Severe criticism of Mercedes: 'That proved to be its downfall'

Lewis Hamilton started from the front at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but things went badly wrong at the restart. The driver was the only one to start from his position, while the rest decided to start in the pit lane. This resulted in a lot of criticism for Mercedes.

David Tremayne writes in his column on the official website of Formula 1 that Mercedes let its driver down. "Mercedes had told their man that more rain was expected, and his belief in them proved to be his undoing as his stop at the end of the first lap left him at the back," the journalist states.

It ensured that not Hamilton, but Esteban Ocon grabbed victory in Hungary. "Esteban later said he couldn’t believe how the path to second place had just magically opened up for him. And that his heart was in his mouth as he steered into the pit lane even as Lewis elected to stay out on that grid formation lap, in case he was the one getting it wrong."

Hamilton's podium finish puts the British driver back on top in the world championship. Max Verstappen can be found in second place, while Lando Norris is in third.