Rate the race: 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix

2011 Hungarian Grand Prix

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What did you think of the Hungarian Grand Prix? Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix out of ten

  • 10 (12%)
  • 9 (34%)
  • 8 (37%)
  • 7 (13%)
  • 6 (2%)
  • 5 (0%)
  • 4 (0%)
  • 3 (0%)
  • 2 (0%)
  • 1 (0%)

Total Voters: 483

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1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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191 comments on “Rate the race: 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix”

  1. Wasn’t Coulthard and Brundle’s finest day. There Button/Ham/Webber bias is getting a bit annoying.

    1. Yeha. What would you expect from brundle/bbc who spend 90% of their time in the Mclaren motor home chilling with their 2 favourite drivers.

      When either Ham or But do something that should be punished, they say it was a minor offence that doesnt need to be penalised, but when other drivers do anything wrong they do the opposite. lol when Alonso does something wrong, Brundle calls for his head on a platter.

      1. Brundle isn’t that bad I think, just keep in mind that the Mclaren drivers were looking mighty good at various points in the race.

        Coulthard however needs to chill, especially where Di Resta is concerned.

    2. Italy’s commentators today really had a bad day. They confused Massa v Rosberg for Alonso v Schumacher, Vettel for Webber, Massa for Alonso, Buemi for Barrichello…

      1. During yesterday’s qualifying they described last year’s race by listing everything Vettel did to lose that race and attributing that to Webber who went on to win…

    3. Really ?

      What sort of bias would you prefer, friend ?

    4. Fair point on

      1. What this meant to say was: Fair point on Brundle, but Coulthard? Seriously? David “Vettelle” Coulthard?

        1. I know! He even said he’d realised his mistake and was gonna say vettel (with one l) from now on during quali in germany, then proceeded to go on as usual in the race and all this weekend. Beggers belief.
          But the bloke on Aussie tv has been saying lewitsi instead of Liuzzi for years now, and it’s driving me batty! He doesn’t even pick up on the fact that is his co-commentators say it right. And his voice has less enthusiasm and character than Kimi

          1. my god, i know. it’s so frustrating! Learn to read! ‘I’ before ‘U’!

    5. Really? I think you’re looking for something that isn’t there. That, or you’re just trolling.

    6. Ha! Didn’t you enjoy the Hungary pun at the start though?

      1. Brilliant :D

    7. I think Brundle and Coulthard were a good advertisement for why ex-drivers can be of no use as stewards. Neither thought Hamilton’s spin was worthy of even investigation. Imagine the outburst if the leader had been sent onto the grass by a back-marker doing the same thing (and the irony of them suggesting Kobyashi may need investigation for holding up Webber for 3 corners, helping Hamilton to pass).

    8. Yeah, what do you expect from a broadcaster broadcasting to an audience of whom the majority’s interest is in Hamilton and Button? (not sure about Webber lol).

      Yes I know that the commentary gets shared in other places but their main concern is the British audience, from British employers. (And look at the rate the race results on here – British people like to see British drivers win, for some strange reason).

      And to be honest, I think you’re biased in your perception of bias.

  2. awesome first couple of laps!

    pretty average rest of the race.. 8/10

    1. Indeed. The start was fantastic and my heart was pounding as Lewis and Seb were battling. The rain shower in the middle of the race made for some great racing between the McLarens, but it’s a shame Lewis made the mistake of trying to spin the car into the traffic, because the resulting penalty cost us a classic finish. But then the decision from Hamilton and Webber to go onto inters was a bit daft.

      This is with hindsight, though…

    2. Dis you miss the repeated reversals of fortune or the repeated lead changes?

      I mean what more could you possibly want??

      1. Exactly! The battle between the two McLarens around lap 50 or so was phenomenal, the opening laps, the battle for the final points in the closing laps, it had it all. I actually enjoyed it more than Canada. Probably the best race of the season for me so far, and my favorites didn’t have particularly great races. It was just gripping (no pun intended).

      2. maybe i’ve just been desensitized by the 2011 season..

        the race was good! (i did rate it 8/10!), but i didn’t enjoy it as much as China (which i gave a 10), or Germany last weekend (which i have a 9).. it is a matter of opinion after all

  3. Great race today loved the changeable conditions which made the race a cracker.

  4. Moistmeister wins his 200th! I’m very happy about that.

    First half was a bit disappointing for a wet race. The conditions made it quite tense and especially interesting for the first 10 laps, with the cars sliding all over the place. It was mostly a strategy race rather than cars fighting tooth and nail though. I was basically just watching the gaps and lap times changing instead of the cars driving.

    Then the second half came, it started raining and everyone was on mixed strategies, the McLarens fought each other brilliantly, a Virgin doing a 180 in the pits, cars going wide all over the place, Hamilton taking Webber by going wide while Webber’s fumbling about with backmarkers. Exciting!

    Hamilton’s ABSOLUTELY AWFUL strategy and drive through (which if you ask me was a very harsh penalty for a move that didn’t really affect anyone – it should’ve just been a warning) was extremely disappointing for me as I wanted him to win again and for the majority of that race it was pretty much set in stone. I wanted him to win because I want him to win the WDC and he needs to stack those wins up to catch up with Vettel. If he couldn’t win, then I’m more than happy about Button winning. However that doesn’t affect how much I enjoyed the race overall.

    If the whole race was like the second half it would’ve been a 9/10, regardless of where my favourite drivers would’ve ended up, but unfortunately the processional first half of the race means….

    7/10.

    1. moistmaster!

      Haha I love it!

  5. Great race…just goes to show, to get excitement in F1, just add water.

    1. Except it’s no longer racing, it just becomes about gambling with the weather.

      1. Whereas I would have thought that racing in the wet sorted those who are supremely competent when driving high-powered machinery in skid-pan conditions from those whose ability is not equal to it.

        1. That wasn’t racing in the wet, it was racing conditions where the amount of grip changed from lap to lap, and drivers are purely guessing and hoping that when they brake or accelerate that there is going to be at least as much grip as there was in the previous lap. It was a straight up lottery, not a showcase of supreme driving skill or brilliant strategy.

          1. Not a showcase of driving skill? Not a showcase of strategy??

            Luck accounted for about 5%! the rest i am pretty sure was skill.

          2. I was with you the first few times Button came alive in these conditions, but luck doesn’t explain why he keeps ending up there so often when the weather is changing.

    2. great race. Hamilton great until he spins. Right after that, just lost his mind, starting with the dangerous manouvre in front of Di Resta. ANd then with a wrong strategy.
      Fair result: button, vettel, alonso were the best in the end.

      1. The spin happened *after* he screwed up his strategy for the 1st time, and then went on on that path.

  6. lewis deserved a whole lot more than 4th.

    1. yes man, the penalty was unfair, i think some ppl are against hamilton, he drove better than much out there.

      1. unfair? You dont do wheelspins infront of other drivers. you’re supposed to wait till the track is empty.

        1. sid_prasher (@)
          31st July 2011, 15:22

          Totally agree…really a bad move from Hamilton. Had driven wonderfully in the first half. I don’t know what mclaren thought when they sent him out on Inters.

          Solid race – super for Hungary. 8 from me.

        2. He also wheelspinned out of the way though. He couldn’t have just stood there and he can’t drive away from there without doing a spin.

          Di Resta had plenty space available. He just got scared that Lewis might spin a 360.

        3. He had to move though, because he was blocking the track anyway…

      2. Lewis didn’t seem to think so having already apologized to Di Resta!

        Hamilton great until spin. Spin takes away all greatness.

        Awesome recovery drive from him taking Massa and Webber to P4 but only one person managed to keep it on the track without spinning and he won the race. That shows a greater degree of skill than trying to spin your car round infront of oncoming traffic.

        1. Does it? The spin was obviously a moment of stupidity. But it was still a great drive ignoring that.

          Penalty was 100% fair. You just can not do that. Could have been an absolute disaster.

          Anyone notice how badly the marshal crews did?
          At one point I saw a car have to swerve around them backing Nicks car into the pitlane.

          That is how people get killed.

          1. Yep, i thought vettel was going to plough into the lot of them. I’d love to see the onboard footage of Sebs pit lane exit to see how close he really was.

        2. Mr.Zing Zang
          1st August 2011, 1:26

          Button went off track more than once.

      3. Re-Play- I remember you goading everyone last week. LOL.

    2. you get what you deserve. come on. you spin, there are consequences.

    3. Your not allowed to do a burnout when cars are trying to go around you. He’s lucky he didnt get a DQ.

    4. for all the bad things that happened to HAM in that race, to walk away with 4th wasn’t too bad!

    5. Dar4Ferrari (@)
      31st July 2011, 23:13

      when you force another driver in slippery conditions to leave the track then you deserve a penalty….i think 4th is just what he deserved…JB Seb and Alonso kept cool heads…lewis crucially didnt…just because he drove better than most in the majority of the race doesn’t mean he deserves a win…over 70 laps he was 4th best

  7. Not sure, great start, halfway through a lull to give some suspense, then a stretch of excitement, and ending a slight bit tame. On the whole, it was a great race though. I’ll make it an 8.

    Sad this seems to more or less end the WDC with Alonso, Hamilton and Webber all ending behind Vettel, but I guess the race can’t help it and neither can Button or Vettel.

    1. I wouldn’t be to quick to call the WDC just yet after all Seb has only won 6 races, if the red bulls continue to loose form and vettel does win for the rest of the season, he won’t even get the title of most race winning driver not to take the title! prost got 7 wins in 88 and missed out to senna as was kimi’s 7 wins in 05 not enough to get him the crown. and the last man to win 7 times and walk away with nothing was schumacher in 2006 and the man who beat him is the very same man chasing down Seb right now! They also didn’t have a points system aimed at rewarding wins over place finish’s like we do today. histroy has shown us, as murry walker said “anything can happen in formula 1, and it usually does!” I think the championship is far from over.

      1. If Vettel continues to be on podium in every Grand Prix, it’s over. For anyone else to stand a chance, Vettel would have to regularly finish outside the top 3, preferably outside the top 10. That seems unlikely, if not outright impossible.

        And even if Vettel gives us this gift, we still need one driver to stand out and be considerably better than the others. If Fernando, Lewis, Mark and Jenson continue to share the points, none of them will be able to bridge the gap.

      2. I think that this season it is a bit different. 4 guys are trying to steal some points from Vettel, and all of them are alternating wins, whilst Seb still keeps collecting solid points. If Lewis, Alonso, Mark and Jenson coninue to share the remaining wins, none of them will have enough points to chalenge Sebastian.

  8. 9/10.
    Epic race! Great fight for the race. And really impressed by VET too. He didn’t seem to want to win the race anyways. He has his eyes fixed on the championship

  9. Great opening few laps. Again when the rain came back again. Middle dyed down a little but tyres made things interesting.

    A lot more passing than usual in Hungary. Even Vettel did one.

    Nothing on Monaco, Canada and China though so I’d say 7/10 maybe 7.5.

    1. A lot more passing than usual in Hungary. Even Vettel did one.

      :D

      But I agree. I gave it a 7 too. It was very entertaining, but it was nothing compared to China and Canada.

    2. I also gave it a 7. It was a very interesting race strategy wise, but not action packed like China, Canada, Monaco. Some periods of the race even looked a bit boring, which wasn’t necessarily the case, but it was basically just waiting to see who made the right call(s).

      However i think this was one of the best Hungary GPs since 2006.

  10. not a 10. 8 or 9

  11. 10/10

    Who says you can’t pass at the Hungaroring?

    1. Even Vettel passed Alonso.

      For me, 8/10.

      1. Given that he was out-qualified by Felipe Massa, spun all on his own during the race, and couldn’t make his yre strategy work at the end, I’m not convinced that was Fernando Alonso that we saw in the Ferrari today.

        1. Not one of his best tracks. But he managed to pull through and make it onto the podium just 10 seconds behind VET.

          Sort of makes you wonder if he could have finished second without losing all that time spinning.

        2. How many times did Alonso get sideways? More than a few.

        3. His brother?

      2. I had a nice warm feeling for Vettel when that happened.

    2. “Who says you can’t pass at the Hungaroring?”
      Dry weather, obviously.

      1. Or “cars on equal tyres” might have something to say about this too.

  12. i think hamilton deserved to win this race. he did make a mistake, spun and got a drive-through for that, it was his mistake, but i dont understand why he put the option tire on his 3rd pitstop. i dont know if that was the team’s decision or his, but he was leading the field and controlling the race, why did Mclaren decide he needed the super-softs + another pit stop, instead of finishing on the softs. i think that’s where he lost the race in the first place and it’s just incredibly frustrating to see such strategy calls.

    1. I don’t think he had any supersofts left…

      1. you don’t understand. HAM should have put a pair of yellow softs on during his 3rd pitstop, not red super softs.

    2. The supersofts weren’t a mistake, it was the intermediates which messed it up.

      1. The supersofts weren’t a mistake,
        As it happens they were, Vettel and Button went to the end of the race and Hamilton was NOT gaining any time on the s. softs, Hamliton even started to loose time and would of had to stop again with substantially less lead that what was needed for a stop.

        1. Exactly, it seemed a reasonable decision for Lewis; to put on the super-softs, push, build up a lead and then pit for softs later on. The problem was that for some reason he started losing time to those behind. That’s what’s confusing me.

          1. I think Mclaren were daring him to make it to the end on those tyres

          2. @ mename2332

            yeah, but what would have been the logic behind that, do dare Hamilton to make it to the end of the race with super-softs, while Button had to make it to the end of the race on softs, both with same amount of laps left. i dont know who made that strategy call, but its just…sad.

          3. Yeah, I just don’t understand why Lewis was slower. If he was trying to last to the end he would have put the softs on and if he was pitting again he should have been at least half a second per lap faster than JB. Colour me most confused.

          4. Dar4Ferrari (@)
            31st July 2011, 23:18

            it must have been track evolution….alonso was much slower on the super soft after the 3rd stop too…he couldnt get any heat into them….they were so under temp that even seb made an easy pass on him….i can only presume the same happened lewis

    3. i was saying the same thing, when he went in for his last stop, he should have went with the soft tyres, but i think he got the drive through because the stewarts realised he couldnt win the race

      1. no that’s dangerous rejoining. Penalty was fair. I think if he hadnt gone on inters and straight on yellows, he would’ve probably caught up to the leaders by the end.

        The start though, was the slowest ever! It was like slow motion! :D

        1. Great to see them tip toe and make mistakes.

    4. I think it (staying on super-soft, rather than going to soft) is one of those things that’s easy to criticise in hindsight.

      It probably was the wrong call, but it was the events after that (drive through + change to inters) that really put pay to any chance of victory.

      Good race from Button – 8/10 overall.

  13. 9/10, beginning was just tooooo boring,

    Great job by both STRs, Di Resta and of course Button!

    Heidfeld’s blow out and Mclarens fight made it all the more interesting, not to mention the rain which was an added element!

    Dissapointed with Sutil and the Lotuses though :(

    1. Oh, I forgot about that blowout for a moment – it was quite spectacular but not the kind of fire the Renaults should be showing!

  14. Younger Hamii
    31st July 2011, 15:00

    Could of been 10/10 for me if it a McLaren 1-2 was maintained but it wasnt meant to be.

    So a 9/10 still a Cracking Race,Congrats to JB,Kept his cool and was calm and collected.A well and truly deserved win for him

    1. If the replies to your comment aren’t full of the “b” word I’ll eat my hat!

    2. Younger Hamii, you are biased! (just so GeeMac wont eat his hat lol)

  15. 7. First 5 laps were terrific, the last 3rd of the race was very exciting but it died off in the middle and the last couple of laps.

    1. Was about to comment the same, 8/10 for me
      good midfeild battle, comical pit stop, overtakings but did have a lull in the middle where we had a waffle about tyres *sighs*

      1. 7/10 for me too.

        The only really exciting parts were the first few laps and then the McLaren battle at the second rain shower. But Hamilton and Webber’s poor strategy (i.e. going onto inters), as well as the wrong compound at the wrong time for Alonso cost us a much more exciting race, and gifted Vettel second.

  16. Pit » Hamilton: “We got it wrong with the pitstops today. I’m sorry about that.”
    Hamilton » Pit: “Well done to Jenson.”

    I was looking forward to a real race to the flag between 2 capable drivers. Well Done for Jenson though 200 up with a win.

    Good to see Hamilton congratulate Jenson despite his disappointment – though that won’t be reported at all.

    1. Any decent pilot would do that. It’s impressive the lengths people go…

    2. He said it again in the interview on BBC, so that was shown live on tv – and even complimented by EJ and Jake :)

  17. oh god, i hate jenson button

    1. Why? He’s a lovely bloke and a good driver. Actually, don’t bother answering me.

    2. I’d like to hear why, too — I can’t think of anything about him to inspire hatred.

    3. Hear Hear! :D

    4. It’s this kind of balanced, intelligent debate that I frequent F1 Fanatic for.

      1. loooooooooooool

        why did Mclaren have to go for the risky super soft stratedgy with HAM. he was in the lead!

        1. They opted for it with both drivers, and they made the calls…

  18. First 10 and the last 20 laps were great. A bit boring between that with Hamilton comfortably in the lead. So 7/10. But the best thing about this race: Seeing cars drifting and power sliding out of the corners! FIA please give us 1500bhp so we are not at the mercy of the weather gods for this.

    1. U cant have cars battling on every lap fpr God’s sake. Be reasonable

    2. 1500bhp might be a bit on the dangerous side?

  19. 8.
    I really enjoyed the track evolution and all driver struggling with it. Lots of errors improved greatly the excitement and added on the overall amount of nice overtaking i’ve seen.
    Great how the strategies have unfolded, supersoft fail this time around!

  20. 8/10

    Much quieter when it was dry, but there was enough drama to make it a fairly special race. Brilliant drive from Button in his 200th race.

  21. Some dull moments unfortunately.

    8/10

  22. 8/10. Best race in Hungary since 1997.

    A short comment on HAM’s tyres: I was watching it with live timing and it was obvious SOFT were merely 0.5 sec slower than S-SOFT in first lap. What on earth were they thinking? Weren’t they watching the lap times? I would do the job for them if they don’t have resources, just put me in the paddock! No, seriously, how can they make these mistakes? They knew SOFT can last some 30 laps and S-SOFT would last 14 for HAM, how would you justify changing to SOFTs with 30 laps to go? Finally, even with a 1 second deficit to the following car, HAM could easily defend his position. What a shame.

    Again, Vettel proved he is just a quali champion – just mr nobody in real race. And, Button must be the greatest strategist when he retires!

    1. Agree, that was really a mistake to go on those super softs, and also the reason HAM had to anyway come in and went for inters. But Button would have been 2nd of 1st anyway I think.

      1. Lewis lost the race at the point. I dont know how he managed to be so calm during the interview

      2. And then again, when the drops were falling again, they were lapping somewhere in 1.35. In the first part of race they were making 1.37 with S-SOFTs when the others were making 1.40 with inters. Given fuel change I think it was still some 3 seconds faster than inters. That is why really nobody went for inters except few gamblers – everybody saw inters couldn’t be quick enough and they can switch to inters later on anyway. So the real mistake here was S-SOFT as fourth stint for HAM. Finally… If you are not sure – just wait one lap and see laptimes, compare those of your competitors – all the answers were there, they were just incapable to pick them up. Real shame.

        1. Agree, and after half a dozen laps the s softs were slower than the softs so no way could the pitstop gap needed be pulled out… totally impossible.

    2. Vettel wasn’t a “nobody” in the race. Performed quite well- the Mclarens were the faster car in the conditions but he did keep good pace and pass Alonso when he needed to.

    3. The only driver that made sense to compare to for Hamilton’s crew was Alonso. I was watching him in the live timing and that was the response, only .3s-.5s second in gap between compount, but Ferrari is known not to be able to get tires in the optimal temperature window. What if McLaren would have been able to extract more out of the tires?

      Of course They should have known, it’s their car. It remains a very very bad call, costing the victory, but the gap between compounds reduced massively from past days, from 1s to just .3-.5, slighty unpredictable, i don’t know if you agree. It didn’t happen at Nurburgring.

      Of course what makes it a bad call is that it was succeded by another even more bad call with the inters. There’s no possible excuse for that.

      1. Stefanauss, can’t completely agree. During the second stint Alonso warmed his tyres quickly, as far as I remember just in his first full lap. Even if McLarens were smart enough to remember this tyre heating issue with Ferraris, they could look at the previous stint and Ferrari’s behaviour – how much it took to quicken up. I guess the only question here is: did McLaren had the information to make the right call or not. My opinion is that they had.

  23. Nice race. I liked the beginning. I think the drivers were actually struggling more the first few laps here than in Canada and it made it really tense.

    The bit of rain made it really interesting in the beginning, but I thought more people would have gone onto the primes given Michael went on to them really quite early. Especially Ferrari got that call wrong for Alonso.

    What ruined it a bit for my personal enjoyment, was Sauber’s über-conservative strategy sticking with their two-stop despite the changing conditions and completely ruining Kobayashi’s race. His pace was really good and he could have finished 7th.

    Hamilton’s post-race interview on the other hand, made up for that. Like he’s saved up all his maturity up for now. The best part was definitely his first line. I think the first time he’s returned the compliments Button so often gives him in his interviews and it looked/sounded really genuine. Kudos to Hamilton for that.

    1. Kobi is the new Trulli…

      1. He does brake check but kobayashi is not trulli

    2. Yeah, now we had the “Kobayashi train” :-)

      I find it utterly disappointing that while Sauber has a truly combative and overtaking-oriented pilot, their recent strategies invariably force him into hopeless defensive situations.

  24. Quite an exciting race. Just let down ever so slightly with the interference of the stewards. 7/10

  25. Spectacular to watch the drivers fighting for grip on a greasy track. Satisfying result, not great for what’s left of the championship though.
    11 out of 10 for the commentary. Made the race much more enjoyable. That’ll help as Brundle negotiates his pay for next year!

  26. I went for an 8, it was a great race by F1 standards of the past 4 years, but by 2011 standards the 20-30 minutes of little action in the middle got it down a bit.

    And the fact Vettel gave up on catching Button to secure WDC points in those last 10 laps and Alonso not being in the figth.

    But a very good race even so and it does look like McLaren are strong for Spa, if the European Summer keeps going this way.

  27. I think it is getting time that Sauber rethink their strategy, seeing how FI now have found good speed and can fight them. And the slow laps for Sauber cost them points from the STR cars too.

    1. Yes. The tyre trick worked in Melbourne because the tyres happened to last on that track, but since then they’ve been ‘flogging a dead horse’, as the saying goes.

    2. I really don’t see why they should. it’s clear they’re often going this way because it’s in the characteristics of their car to be easy on the tires. And it has often paid off. Lack or gain in pure pace and development over other teams is unlikely to change the inner basics of the car.

      To me this seems to be just a bad race strategy-wise in an otherwise very good season for them. And given the track rollercoast evolution, and most of all the very slim gap in compound performance this Sunday (which they strongly rely on to deliver in the race) as opposed to what has been seen on practice and QLF, the outcome could not be a real sign of regress in the pecking order after all.

  28. Nice one Jenson, a cool calm head prevails….and yeah, when I saw Lewis do that spin I thought it was bloody dangerous, give it an 8.

  29. Gave it a 9. Last point was for slightly poor coverage first without livetiming, then several passes wasn’t captured or only shown in Replays, then midfield scrap included sutil and perez who were 1 lapped down unnoticed by DC and MB.

  30. Great race, granted I am a JB fan so really happy, but what a great race slick at the start then throwing in some more rain and just a WOW race!! Well done Hungary!

  31. UKfanatic (@)
    31st July 2011, 15:30

    Unfair outcome, unlucky. 7/10 for me, Vettel has the luck of champions his smile says it all, everything is going his way, Lewis drove well still in my opinion too crazy, Ferraris is jittering, strange performance today.Exiciting races boring championship, the opposite of last season but exactly the same as 2009, Vettel wins alot of races in the start of the season but he is now sabbatical, not that matters much cause he know has the biggest lead on the champ.

    1. In what way was the outcome unfair and unlucky, if you don’t mind me asking?

  32. If only DIR hadn`t overeacted.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv6CAkK7J4I

    For your consideration.

    1. I’m not quite sure what your point is. It’s really difficult to see from that angle what’s going on, but it looks like Massa pulls off the track out of the way of the on-coming cars before turning his car around. Which is exactly what Hamilton should have done, as there was run-off right in front of him.

      1. the difference is that massa actually waits to assess the situation, gets his car off the racing line, and spins it around as safely as possible. Lewis only cared about saving time, and came shockingly close to BAR as well as DIR. I was still hoping he’d get away with it because I wanted him to beat vettel, but it was a fair call.

  33. Great race. Action throughout the field and lots of overtakes. Changeable conditions

  34. I don’t believe in this “I’ll rate it lower because the 2011 standard is much better than before.’ A race is a race, how are we meant to compare seasons properly if we all “weight” our scores according to the season?

    I originally voted a 9 out of bitterness from how the race turned out and I didn’t want to be biased. But even 2 years ago we would have killed for this, so I’m not that unhappy at what I gave it after all.

    1. It was another classic, but I wouldn’t put it up there on par with Canada and China, which I believe I gave 9s. I gave it a 7 not because I’m taking into consideration the fact that 2011 races are on average, much better than in previous seasons, but because it had a bit of a dull section in the middle.

      And despite Jenson’s win, I’m not overly happy. I think it might be because Vettel keeps extending his lead.

    2. My rating system is a complete wreck; I try to look back at the race and and mark it down for things I would have changed — so Montreal, which is probably my favorite, I rated absurdly low (marked down for SC start, for all the laps I found myself cursing at the SC to please get off the road, for the hyperextended stoppage). But it was such a great race! Then Silverstone by my own system too high — I should have docked it for the 10 sec stop/go (maybe 5 sec would have been better?). Now I’m just staring at the poll helplessly. I might as well just close my eyes and toss a dart at it for all I know what to do anymore.

  35. Gave it a 6. I wanted to see Button, Hamilton and Vettel scrapping at the end and it turned into a bit of a damp squib because of the change to inters and Vettel settling for second.

    In future in changeable conditions when Hamilton’s race engineer comes on the radio and asks him what he wants to do regarding tires, if I were Lewis I would ask them to get onto Jenson and ask what he thinks and then follow his lead.

    Hamilton is the quicker man but Button has a gift when the conditions are like today, that’s four wins in changeable conditions for Mclaren, plus Hungary ’06 and Malaysia ’09 in tough weather conditions. Shame he’s not going as consistent in the dry.

    Hamilton did very well in his interview, he must be inwardly fuming but seems to have learned from Monaco. Not going onto hard tires with Button, Vettel and Webber, and then his own error in the spin cost Hamilton an excellent chance of winning.

  36. 7/10

    Was a good start but slowed down towards the middle… had the rain been heavier or lasted longer it could have been very diffrent. But good non the less.

  37. Trenthamfolk (@)
    31st July 2011, 15:56

    Thrilling race, great win from Button, disappointed for Hammy, but his turn-around was reckless – the red mist descended once again – for all his aggressive brilliance, he needs to learn a trick or two from Button. Alonso got third cos Massa moved out of the way for him: I hate team orders. Massa must feel like siht. I’m glad the RB’s have had the game brought to them. It’s starting to remind me of the 2009 Brawn season…

    1. Were we watching the same race? Massa was told to move over? Oh please… Alonso had DRS and overtook. It may have looked easy, but if you compare it to the other overtakes on the straight you will see they were all very similar to the Alonso/Massa one.

      1. Trenthamfolk (@)
        31st July 2011, 21:19

        Yes Rob, we were, and we all know how Ferrari work: Even you.

        Mark Blundell commented at the time… “that pass was far too easy… did you see Massa fighting for position? No…”. I rest my case. Fernando messes up, but he doesn’t need to worry cos his team mate (who out qualified him incidentally) simply moves over. Alonso had DRS, yes, but he also had Ferrari!

        “Fernando is faster than you…”

        Mud sticks.

  38. 1st. 10 laps wow…Nick’s Blowout,was that the Kres battery?…JB wins his 200th…sweet

  39. 10. I was tossing up between a 9 & 10. Have it a 10 cause JB won it. He is such a nice chap.

    Really interesting to watch the cars and the drivers driving in the tricky conditions.

  40. 9/10. FOM director needs shooting. Stewards over the top with Lewis again.

    1. 8/10 for the whole race
      no mention of massa on bbc forum
      massa had a good comeback from that spin near the start and he overtook loads of people he should have got credit

  41. Well I thoroughly enjoyed the whole race, HD pics from La Sexta, audio from BBC stream. Entertainment from 18 out of 20 drivers. more pitstops than ever before, loads of passing, several ooooohs and ahhhhs,
    In Fact: Motor Racing. Not a 2 hour parade, or a strategic victory. Actual racing and passing.
    Well done. To everyone.

  42. 8. That’s very nice for this little hungaroring !

    I love the first 15 laps, and the hectic in the middle. The last 10 laps were a bit disappointing…

    I KNEW Hamilton would get a penalty the moment i saw that spin he did. Just in the middle of the track in front of other cars… Just engage your brain a tiny bit more Lewis, and you’ll be champion again !

  43. Hamilton gets penalty for forcing another car off the track. Read the rules. Great race overall. Vettel extends lead and Button wins.

  44. 9/10 for a great race. 10/10 for JB wininng his 200th. 10/10 to the UK fans on the red button shouting “We don’t want Sky!” 0/10 to the BBC team at the start of the coverage trotting out a canned apologia for the Sky deal (“it’s a good deal for the license fee payer blah blah financial crisis blah”).

  45. very very good race, 8/10.

  46. I did not read everything … so maybe I am a bit out of contest …

    the race was very dramatic, rain sure helped a lot …

    Hamilton really did a mistake when changing to intermediate tyre, but on the otherhand, it was really slippery on the track.

    now, to the spin and the penalty. he did not deserve it. after he span, he was still going backwards to ideal racing line, closing way to two other drivers (did not see, who they were), so he made the maneuver and Di Resta had to go on grass – so he saved the other two and Di Resta had enough time to react – he saw what happened from the distance, and yet, he still did have a lot of speed there … he could of reacted differently as well (I am not blaming him), so I guess the penalty was not in place there … but, what is done is done, Button wins (a nice celebration for 200 races), Vettel is second and does not lose much in championship fight and Alonso is still third – I if he did not span for the second time, I think he could be second …

    so, this is my 50 cent … :D

    1. If he was not given the penalty then it would have set the precedence for other drivers and they would also start doing the same. I think he shuld have been disqualified from the race as he could have destroyed the race of not 1 (Di Resta) but many other drivers who were passing by him when he did that silly move

    2. He deserved a penalty so much for that move. He should have moved a bit forward to get out of the racing line, waited until the traffic had passed and then turned. Well fought back to 4. place though.

      1. If he had moved forward he would have had to make the spin in the grass.

    3. Dar4Ferrari (@)
      31st July 2011, 23:42

      from the cockpit camera you can see if DIR didnt go off the track there wold have been contact….which could have been disastrous for button who was not far from them…it was another stupid decision by a man that if he had button or alonso’s calmness he would already be a multiple world champion..

  47. Epic of Button to win on his 200th race and on the track were he won his first race ever.
    When Alonso got a new set of Softs just before lap 40, I concluded that Webber should wait and pit for a set of Primes, when they would be able to last until the end.
    It proved to be the right strategy: Hamilton lost the race when he got a set of Softs after lap 40. Vettel and Button got the strategy right and avoided serious spins. Fantastic to watch the 2 McLarens in a clean fight – that is the way to go. Great drive from Button, felt sorry for Lewis, but strategy is important. Very intelligent damage limitation from Vettel today, difficult to see how Lewis can catch him, even if the McLarens were clearly faster today.

  48. I voted 9.

    Drama all the way through, D’Ambrosio’s spin in the pitlane, Heidfeld exploding, Hamilton’s great move on Webber at the end, Button’s amazing drive on his 200th GP, a bit more action and it could have been a 10!

    P.S. the only reason why I voted it a 9 was because Alonso spun ;) I like watching Alonso spin!

  49. I have to say I enjoy the fact that Mclaren let their drivers race each other. Seeing Button and Hamilton fighting for the lead was excellent entertainment.

  50. McLaren rules – 4 victorys now, 2 each driver, not like other teams thar only race a F1 car a the other one is a mule…. These two guys are thr best! Go Lewis and Button!!!

  51. Does anyone know how many penalties has Hamilton had this season?

    I have a strong feeling that he will soon beat the record of “most penalties during season”.

    It’s his own record from 2008 to be beaten ;)

    1. I think they penalize to much, but this race Lewis certainly did a very dangerous move. He was lucky not to get hit. Was Koba penalized for the move, where he closed the door on someone?

  52. From what I’ve read and seen it looks to have been a really exciting race. I haven’t watched it all yet, but a very bittersweet result. I’m thrilled for Button who managed to win his 200th GP at the same circuit he had his first win at, and in spectacular fashion too. However, I’m gutted for Lewis. I had really hoped he was on for another win but poor tire choice of inters + an unnecessary drive through brought an end to that. Had my fingers crossed he could string together some victories and start making this championship interesting. Find it hard to imagine anyone can get close enough to make RedBull and Vettel even a tiny bit nervous that this year isn’t their’s already.

    1. Lewis didn’t lose the race because of the spin, penalty and wrong choice of inters. He lost the race, when he got his softs on at 3. pitstop. When Vettel then got a set of Primes, which turned out to be faster and able to continue to the end, Lewis’ victory was doomed. McLaren repaired it for the team by putting Button on the same strategy as RBR had started with Webber (I actually predicted it or suggested that Webber should get a set of Primes to beat Alonso, when he had had his 3. pitstop with Softs close to lap 40. Thus Webber only needed to run his Softs until a set of Primes could last to the end of the race.) So RBR’s switch of strategy for Webber and subsequently Vettel, was what took the victory from Lewis.

  53. Great good race to watch, good fun. Hopping for LH but two wrong moves and back in the dog house. Good to see JB take a win on his 200th go at it.

  54. Probably the most exciting race ever held at the Hungaroring. Positions actually changed. Lots!

  55. I’m so glad that F1 is in a period where most races are really exciting and that we have so many great drivers racing against each other. Hope it stays this way for a long time!

    1. it will. just a shame people in the UK won’t be able to watch it!

  56. 9/10. Apart from the 20 lap lull in the middle of the race, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. For once the huge amount of pitstops didn’t feel like too much.

  57. excellent race! 8/10! a few changes for the lead is all it takes!

  58. If you can explain how this recovery was safer than Mamiltons I`ll pay for a full weekend pass at the next meeting there.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv6CAkK7J4I

    1. Massa span his car back around away from the racing line AND he didn’t cause anyone else to avoiding action.

      I think you owe me a weekend pass?

      1. Hamilton done the same, spun away from racing line, Di Resta just overreacted to the spin, in all honesty I think He could of just slowed and avoided the situation. Using Bernie E avoidance of contracts I have no recall of a driver named Mamilton :)

  59. 9/10 for me. It was an exciting race with lots of great strategy, suspense and some good racing too. Plus a fantastic result for Jenson on his 200th GP.

    I may sound a little Button fanatical, but I don’t think I have seen a Jenson Button victory that wasn’t an exciting race. They’re not always the best races of the season, I know, but they’re never boring in my opinion, and that’s not just because he’s my favourite driver. It’s always just a genuinely decent race when he wins.

    1. So so true. I think there may be an underdog element about him…yet he’s an established world champion and multiple race winner!

  60. 8/10 Good battles at the top, bit of drama (D’ambrosio spin, Heidfeld car fire, mid race rain) and a variety of strategies plus something to talk about (Hamiltons penalty)
    For me, would’ve got 9 if Seb won but even for the neutrals, it was another very good race

  61. 8/10 from me. A good race. I really can’t see anything out doing Canada (which I gave a 10/10)!

    A deserved winner, but that could have been true of anyone who occupied the top spot. Everyone worked hard today, kept their heads down, apologised where apologies were needed and raced well.

  62. i wish the bbc would stop describing every race as a ‘thriller’. it wasn’t! drivers daren’t try bold overtakes for fear of being penalised and the (relatively) bulletproof reliability means there’s very little drama in f1 these days. one of the better races of 2011 so far, 6/10

    1. prototypical debbie downer, but everyone’s entitled to their opinion.

      Next time, try not to sleep through half the Grand Prix before saying “drivers daren’t try bold overtakes” because there were plenty, especially in changing conditions.

    2. So unreliability begets drama? Interesting idea. I think I’d rather the masses of overtaking we see these days through “artifical” means like tyres and DRS than through engines blowing up at key moments…

  63. Good race, bitter result for Lewis, but as they say here in the US: “thayt’s rayc’n.”

    I gave it an 8/10, definitely was a great mix up for the first few laps, then through each phase there were some great bits of excitement. Strategy played a larger role than in most races, but here with the spitting rain thats to be expected.

    I seriously cannot wait for SPA. Watching the 24 hours sports car racing over the next few weeks (who has time to sit and watch the full coverage) and as an unashamed McLaren/Hamilton fan, looking forward to another good result in Belgium.

  64. 7/10 for me.

    It was nice to see a start in moist / wet conditions not behind the safety car, and there was plenty of action in the first few laps till the cars got all got going on slicks. Then it went relatively quiet until it started raining and the cars started sliding and we seen a few different strategy calls that had the conditions changed in a different way may have worked.

    Unfortunately throughout I had the feeling that all the good action was only because of the rain effect and even though Vettel had a poor race by his standard he still ended up 2nd.

  65. c’mon, if he would stop and did not do that manoeuvre, what would be different? Di Resta would jump over him? Di Resta would still have to bypass him on grass … and the two followers, I think one of them was Lotus, I think he would hit him …

    so …

  66. Was anyone else as amazed by the Mercedes’ starts as I was? Pity they couldn’t make the most of it with some decent race pace. I think this was a classic case of rain as the great equaliser. It didn’t seem as if any particular car or driver was dominant on pace (all through i guess we’ll find out for sure later on when Keith publishes the race stats). Rather, it was a matter of keeping the car on the island during the early phase and again when the rain shower came down later on. Then it was really decided by who had the preverbial balls to stay out on slicks. Supreme driving skill and confidence the deciding factor. This is why i love formula one.

  67. 7 from me.It was a good race. Some explosive action.But I feel sorry for Lewis,OK he made a mistake in the wet but the way he joined the track was very bad indeed.

  68. An 8. Good race.
    Rain was a great equalizer. It was a pity that Alonso lost his car 2 or 3 times it the beginning. I wanted to see a good fight between VET, HAM, ALO, BUT and WEB.
    It was interesting to see HAM on a great race loosing it at the end. Alonso…hombre, chill out! He was really ******….(with himself I suppose)
    Congrats to Button.

  69. Any race that Jenson wins is a 10 in my book.

    A “disinterested” rating? 8…some good bits and some sleeper bits, and a fair amount of good passing moves.

    1. Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

  70. I gave it an 8/10 just because Nick knows how to literally go down in flames at Renault!

  71. 1. A McL won. The obnoxious one wasn’t blackflagged when it obviously should have been. And, worst of all, the abhorrent Ron Dennis showed up without previous warning.

  72. I gave it an 8. Can anyone deny that it was an exciting race? No one knew until the flag dropped at the end who would win. At half distance how many of you thought Lewis would win? I know I did! Not as good as Germany or China though, in my opinion.

  73. I didn’t watch the race live, as I was on hols. Better than the Nurb GP, which I believe was overrated because of Hamilton. 8/10

  74. I gave it an 8

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