Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton went into Sunday's Hungarian grand prix having written off his title chances and insisting victory would require a "miracle". When the chequered flag dropped, the 'miracle' had been in the form of a dominant display, leaving Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda to deny the team had spent the weekend bluffing. Briton Hamilton also insisted: "I'm baffled. Honestly, we really didn't expect this. We bolted the tyres on and they worked for us."
He had said just before the race at the Hungaroring that if Mercedes had struggled with tyres in milder temperatures, then hot Budapest would leave the W04 nowhere. So, Lauda is now sounding hopeful Hamilton, 48 points behind, can track down Sebastian Vettel's championship lead. "Vettel is the absolute favourite," he told German broadcaster RTL, "without question. But I can tell you that Spa and then Monza will suit us."
Indeed, with some teams now starting to switch off developments of the 2013 cars, team boss Ross Brawn told Auto Motor und Sort there will be upgrades at both of those forthcoming high-speed circuits. "After that we will decide on our priorities for the rest of the season," he added.
For the moment, then, Hamilton is "very much" in the title fight, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner insists. Hamilton agreed: "You never know what the tyres are going to do elsewhere, but if we came here and made our tyres last then we should be able to do it anywhere. I hope this is not the last time the tyres work for me."
2008 world champion Hamilton also admitted to feeling melancholy throughout the Hungaroring weekend, and devoted the win to his former girlfriend Nicole. "It's been the toughest couple of months of my life," the emotional former McLaren driver, his voice trembling, told British television Sky. Lauda joked to Bild newspaper: "As long as he drives as he did in Hungary, long may his heartache live!"
Order the latest Mercedes merchandise here!
Heartbroken and baffled Hamilton back in title chase
- Published on 29 Jul 2013 08:47
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Verstappen's Worst Season Start in Ten Years: The Numbers Behind the SlumpThree races in, Max Verstappen has twelve points and sits ninth in the world championship. By his own exceptional sta...
03 Apr 2026 16:14 -
Drivers' WhatsApp Group Has "Exploded" as GPDA Confirms Widespread Frustration With 2026 RulesThe discontent among Formula 1 drivers over the 2026 regulations is not a Max Verstappen problem. It is a paddock-wid...
03 Apr 2026 14:58 -
Windsor Predicts Verstappen Will Leave F1: "The Rules Have Reduced Him to an Ordinary Driver"Peter Windsor has gone further than most analysts in his assessment of Max Verstappen's future. The veteran journ...
03 Apr 2026 13:57 -
Reconstruction: Antonelli Is Creating a Verstappen-Style Culture Shock at MercedesFormula 1 appears to have a new prodigy. Andrea Kimi Antonelli has won his first two races in China and Japan, taken ...
03 Apr 2026 12:58 -
Argentina Is Seriously Pursuing a Return to the Formula 1 CalendarFranco Colapinto has done something for Argentine motorsport that no amount of marketing could replicate: he has made...
03 Apr 2026 11:56
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
Driver profile
- Team Ferrari
- Points 3,566
- Podiums 133
- Grand Prix 234
- Country GB
- Date of b. Jan 7 1985 (41)
- Place of b. Tewin, GB
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.74 m
- 482,236 comments on Ferrari
66 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Lewis Hamilton
Team profile
- Team name Mercedes
- Base Brackley, Germany
- Michael Schumacher 3
- Nico Rosberg 4
- Nico Rosberg 6
- Michael Schumacher 7
- Nico Rosberg 8
- Nico Rosberg 8
- Nico Rosberg 9
- Lewis Hamilton 10
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli 12
- Lewis Hamilton 44
- George Russell 63
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- 632,762 comments on Mercedes
- 59 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Mercedes
Replies (0)
Login to reply