5 things we learned from the Hungarian Grand Prix

31 July 2017 01:23

Lewis Hamilton will head into the summer break 14 points behind title rival Sebastian Vettel following his impressive sporting gesture at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton surrendered one spot and what could prove to be three pivotal points to his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas on the final corner of the final lap.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at Hamilton's remarkable show of sportsmanship and the other best bits from the Hungaroring.

1. Hamilton's sporting moment could cost him title

How many drivers on the F1 grid would have replicated Hamilton's selfless move? The answer: very few. Yet Hamilton's remarkable act of sportsmanship could scupper his championship bid. Vettel's victory marked his fourth of the year at a track which suited the Ferrari package. And after Hamilton allowed Bottas by in the final knockings, Vettel's margin to his rival is 14 rather than 11. The additional points may yet be significant in a title battle where the momentum has continually shifted from Ferrari to Mercedes, and now Mercedes back to Ferrari. But with nine races to run after the four-week summer shutdown, only time will tell how costly Hamilton's impressive sporting gesture proves to be.

2. Ricciardo blames "heat of the moment" for Max criticism

Daniel Ricciardo, so often the chirpiest man in the F1 paddock, was riddled with fury after he was punted out of the race by his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen. First, Ricciardo labelled Verstappen a "f****** sore loser" on the team radio before flipping his middle finger in the direction of the Dutch teenager. He then criticised Verstappen's "amateur" driving. But Ricciardo claimed, via a series of Twitter posts on Monday morning, that he has patched up his differences with his junior team-mate. "Yesterday was hard to take," Ricciardo said. "You build up all day for those couple hours of racing and then it's gone like that. Max apologised to me after the race and we spoke one on one. The situation was handled and taken care of in the right way to move forward."

3. Raikkonen unimpressed with returning Di Resta

Paul di Resta's shock return after a near four-year absence was one of the stories of the weekend. The Scot, a pundit for Sky Sports, was called up to deputise for Felipe Massa after the Williams driver fell unwell. But Di Resta's one-off comeback did not go down well with all of the drivers. Just ask Kimi Raikkonen. "What the f*** is this Williams doing?" Raikkonen said after lapping the British driver. "If he cannot see behind then he should stay reporting." Di Resta, 31, was running at the back of the pack for most of the race before he retired with an oil leak.

4. Maverick Alonso is all smiles

Fernando Alonso toasted his best result of the year and the fastest lap of the race by lying on a deckchair underneath the podium celebrations. Alonso crossed the line in sixth to claim only his second points finish of what has been a torrid year for him and McLaren. But not all agreed with the Spaniard's ironic celebration. "Alonso is probably better than the three guys on the podium, but sad he is joking in a deckchair," pundit Martin Brundle tweeted. "Reminds team bosses why they don't want him." Brundle's criticism attracted a staunch response from Alonso's former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button. "Totally agree Martin," he wrote. "How dare an F1 driver have a personality and bring fun to a sport that sometimes takes itself way too seriously."

5. Hulkenberg branded a "bully"

Nico Hulkenberg was labelled a "bully" after he called on the stewards to serve Kevin Magnussen a bigger penalty following their clash in the closing laps. Magnussen was hit with a five-second timed penalty after he was deemed to have forced Hulkenberg off the track. An unsavoury spat then ensued in the TV pen between the two drivers. Hulkenberg grabbed Magnussen by the arm and sarcastically lauded him for being the most sporting driver on the grid. "Nico went to the stewards to ask for a harsher penalty for Kevin, which I think is childish and immature," Magnussen's Haas boss Guenther Steiner said. "He's a bully and he got away with it for a long time and now maybe it's time someone stood up to him."

Source: PA