Lewis Hamilton has made the best possible start to the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend after topping both sessions ahead of qualifying on Saturday.
Lewis Hamilton has made the best possible start to the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend after topping both sessions ahead of qualifying on Saturday.
It was business as usual on Friday with the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg leading the field and looking almost certain to clinch yet another pole position tomorrow.
In the second session the 2008 champion beat his teammate by .238 of a second whilst it was Vettel, Alonso, Magnussen, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Bottas, Button and Massa occupying the top ten positions in the afternoon.
Practice 1
There was an early scare for Marussia’s Max Chilton in the early stages on Friday morning as he entered the pitlane after his first instillation lap.
On his way into the box his Ferrari powered Marussia caught light. The Brit endured a long wait in the garage due to a gearbox change that was a consequence of the oil leak that led to the fire.
He did thankfully complete five laps in the morning and set a time faster than teammate Jules Bianchi.
The surprise of the session came courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen. The Fin managed to set a time faster than both the Red Bulls, both Williams cars and his teammate Fernando Alonso to finish the morning best of the rest .607 behind the two Mercedes.
Practice 2
Whilst we are yet to see the full extent of the Mercedes pace it is clear that they are in the ascendancy. with a big gap to their nearest competitors on both one lap and race pace it is difficult to look past the silver cars for pole and the win.
Sebastian Vettel had a much better Friday than usual and managed to get ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo, a rare sight in 2014.
Whilst he did beat the young Australian in the week that rumours of a move to the Silver Arrows have appeared, he finished .629 of a second behind the electric Hamilton who looks at ease at a circuit that he has won at four times in the past.
It was a disappointing day at the office for both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa as they finished their day in the lower reaches of the top ten at the end of FP2. They will be desperate for the team to improve the car over night.
Williams will have to put in the hours if they are to give the car Bottas needs to continue his form that he has shown recently. Bottas is currently on a run of three podium finishes in a row that began in Austria.
Looking ahead
If what we have seen today is anything to go by then it looks as if Hamilton will be in a commanding position to take the 25 points on Sunday afternoon.
Whilst it may look like plane sailing for Hamilton he is not completely happy with the track and its conditions.
At the end of FP2, in an interview Hamilton is quoted as saying: “Today we had to drive so slow to look after the tyres – it feels like we have to slow down too much now, to the point where it’s kind of boring.”
Drivers are complaining after a lack of grip after Pirelli decided to bring the medium tyre as the option compound this weekend.
Behind the two Mercedes it looks as if there is a big fight on between the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull after a productive day for both teams for third place on Sunday afternoon.
If the weather holds up Mercedes should take home yet another one-two finish, however if the rain that is threatening arrives we could be in for a surprise winner.
If the rain arrives will it spoil the Mercedes Dominance and dent a whole in Hamilton’s championship charge? Have your say in the comments section below.
