Things are certainly hotting up in the FIA Formula One World Championship as Renault-powered Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo stormed to their best finishes of the season so far with a double podium in round 10 of the 2015 campaign at the tight and twisty 4.381km Hungaroring this weekend.
Meanwhile, Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen also had cause for celebration after crossing the line just shy of a rostrum in fourth, his best result in Formula One to date. In what was an action-packed Hungarian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz was the only Renault-powered driver to retire, on lap 62 of 69, following an impressive drive from the Spanish youngster.
Key race points:
— Sebastian Vettel dominated from start to finish, storming into the lead after a fantastic getaway from third on the grid, en route to Ferrari’s second victory of the season.
— Daniil Kvyat put in a strong performance behind the wheel of his Red Bull, never straying from the top-10 and claiming his maiden F1 podium with second place.
— It was a drama-filled race for Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo, who tumbled down the order at the start after contact with Valtteri Bottas. He soon recovered, however, making some characteristically bold overtaking manoeuvres until he was back in podium contention. A mistake from championship leader Lewis Hamilton then forced the Australian to pit with front wing damage, before hacking his way back to third and the final step of the podium.
— Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen’s last-minute penalty hindered his excellent progress throughout the race, but not enough to prevent him claiming his best finish so far with fourth.
— Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz suffered a technical issue that forced him to retire with only seven laps remaining.
Rémi Taffin, Director of Operations:
“Our never-say-die attitude has paid off. Not only has our reliability improved and taken us to the end of the race, but our performance has also stepped up so that we are able to fight at the front.
“We know we still have a lot of work to do, but this strong result before the summer break is a real achievement. We know where we are going and realise that there is still some more progress to be made in order to achieve these results on a regular basis. But, for the second part of the season, we look forward to showing off the progress we have made so far. Many thanks to all the hard work from our guys in the factories in England, Italy and France.”
Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director:
“What a great race! And a great track – all tracks should put on such a show. Every time Mercedes is under some sort of pressure we see that they are not invincible. It’s fantastic to see Ferrari at the top, and Vettel’s tribute to Jules at the end of the race was very touching. It was unfortunate that not all four cars made it home after Sainz was forced to retire due to a technical issue. However, it means that it was another trouble-free race in terms of engine reliability.
“We know we can continue to work on performance, which clearly continues to improve as we tune up engine power with more confidence on reliability. We enjoyed the help of Total this weekend, allowing us to extract more power with a new fuel. And it is so good to be fighting at the top once more. The second half of the season will certainly be very interesting, both on the track and off it. It is all part of the F1 show.
“Now, it’s time to rest!”