Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, Sunday, 21.07.2024 at 15:00
Two Mercedes wins in a row, McLaren being fast everywhere and a Ferrari team bringing a new underbody to Hungary. Formula 1 is more exciting than it has been for a long time. Max Verstappen’s dominance can currently only be seen in the championship standings.
But the Austrian racing team with its team factory in Milton Keynes, UK, also has new parts with it. Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has already emphasized that this update must be effective. The focus for the next few months will be on the cars for the coming season, especially the vehicle for 2026, which will be built under the new regulations
Red Bull is faltering, Mercedes is pushing ahead, but still owes us the proof that it can be at the front on several tracks. Ferrari have been missing a few tenths recently. It remains to be seen whether the new underbody is the panacea. The McLaren is particularly consistent in terms of car performance.
Lando Norris’ team has only made life difficult for itself in the last few races and let the victories slip from its grasp. Overall, Red Bull has a lot of competition and is stumbling.
Therefore, in my Formula 1 Hungarian GP betting tip, I opt for the Bet365 bet that Norris will finish the race in the top 2. He was already the fastest on one lap and in the long run in Friday’s practice session.
Leclerc was self-confident at the press conference. Yet his last Ferrari race weekends were a disaster. Eleventh and 14th place and a gap of over 100 points to Max Verstappen. Nevertheless, the Monegasque still officially believes in the world championship title.
On the one hand, Ferrari has an update in Hungary that should lift the team to the top and, on the other, Verstappen’s world champion team is faltering. Particularly on Fridays, there are always difficulties
New parts sometimes don’t work, the set-up doesn’t fit, technical faults and the pit stops go wrong from time to time. Team-mate Sergio Perez shows just how difficult the RB20 is to drive; he has a massive chip on his shoulder against Verstappen and is under constant fire from critics.
In dry conditions at Silverstone, Verstappen was only panting behind Mercedes and McLaren. It was only when the rain set in and the Red Bulls adopted an ingenious strategy that the Dutchman managed to leap into second place. He also benefited from a retirement by George Russell
The team of the moment is currently the Silver Bulls. Lewis Hamilton achieved his first victory since 2021 and promptly set another record. With his ninth victory in England, he is now the driver to have won the most GPs at one track.
He can equal this record himself this weekend. The seven-time world champion is also strong at the Hungaroring, which is considered Hamilton’s favorite track and his car has been working better since the race in Canada
A new front wing has solved the balance problems. The positive consequences are far-reaching. The car reacts more consistently in different conditions, the drivers gain more confidence, can push more to the limit and set better lap times.
Other additional parts that have been fitted to the car also work. A small aerodynamic update for the airflow at the rear allowed Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to pull away at the front in dry conditions.
However, team boss Toto Wolff and the bookmakers are not sure whether Mercedes can repeat this in hot temperatures on a different type of track.
At 1.77, Verstappen leads the win odds ahead of Norris (4.50) and the Mercedes boys Russell and Hamilton (8.50 each).
McLaren may only have one win to their name this season, but they have fielded a car that has been one of the two fastest cars in terms of pace on every race weekend so far. And when it comes to tire wear, the Norris vehicle is considered to be gentle.
A perfect combination for the World Championship race in Hungary. Norris’ top 3 finish was not profitable before the last race weekends, well below the 1.50 mark.
The last 5 races at the Hungaroring:
I definitely see value in this bet due to the consistent performance of the MCL38. I also find Bwin’s odds that Verstappen will not win the race very interesting. The latest updates from Red Bull have not brought as many tenths as hoped for.
In general, there is still a bad mood in the team due to the problems surrounding Christian Horner, who is still at war with the Verstappen clan.
Experts agree that Verstappen’s move is only a matter of time and second driver Perez is also making negative headlines with crashes and finishes outside the points
What about the only German driver? He is currently showing that Audi made the right choice in signing him for the future. He has his teammate Kevin Magnussen, who will also be leaving the team at the end of the year, clearly under control.
With the help of new parts, Haas is currently fifth behind the top four teams Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari. Tire wear was the Achilles heel of the US racer last year, but this year it is one of Haas’ strengths.
The track is demanding for the tires, Hülkenberg’s vehicle works well on every track and he himself is in absolute top form, so points are definitely possible again. A 1.90 is served up in the top sports betting apps for this bet. He finished sixth in each of the last two races.
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Conclusion: Mercedes pulled away, McLaren was unstoppable. Max Verstappen did not have a good start at Silverstone. He only finished second because the other teams beat themselves due to technical faults and poor strategies.
Previously, he only finished the race in fifth place in Austria after a collision with a charging Norris, and in Spain and Canada the McLaren man was also the better driver in terms of speed. And now Mercedes, who finally understand the car and are unleashing more and more power from it, are also at the front.
Ferrari are also set to bring in a significant update, which, according to the team boss, should bring the Scuderia to the top. I expect it to be a very close race in Hungary.
Verstappen will also have new parts fitted to his RB20, but it remains to be seen whether they will really add tenths of a second this time. Overall, the RB20 is still too tire-killing and too fragile on hard kerbs, and we have some of those in Hungary too.
Norris is strong every weekend and was also ahead in the Hungarian practice session on Friday and the long runs also looked good.
That’s why my betting tip is: Norris in the top 2!
