Team Ratings Hungarian GP | Two outliers, rest only moderate
- Corwin Kunst
The Hungarian Grand Prix is over and that means we are exactly halfway through the Formula 1 season. Some teams are in much better shape than others, but how did the ten racing teams fare at the Hungaroring? GPblog hands out figures, with very few formations getting good marks.
Red Bull - 9.0
Whereas at the beginning of the season the Austrian racing stable strung the one-two together, it has now been several months since they managed that(GP Miami). In Hungary it failed again, but that the updates brought along are working fantastically we may conclude after Max Verstappen's 33-second lead over runner-up Lando Norris. Red Bull had the strategy and certainly the pitstops well in place, only blemish was the fact that pole position was missed.
Mercedes - 6.5
For the first time this season, Mercedes scored a pole position, but a pole is of little use if you then fail to convert it into a podium finish. George Russell came back after a poor qualifying session, but this made it a Saturday with two faces. A P4 and a P6 is not what Mercedes came for in Budapest and McLaren seems to have the faster car slowly but surely.
Ferrari - 5.0
A lot went wrong again at Ferrari and a seventh-place finish for Carlos Sainz and an eighth-place finish for Charles Leclerc is simply not enough for the Italian stable. Sainz again let himself be squeaked by his own team and communication between the drivers and their race engineers is anything but convincing.
Aston Martin - 5.5
Yes, it is a double points finish for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll's team, but three World Championship points in the bag to take home is not what team boss Mike Krack's men signed up for, especially after such a successful start to this season. The competition outpaced the AMR23 and Aston Martin therefore did not feature in the play at all, neither on Saturday nor Sunday,
Alpine - 5.0
For both Alpines, the Hungarian GP was over after the first corner due to an overzealous Guanyu Zhou, something Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly could do nothing about, but qualifying was mediocre for a team with big ambitions. No A523 in Q3 and that is not in line with its own expectations.
McLaren - 9.0
After some poor numbers, it is McLaren that did put in an excellent performance at the Hungaroring. Third and fourth this time in qualifying, although Oscar Piastri could not keep his third spot in the end due to too much tyre degradation. On the twisty circuit with many slow corners, McLaren did not expect to be so good and it is another confirmation that the updates have provided a giant step.
Alfa Romeo - 4.0
It looked like it could be such a great Sunday for Alfa Romeo with a fifth place for Zhou and a seventh starting spot for Valtteri Bottas, but nothing was further from the truth. After just one lap, both drivers were back in the midfield or rear. The starts remain a problem for the racing stable and so all the hard work on Friday and Saturday was for nothing. As a result, the Swiss press called it the worst GP of the year for Alfa Romeo.
Haas F1 - 4.5
The story is familiar: the American team's qualifying is reasonable, but in the race it is nothing. In Hungary, it was no different. The Haas F1 car eats rubber, rendering Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen hopeless over 70 laps.
AlphaTauri - 5.0
Daniel Ricciardo finished ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda in his first race, and without damage and lost positions (all happened in the first corner) he might have been able to take a point. However, the fact remains that the AT04 is not fast enough and the updates do not seem to be having the desired effect either. At least, the strides are not big enough.
Williams - 5.5
Williams, with, how could it be otherwise, Alexander Albon of the midfield teams, came closest to tenth place and thus a point. Little by little, the Willams seem to be getting more competitive, which is handsome considering the disappointing years.