BUDAPEST, Hungary — Max Verstappen pulled off an impressive victory in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, coming back from a 10th-place starting position to perfectly execute his strategy with Red Bull Racing.
The reigning world champion picked up the lead on lap 41, sweeping past Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc down the inside of turn one after making several passes on his way through the field.
Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and George Russell secured a double podium after starting seventh and first on the grid, respectively.
“I was struggling at the beginning of the race and wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to catch up, so I’m happy I was able to recover from P7. I had a good start, which was crucial and, bit by bit, I felt more comfortable with the balance of the car,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton finished 7.834 seconds behind Verstappen, taking a bonus point for setting the fastest lap of the race.
Meanwhile, Russell was optimistic headed to the green flag after scoring his first career pole and was eager to continue his podium momentum from the French GP.
“Amazing job by the team, pole position yesterday and double podium today. We’re making progress and I’m proud of the work everybody has put into it,” Russell said. “We will come back to the second half of the season with a reset, refocused and will try to fight for some victories.”
Russell led the first 30 laps in Budapest before Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz charged past him on lap 31. Russell’s work was cut out for him after the second round of pit stops, when he was shuffled back to seventh position.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez rounded out the top five.
Now headed into the break before the Belgian Grand Prix on August 26-28, Verstappen enjoys an 80-point lead in the drivers’ standings.
“It was very good, I was battling a lot of guys, so it was a lot of fun out there . . . a crazy race and of course very happy that we won it,” Verstappen said.