F1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 result: Verstappen wins at the Hungaroring as Ferrari falter again

Nathan Evans

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F1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 result: Verstappen wins at the Hungaroring as Ferrari falter again image

Red Bull's Max Verstappen took the race win at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix despite starting in P10 as he continues to extend his lead at the top of the world championship standings.

Even after spinning at turn 13 on lap 41, the Dutchman came out on top in tricky racing conditions to take the 28th Grand Prix victory of his career as he moved above legendary racer Jackie Stewart on the all-time race winners list. 

Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell again finished on the podium just like at the French Grand Prix last weekend, though it proved yet another poor weekend for Ferrari overall. 

In an attempt to cover off a flying Verstappen halfway through the race, the Italian team pitted championship challenger Charles Leclerc onto hard tyres which proved to be disastrous for the Monégasque driver's pace. In fact, such were his struggles on that tyre compound that he only finished in P6 despite leading the race at one point. 

Fellow Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz finished in P4 with Sergio Perez taking P5. Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel - who announced his decision to retire from the sport this week - rounded out the top ten. 

2022 Hungarian Grand Prix results

Position Driver Team Points
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 25
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 21
3 George Russell  Mercedes 16
4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 12
5 Sergio Perez Red Bull 10
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 8
7 Lando Norris McLaren 6
8 Fernando Alonso Alpine 4
9 Esteban Ocon Alpine 2
10 Sebastian Vettel  Aaston Martin 1
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin  
12 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri  
13 Zhou Guanyu  Alfa Romeo  
14 Mick Schumacher Haas  
15 Daniel Ricciardo  McLaren  
16 Kevin Magnussen  Haas  
17 Alexander Albon Williams  
18 Nicholas Latifi Williams  
19 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri  
DNF Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo  

Verstappen dominates yet again

Despite starting the race back in P10 due to an engine problem in the final session of qualifying yesterday, Red Bull's Verstappen fought through the pack to pick up his eighth race win of the 2022 season. 

The Dutch driver showed incredible pace to get into the top five positions early on in the Hungarian Grand Prix and with the correct strategy calls from his team throughout, he jumped both Russell and Hamilton thanks to his quick pitstops. 

Even with suffering a spin midway through the race, Verstappen also twice overtook championship rival Leclerc on track to highlight his dominance this afternoon as Red Bull continue to lead the way in the constructors championship. 

Mercedes strengthen their impressive comeback

At the start of this season, Mercedes were struggling to even compete for top ten finishes in races due to a poorly constructed car that was suffering massively with porpoising.

Skip forward half a year and the German manufacturer has made huge improvements that are now allowing both Hamilton and Russell to regularly claim podium finishes.

At the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton and Russell again finished P2 and P3 respectively, a fantastic result overall thanks to their improved pace and one that left team principle Toto Wolff content.

Hamilton also took the extra point for fastest lap time. 

Ferrari continue to make a strategic mess

Italian team Ferrari continue to grab the Formula One headlines but for all the wrong reasons after consistently poor strategy calls again cost them dear in Hungary. 

Despite both Sainz and Leclerc looking quick throughout the weekend and during the early stages of the race, the pair finished P4 and P6 as Ferrari continue to underwhelm despite their pacy car. 

Leclerc had the worse of the poor calls again this weekend with his team pitting him for a hard set of tyres that never really warmed up, leaving him a sitting duck for the drivers behind him. 

In his post race interview, the Monegasque driver insisted he was happy to keep his medium tyres on for a longer stint but that his decision was ultimately overruled by the team. 

"We need to speak with the team and understand the thought behind putting on the hard... I don't know why we took a different decision," he told Sky Sports. 

F1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 as it happened

RACE FINISH: Verstappen wins the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix!!! 

The Dutchman puts together a composed race to take the chequered flag despite starting in P10 as he extends his lead at the top of the world drivers' championship. Mercedes pair Hamilton and Russell complete the podium places as Ferrari fail to inspire yet again with some poor strategy calls. 

Sainz, Perez, Leclerc, Norris, Alonso, Ocon and Vettel round out the points positions. 

Lap 68: The virtual safety car is back out as Bottas is forced to retire from this race with only two laps remaining. His car stutters to a halt with engine problems. That will be that you'd imagine now. 

Lap 65: Hamilton is up into P2! It seems like Mercedes don't want to make the call so they allow their drivers to fight for position. Russell goes deep at turn one in his attempt to defend but Hamilton pulls the old switchback manoeuvre and outdrags his teammate into turn two. 

Lap 63: Hamilton overtakes Sainz and moves into P3. Normally its towards the end of the start/finish straight where a pass takes place but Hamilton is already through halfway down the straight. Sainz is really struggling with his soft tyres and it's clear to see. 

Lap 61: Sainz is struggling with his traction out there and Hamilton is very close to getting DRS on the Ferrari driver. The Brits only chance for the win this afternoon is if he can very quickly jump Sainz into P3.  

Lap 59: So Verstappen leads by 8.6 seconds from Russell in P2 with Sainz just a few seconds behind.

But it's Hamilton in P4 who is absolutely flying now in what looks like a clever tactically call by Mercedes this afternoon. He could honestly win this race still as Verstappen has much older tyres on and will need to nurse them towards the end.  

Lap 56: Russell dives past Leclerc to take P2 and Ferrari respond by pitting Leclerc. Staggering stuff from the Italian team who seem to be in strategy disarray of late. He's now all the way down in P6 and is currently going to lose a lot of ground in the world championship title hunt to Verstappen. 

Elsewhere, Ricciardo collides with Stroll and receives a five-second time penalty from the race stewards. 

Lap 52: Hamilton pits and Verstappen now leads the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. It's difficult to see how the Dutchman will be beaten from this position now! 

Lap 51: Such is the struggle for Leclerc on those hard tyres that Russell is absolutely hounding him around the track now. It seems inevitable that the Brit will past him to get back up into P3 as Ferrari seem to have pulled another strategy blunder with Leclerc. 

Lap 49: Sainz is into the pits but it's a slow stop. Hamilton now leads the Hungarian Grand Prix but as he's been on two sets of medium tyres in this race, he HAS to stop again due to tyre regulations. 

Lap 45: Verstappen overtakes Leclerc again as is up into P3 of the Hungarian Grand Prix. 

Ferrari fans will no doubt be questioning the strategy to pit Leclerc onto hard tyres some laps ago now. 

Lap 44: So Sainz leads from Hamilton in this race but both need to pit still and will drop down the order when that happens. 

As a result, it's all about the battle behind as Verstappen is hunting down Leclerc again as the Ferrari driver struggles on his hard tyres. 

Lap 41: Verstappen overtakes Leclerc down the start/finish straight!

Leclerc comes out of the pits on hard tyres much to everyones surprise and he's struggling to warm them up. but wait a minute, Verstappen has spun at turn 13 and Leclerc is back through. It's all happening here now. 

Lap 39: A few drivers are complaining about the slippy conditions but regardless, Verstappen is in for his second stop and switches for another set of medium tyres.

Leclerc and Russell come in on the next lap and Verstappen comes out ahead of the Mercedes driver! That's a huge undercut from Red Bull. 

Lap 36: Tsunoda spins at the chicane as he drops into last place in this race. The Japanese racer is struggling a little bit of late. 

Lap 31: Leclerc leads the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix!! 

After some staunch defence, Leclerc finally darts past Russell on the start/finish straight to move up into P1 in this race. The Ferrari man grabs the DRS and dives into turn one under braking, a very gutsy move. 

Lap 29: Russell and Leclerc are locked in an enthralling battle for the lead of this race. The Ferrari man has tried to lunge past the Brit two or three times over the past few laps and it feels like just a matter of time until he moves up into P1. 

Lap 25: Ocon pits now and comes out just infront of teammate Alonso into turn one. The pair fight for position but it's an opportunistic Ricciardo who steals a march on the pair and slides down the inside of both Alpine drivers. That's an awesome move from the Australian man who gives it some over team radio after moving up to P10.

Lap 23: Leclerc pits which means Russell regains the lead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, though crucially, Leclerc comes back onto the track infront of teammate Sainz!

To update after the first round of pitstops, Russell leads from Leclerc, Sainz, Verstappen and Hamilton. 

Lap 20: It's Hamilton's turn to stop now and even though his team do a great job in the pit, Verstappen is through and infront of the seven-time world champion. Interesting strategy from Mercedes.. 

Lap 18: Sainz is straight into the pits on the very next lap though he comes back out behind Russell! It was a bit of a slower stop for the Spaniard as his team struggled with his front right tyre. Leclerc now leads the way here in Hungary. 

Lap 17: Russell is into the pits as Sainz takes the lead of the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. 

The British driver comes back out of the pit lane and right into a battle with Alonso who pushes him as hard as he possibly can though Russell stays ahead. 

Lap 15: Perez now overtakes Norris into P6 as the Brit continues to fall back from the P4 position in which he started this race in. Elsewhere, Verstappen is on the radio saying that something isn't right with his car.. 

Lap 13: Hamilton and Verstappen both overtake Norris!! What a move first by Hamilton who dives past his fellow British driver into the first corner which leaves the door open for Verstappen to outdrag the McLaren youngster into corner two. Fantastic driving. 

Lap 10: Just like with Verstappen a few laps ago, Perez now passes Ocon down the start/finish straight and moves up into P7. Next up for these two is Hamilton just 1.6 seconds up the road. 

Russell still leads from Sainz and Leclerc at the front of the pack. 

Lap 8: And now Verstappen is up to P6 as the Dutchman breezes past Ocon down the start/finish straight. Just behind on the track, Perez also gets past Alonso as the Red Bull drivers begin their fightback in this race. 

Lap 6: Verstappen overtakes Alonso down the straight towards turn four with ease. The world championship leader is already up to P7 as he looks to limit the damage this afternoon in his title bid. 

Lap 4: We're back under green flag racing as the VSC ends and Russell gets an unbelievable jump. He's now 2.3 seconds ahead of Sainz as he makes the perfect restart just like he did last week at the French Grand Prix as he overtook Perez. 

Lap 2: The virtual safety car is already out as Albon has damage at the back of the pack. Magnussen also made contact with the back of Ricciardo's car. 

RACE START: It's lights out and Russell keeps the lead for now despite being swamped by the two Ferrari drivers. Hamilton has jumped both Alpines into P5 whilst Verstappen is up into P8.

2 minutes to lights out: The cars are out on track to begin their formation lap ahead of the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix minus AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly who starts from the pit lane.

Mercedes reckon that the heavy rain could be with us any minute now so get ready for the chaos if that materialises! 

15 minutes to lights out: On the way to the grid we've seen plenty of cars already lock up, especially at turn two. Whilst it's not rained so far this afternoon, the track is still a bit wet from the overnight weather and the wind is gusting more than usual at the Hungaroring. It's also relatively cold for this time of year in Hungary.

That all adds up to tricky driving conditions then in which racers could make mistakes very easily!

30 minutes to lights out: As the pit lane opens and the cars begin to make their way to the starting grid for this afternoon's race, there's one man who won't be going anywhere and that's AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly. 

The Frenchman will begin from the pit lane this afternoon after receiving a grid-place penalty for taking new engine parts, the latest disappointment in what is proving to be a hugely frustrating season for the 26-year-old. 

45 minutes to lights out: So it's Russell from the front today for the first time and he may be aided by the weather this afternoon as he goes for his maiden race win. It's set to be very turbulent weather wise with plenty of rain in the forecast which always proves to be a bit of a leveller in the sport. 

There'll be plenty of other racers who'll be praying for rain as well, namely Verstappen and Perez who are starting further back this afternoon. Hamilton and Alonso are also famously known to be wet weather masters as too is Ocon who won his only F1 race in similar conditions at this track last year. 

1 hour to lights out: Welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the 13th race of the 2022 F1 calendar.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen stole a further march on his championship rivals with another convincing victory last time out in France but can Ferrari finally put together a perfect race day in response as they look to close the gap at the top of the constructors' standings? 

MORE: Audi and Porsche to join Formula 1 in 2026, Volkswagen CEO confirms

F1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2022 starting grid

Mercedes driver George Russel claimed his first ever pole position during qualifying for the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, leaving it until his final flying lap to steal away top spot from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz. 

Beating Sainz by just 0.044 seconds, Russell put together the perfect lap when it mattered most as Mercedes continue to improve their cars performance after a disappointing start to the season. 

Title challenger Charles Leclerc will start from P3 after failing to get the better of his teammate in qualifying, though championship leader Max Verstappen will start all the way back in P10 after his engine gave out on his final qualifying run yesterday. 

Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez disappointed as he failed to even make it into Q3. He qualified in P11 for this afternoon's race, with both drivers taking subsequent penalties for swapping in a new internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K each, though it won't affect their starting grid positions. 

Elsewhere McLaren's Lando Norris qualified P4 as he continues to outperform his car whilst Alpine pair Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso start P5 and P6 respectively. Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Riccardo and Verstappen round out the top ten. 

Full starting grid lineup for the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix:

Position Driver
1. George Russell
2. Carlos Sainz
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Lando Norris
5. Esteban Ocon
6. Fernando Alonso
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Valtteri Bottas
9. Daniel Ricciardo
10. Max Verstappen
11. Sergio Perez
12. Guanyu Zhou
13. Kevin Magnussen
14. Lance Stroll
15. Mick Schumacher
16. Yuki Tsunoda
17. Alexander Albon
18. Sebastian Vettel
19. Nicolas Latifi
20. Pierre Gasly*

*Starting from pit lane due to being given a penalty for exchanging engine parts. 

MORE: Formula 1 to race in Melbourne until 2035 following Australian Grand Prix extension

What time does the Hungarian Grand Prix race start today?

  • Date: Sunday, July 31
  • Start time: 2 p.m. local time / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 11 p.m. AEST

How to watch the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix 

USA: The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2022 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports' feed, with select races airing on ABC later in the season. You can also stream Formula 1 races live in the U.S. with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2022 F1 races in the U.S.

UK: Sky Sports F1, or online through Sky Go, is the place to catch all the F1 action in the UK.

Canada: In Canada, you can watch F1 via the English-language TSN or French-language RDS.

Australia: Fox Sports is the carrier of live F1 coverage in Australia.

  UK USA Canada Australia
Date July 31 July 31 July 31 July 31
Time 2 p.m. BST 9 a.m. ET 9 a.m. ET 11 p.m. AEST
TV Channel Sky Sports F1 ESPN TSN Fox Sports

Nathan Evans

Nathan Evans Photo

A Sports Journalism Masters graduate, Nathan Evans joined The Sporting News in 2022 after working at Opta/Stats Perform for six years. He's an avid fan of Bradford City, FC Köln and the Pittsburgh Penguins.