Vettel wins thrilling Hungarian GPposted in F126 | 07 | 2015
SEBASTIAN VETTEL WON a dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix as world champion Lewis Hamilton suffered a day to forget. At the end of of an emotional week which saw many of the Formula One, including Vettel, drivers attend the funeral of Jules Bianchi, the German dedicated his win to the young Frenchman. Bianchi passed away earlier this month from injuries sustained during the Japanese Grand Prix nine months ago.
While Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg endured their worst race of the season, finishing sixth and eight respectively, four-times world champ Vettel led from start-to-finish. It was the german's second win this season, and the 41st of his career.
But while Vettel celebrated equalling the tally of winning grands prix held by three-times world champ Ayrton Senna, for Mercedes it was the first time in 29 races where they failed to score a podium finish, ending a run of 29 races since Brazil 2013.
And the day could have been worse for Hamilton. The defending world champ, who started the day from pole position and leading Rosberg by 17 points in the title race, at one stage was on course to slip behind his team-mate in the championship.
After bogging down at the start and seeing both Ferraris of Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, plus Rosberg, pass him, Hamilton then ran wide and across the gravel at the chicane on the opening lap.
He then lost more time when he had to pit for a new wing, then served a drive-through penalty after contact with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
Related: Hamilton wins British GP
But with only five laps remaining, Rosberg, defending his second place against the fast-charging Ricciardo, clashed with the Australian. The outcome was a right-rear puncture for the German, while the Red Bull driver had to pit for a new front wing.
When Rosberg rejoined, he found himself back in eighth place, two places behind Hamilton, who now heads into the summer break with a healthy 21-point lead in the championship.
Ahead of the two Mercedes drivers though, Vettel took the chequered flag ahead of Red Bull duo Daniil Kvyat and Ricciardo.
"An incredible day, but this victory is for Jules," Vettel said afterwards. ""We know it has been an incredibly tough week, and for all of us very difficult, so this one is for him.
"For all the people within Ferrari, all the Ferrari fans, we knew sooner or later he would have been part of our team, part of this family."
It was a sentiment backed by Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne, who added: "We dedicate this victory to the memory of Jules, a fantastic guy whom we all miss terribly."
Related: Hamilton says sorry to Mercedes team
Ferrari had actually looked on course for its first one-two since the 2010 German Grand Prix. But that dream was shattered when Raikkonen's car suffered what proved to be a terminal MGU-K problem.
There was further drama with 28 laps remaining when Nico Hulkenberg's Force India suffered a front wing failure, pitching the German head-on into the tyre barrier at Turn 1.
Though the Virtual Safety Car system was immediately activated, because there was too much debris on the track, the real safety car was sent out. This bunched the field, cost Vettel his sizeable lead, but set up a thrilling finale.
Russian youngster Kvyat's career-best performance, in finishing second, saw him become the youngest driver to score a podium since Vettel in Italy 2008.
And while Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen, battled his way up to a career-best fourth place, there was celebration in the McLaren-Honda camp after Fernando Alonso finished fifth — the troubled team's best result of the season — with team-mate Jenson Button ninth.
Romain Grosjean battled through the eventful day to finish seventh in his Lotus, while Sauber's Marcus Ericsson scored an unlikely point in 10th, a few seconds clear of team-mate Felipe Nasr.
But it was another disappointing day for Williams, which failed to score for only the second time this season. Felipe Massa — who received a time-penalty for being out of position on the grid and forcing an aborted start — finished 12th, ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas 13th.
Formula One — Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest (Result):
1. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari-Ferrari 69 laps 1hr 46m 09.985s
2. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull-Renault +15.7s
3. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Red Bull-Renault +25.0s
4. Max Verstappen NED Toro Rosso-Renault +44.2s
5. Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren-Honda +49.0s
6. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes-Mercedes +52.0s
7. Romain Grosjean FRA Lotus-Mercedes +58.5s
8. Nico Rosberg GER Mercedes-Mercedes +58.8s
9. Jenson Button GBR McLaren-Honda +67.0s
10. Marcus Ericsson SWE Sauber-Ferrari +69.1s
11. Felipe Nasr BRZ Sauber-Ferrari +73.4s
12. Felipe Massa BRZ Williams-Mercedes +74.2s
13. Pastor Maldonado VEN Lotus-Mercedes +80.2s
14. Valtteri Bottas FIN Williams-Mercedes +85.1s
15. Roberto Merhi SPA Manor Marussia-Ferrari +2 laps
16. Will Stevens GBR Manor Marussia-Ferrari +4 laps
Rtd Carlos Sainz Jr ESP Toro Rosso-Renault engine 60 laps completed
Rtd Kimi Raikkonen FIN Ferrari-Ferrari engine 55 laps completed
Rtd Sergio Perez MEX Force India-Mercedes retirement 53 laps completed
Rtd Nico Hulkenberg GER Force India-Mercedes accident 41 laps completed
Related: I've no regrets, says Ricciardo
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Jim McGill
Photo: Copyright Ferrari/Getty Images