Max Verstappen may have missed out on pole position by the narrowest of margins but he more than made up for it in the race at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. Making a better start he swept past his only ever real rival for a world championship, Lewis Hamilton, jumping from second to first, braking and turning at the last possible minute to force Hamilton wide at turn one. This specialist move that Verstappen has perfected more than anyone else bulked Hamilton and allowed the two McLarens into second and third.

Pisatri held on as best he could but the combination of Max Verstappen and the RB19 was too much. Nothing other than a DNF could stop the Red Bull as Verstappen calmly assumed total command of the race. As usual behind the race leader ensued a fight for second best, which eventually fell to Land Norris. New updates and parts have propelled McLaren from seemingly nowhere to the front row of the grid, and Norris demonstrated the most effective utilization of these upgrades.

Sergio Perez ended a rut of poor performances to secure third, however, he had to work for his podium after qualifying 9th. The Red Bull RB19 is the superior car and Perez, by default, should be finishing second, or first, in every race. Lewis Hamilton finished the afternoon 4th, a mixed day for the Mercedes driver because he had the pace to finish second. But that start and that short battle royale with Verstappen hampered his race progress.

The Ferrari’s demonstrated that they have fallen behind despite recent updates, Leclerc and Sainz finished 7th and 8th respectively. Another early season front row team running out of steam is Aston Martin, Alosno finished 9th with teammate Stroll complimenting the top 10.

So, the Hungarian Grand Prix demonstrated that Red Bull can be beaten, at least in qualifying, from time to time. But in the race, the RB19 has a significant advantage and with Verstappen behind the wheel, that advantage only becomes stronger. Records are meant to be broken, and that’s a nice accolade to have. However, Verstappen is the 2023 world champion in all but name.

2023 Hungarian Grand Prix: Race Results

1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing

2 Lando NORRIS McLaren +33.731

3 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing +37.603

4 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +39.134

5 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +62.572

6 George RUSSELL Mercedes +65.825

7 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +70.317

8 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +71.073

9 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +75.709

10 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +1 lap

11 Alexander ALBON Williams +1 lap

12 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo +1 lap

13 Daniel RICCIARDO AlphaTauri +1 lap

14 Nico HULKENBERG Haas F1 Team +1 lap

15 Yuki TSUNODA AlphaTauri +1 lap

16 Guanyu ZHOU Alfa Romeo +1 lap

17 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team +1 lap

DNF:

Logan Sargeant Williams – spin

Esteban Ocon Alpine – crash

Pierre Gasly Alpine – crash