9.4 seconds that made him lose the position to Sainz. From then on, both drivers with hard tyres remained very close.

Then, on lap 43, the team told Leclerc to pit first, and he pulled off a perfect undercut on Sainz, overtaking him after the pit stop.

Even though Leclerc got slapped with a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, he managed to build enough of a lead over Sainz, who was already out of contention.

They finished in seventh and eighth respectively, but they were not that bad on the Hard compound. It was the Medium that damaged their race (in addition to the problems in the pit).

On the 🟡 Mediums:

Red Bull > Mercedes > McL > Ferrari = Aston

On the ⚪️ Hards:

Red Bull > McL = Mercedes > Ferrari=Aston

👎 Biggest losers: Aston Martin and Alpine

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll had a bit of a tough time, crossing the finish line in the ninth and tenth spots.

Aston Martin kicked off the season as a strong contender, but is starting to fall behind McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari.

It looks like the other teams have been making some serious upgrades, and those new Pirelli tires might have hit Aston Martin harder than the others, putting them in a bit of a rut.

But the season's far from over, and they still have a chance to reclaim the top spot.

For now, they're banking on a major package of improvements that they hope to roll out for the Dutch GP. Fingers crossed it'll give them the boost they need to turn things around!

Hungary wasn't kind to Alpine either – they had a tough break! Gasly and Ocon got tangled up in the first corner chaos, and bam, both had to call it a day and retire from the race.

Ocon's seat even split in two! Alpine is the reigning champs of accidents in 2023, having spent a whopping 3 million bucks on repairs this season.

It's like they've got a bad luck magnet or something! - Read More (ES)

👏 Ricciardo's first race on his return to F1 with AlphaTauri

Daniel Ricciardo returned to Formula 1 this weekend after replacing Nyck de Vries at Alpha Tauri.

The Aussie had a solid weekend, outperforming Yuki Tsunoda in both qualifying and the race, finishing thirteenth in both sessions.

Things got a bit crazy at the start with that accident in the first corner, but the Honey Badger didn't let that faze him.

He showed his skills and managed to fight his way back to his original position. The dude's still got it!

Now, the big question on everyone's mind: Can he make his way back to Red Bull if he keeps up this performance? - Read More

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is one of the oldest out there, dating all the way back to 1921.

Originally, it was mainly for motorcycle racing and stretched a whopping 15 kilometers, winding through the villages of Spa-Francorchamps, Burnenville, Malmedy, Masta, Holowell, La Carriere, Stavelot, and Blanchimont on those old secondary roads.

1920 - Move over Mario Kart! Spa-Francorchamps hits the scene, thanks to Jules de Thier and friends. They carved out a 15.820 km racetrack on public roads. Talk about ambitious!

1922 - First Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in August. The Impéria-Abadal? Killed it, cruising at 88.900 km/hr. 🚗💨

1925 - June 28, 1925: Spa-Francorchamps hosted the Grand Prix of Europe. Antonio Ascari and his Alfa Romeo stole the show!

1939 - Raidillon corner? More like Rollercoaster Ride! This 17% slope corner made Spa-Francorchamps THE place to be!

1947 - After a 7-year snooze post-WW2, Grand Prix of Belgium is back. Jean-Pierre Wimille and his Alfa Romeo rocked it!

1950 - June 18, 1950: First Formula 1 Grand Prix vibes. Juan Manuel Fangio? Legend. Fun fact? Spa-Francorchamps has been on the F1 calendar for 70 years!

1951 - More space! The track gets a facelift from 6m to 9m wide. New turns? Yes, please!

1970 - Last dance for the big track, soon to be revamped in '83. Pedro Rodriguez zooms at an average of 241 km/hr!

1972-1982 - F1's Belgian Grand Prix plays musical chairs, moving between circuits. Catch us if you can!

1983 - Back to Spa-Francorchamps, but slimmer at 6.947 km. Fresh turns like Pouhon pop up!

2003 - The circuit goes VIP, bans traffic from March to October. But, oops! No Belgian F1 Grand Prix due to a tobacco ad ban.

2006 - Time for a makeover! Circuit upgrades make it a long beauty at 7.004 km. No Grand Prix this year – paint's still wet!

2007-TODAY - Spa-Francorchamps is now THE dream stage for drivers. Hosting the Belgian F1 Grand Prix? Just legendary things.

Since 1985, Spa has hosted every Belgian Grand Prix, held every year with the exception of 2003 and 2006.

Great legends such as Ayrton Senna, Prost or Fittipaldi have won at Spa.

Here’s the rundown with the top winners at Spa:

🥇 Michael Schumacher - 6 wins
🥈 Ayrton Senna - 5 wins
🥉 Kimi Raikkonen - 4 wins

Most succesful constructors:

🥇 Ferrari - 14 wins
🥈 McLaren - 11 wins
🥉 Mercedes - 5 wins

The layout and the changing conditions make the Belgian GP a special Grand Prix, where many things can happen and unexpected races can take place.

🌳 Spa-Francorchamps Circuit: A Captivating Layout

Nestled in Belgium's enchanting Ardennes region, Spa holds a special place in the hearts of drivers, teams, media, and fans alike.

Its allure stems from the breathtaking scenery and thrilling layout it offers.

Notably, Spa remains the longest track on the Formula 1 calendar, boasting an impressive 7.004-kilometer stretch and a challenging 19 turns.

With its rapid-paced nature, the circuit showcases constant elevation changes and iconic corners like Eau Rouge - Raidillon, the bus stop chicane, La Source, Le Combes, and Blanchimont.

The combination of these elements creates an unforgettable racing experience that captivates all who witness it.

Let's take a ride on board at Spa-Francorchamps hand in hand with Lewis Hamilton as the Briton takes pole position for 2008.

Enjoy the scenery and the roar of that V8 engine!

🤯 Spa-Francorchamps Fun facts

• No Belgian driver has ever won at Spa-Francorchamps. Jacky Ickx, the most successful Belgian driver in F1 history came close in 1968 by finishing third.
  

• The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix was the shortest in history. Heavy rain meant that only 2 laps of the race were completed under the Safety Car. Max Verstappen won that race, and only half of the points were shared.
  

• The most famous corner of the track, Eau Rouge, owes its name to the river that runs underneath, which has a particular reddish color due to the reddish color of the stones and the riverbed from the rich iron oxide deposits.
  

• Due to its dangerousness, many drivers did not like to race at Spa during the first decades of F1, such as Jim Clark.
  

• 60% of the lap is spent on full throttle.
  

• Despite being the longest circuit on the calendar, Spa is one of the circuits with the lowest spectator capacity.
  

• The smallest win margin at Spa came back in 1961, when Phil Hill took victory by finishing just 0.7 seconds ahead of Wolfgang von Trips. The largest win margin happened in 1963 when Jim Clark won by 474 seconds.
  

• Overall, the average win margin at Spa Francorchamps is 34.598 seconds. But for the last ten Belgian Grands Prix, the average win margin has been 6.975 seconds.

🟰 Red Bull backs F1 engine equalisation move. - Read More

🥸 Perez boosted by race-day charge in Hungary but says ‘now I have to find consistency’. - Read More

😱 'My seat broke in pieces' – Ocon reveals the damage caused by Hungary collision that forced him and Gasly to DNF. - Read More

🤨 Hungary masked AlphaTauri F1 weakness that could yet hurt Ricciardo. - Read More

👎 Alonso says Aston Martin fifth fastest F1 team after Hungarian GP. - Read More

📉 ‘Significant deficit’ threatens Red Bull hopes of undefeated F1 2023 campaign. - Read More

📻 Leclerc reveals hidden Ferrari issues behind radio attitude. - Read More

🥵 Wolff rules out controversial tactic to stop Red Bull. - Read More

🫢 Fernando Alonso has had peculiar F1 superstition for 20 years – "I try to avoid that". - Read More

🇧🇪 Scheduled 28-30 July

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

TLDR;

1️⃣ Circuit length: 7.004 km
2️⃣ Number of laps: 44
3️⃣ Lap record: 1:46.286 Valtteri Bottas (2018)
4️⃣ Corners & DRS: 19 corners with 2 DRS zones