Rate the race: 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix

2012 Hungarian Grand Prix

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What did you think of the Hungarian Grand Prix? Share your verdict on today’s race.

F1 Fanatic holds polls on each race to find out which fans thought were the best and worst races during a season.

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

Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix out of ten

  • 10 (3%)
  • 9 (3%)
  • 8 (11%)
  • 7 (20%)
  • 6 (28%)
  • 5 (18%)
  • 4 (9%)
  • 3 (4%)
  • 2 (3%)
  • 1 (1%)

Total Voters: 667

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1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

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See the results for past seasons here:

Author information

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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171 comments on “Rate the race: 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix”

  1. 3, definition of boredom.

    1. Travis Humphery (@)
      29th July 2012, 14:50

      Agreed.

      But I wouldn’t got as low as a 3 :)

      1. 10, because Raikkonen is the best…

        1. good that i saw your post reasoning why you voted 10, else I wud have posted the “some people seem to vote a 10 just so that it makes them the only people to rate a 10, even if the race was a 3!”!!!

          1. same on you: “some people seem to vote a 3 just so that it makes them the only people to rate a 3, even if the race was a 10!!!”. In the point of view of a Raikkonen fan, the race was great, not just the result, because Raikkonen managed to take 4 position by where he started and 5 position after the start(lost a place). So 4-5 position was impresive, so for me it was a 10. I’m so curios if this was a 3, the races from last season has to got a maximum …2. I’m new on this site and a I don’t know how was the rates last year.

          2. Sorin, please read Keith’s instruction above the rating scale:
            “Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.”

          3. Even not being a defined Lotus fan, I really enjoyed Raikkonen’s progress. and the tension between Lotus and the possibility of grabbing their first victory had me the entire race—just when it seemed clear that Grojean wouldn’t be able to do it, Raikkonen snapped second and went on a charge.

            I went for a six simply because all the drama and tension in the race came to very little. I wasn’t sitting on the edge of my seat in suspense like other races this season, but it most certainly was enjoyable.

    2. Exaggeration much. Do people not remember the Ferrari dominate years? This would have been the more exciting thing ever compared to those years.

      1. Agree with you @solo, but when Bahrain GP was rate 1,2,3 because of political view and the race was fantastic…then this rates for me doesn’t matter anymore…so ..really, doesn’t matter.

      2. I certainly remember. This race was not boring at any moment, it was very tense and unpredictable all the way. It would have been a 10 for me if KR had managed to get past LH in the closing laps. As he didn’t, it’s a 9 !
        This year, BORING only applies to Monaco and Silverstone…[so far]

      3. +1.
        And want to add one more example of boredom to your list : 2011 RBR.

    3. Agreed….. 5

    4. Definitely another Hungorboring

  2. It was very boring. Very very boring. But the different strategies and the traffic in the middle fo the race spiced up the thing a bit.

    Still, a 4, being generous!

    1. Sad I already voted. The race gets an INSTANT 1 for sending Placido Domingo to do the post race interviews!

      Ofc, it’s a joke, but what was the idea, really? He’s not hungarian, nor a F1 guy. Not sure he’s even a petrolhead. If it was, say, Eric Clapton, okay, that’s cool. He likes Ferraris and he shows up in the grid from time to time.

      They could’ve got McNish up there. Or DC. Or Hill. Or Brundle. Or Herbert. Even Baumgartner!

      Rant over.

      1. Or Clarkson.
        And is it just me who doesn’t like these interviews at all, even with lauda and.. stewart, was it?

        As for the race, giving it a 7, it was a good one if you watched live timing and pit radio tweets, with plenty of strategic choices and thinking. If I want utter unpredictability, I watch the lottery draw before the news.

        1. And is it just me who doesn’t like …with lauda and.. stewart, was it?

          ‘course you, or for that matter I, wouldnt. Those are/were racers, NOT professional commentators/interviewers! Going by your last sentence pun, maybe u cud make a better interviewer!

          1. @f1lunatic chill, mate! :)

            @zantex I like those interviews, it’s better than the post-race conference in that little room with the uncomfortable chairs. At least this one makes it closer to the public But I guess it’s dependable on the track and the crowd itself. At Silverstone, the response was great.

          2. I prefer it to the conference room interviews too. Perhaps it is just an improved perception based on the novelty of the podium interviews, but I feel like we are getting more character and personality from the drivers.

            Was it me or did Raikkonen start to ramble? That is the most words I think I’ve ever heard from him at one time.

        2. @zantex I like them. It’s just the same as it was before, except the interviews take place somewhere the crowd at the track can watch them, which is obviously an improvement.

          I was happy seeing the interviews done by legends of the sport. But Placido Domingo, though he is great in other ways, is not an appropriate choice for this sort of thing.

          A former driver or F1 journalist would be fine. But roping in a celebrity is a gimmick we can do without.

          1. I disagree keith, I can understand your point of view, that the fans at the track see more of he interviews this way, but for me as a viewer at home this irritates me deeply. Especially when a guy who has nothing to do with racing goes up there. The post race pressconference was a much bette way of interviewing the drivers, multiple journalists meant every now and then one of them would actually ask the non standerd question of”how was your race” . Now you get some random guy, ONE guy, asking a few questions. And yes, for the purpose of doing an interview, Jackie Stewart and Lauda count as a random guy in my oppinion. Fans at the track get to SEE the race, please let us poor sods who stay home get some perks too…

          2. Jackie Stewart and Lauda count as a random guy in my oppinion

            Well they’ve got six F1 world championship titles between them so I say that’s rubbish.

            please let us poor sods who stay home get some perks too

            You didn’t pay hundreds of pounds to be there.

          3. YEs, they have six world champions between them, that makes them great drivers, it does not however make them good journalists/interviewers though…

            And yes, I did not pay hunderds of pounds to be there, but I did contribute to the hunderds of millions of pounds the formula 1 makes from tv rights by paying for my tvsubscription. Does that make me less of a fan, or less worthy of getting decent coverage because I did not go to the track?

            What I’m trying to say is, formula 1 will always get the biggest part of it’s income from tv, so lets do something for the people who watch tv too. And I don’t think the “interviews”(and I use the term lightly) on the podium do that.

          4. Hm. I should rephrase that. Maybe they are not so bad, but what I really miss is the conference on live TV. The podium thing is cute and all, and there are some funny pokes, such as greece-spain-italy-germany last week, and I fully respect all the former drivers and champions, but I would really like to see the old-fashioned conferences on TV after that, which is probably what melkurion is getting at as well.

          5. @melkurion

            Does that make me less of a fan

            No and I never said it did.

            But I see no reason to deprive those at the track who have paid to be there the opportunity to see post-race interviews in the flesh. In a sport where access to the competitors is so restricted, frankly it’s the least they can to.

            Complaining about it seems awfully mean-spirited when those sat at home aren’t really being deprived of anything.

          6. @keithcollantine

            I quite agree. The post-race/quali driver briefings are monumentally boring, and could just as easily have been delivered by a text-to-speech machine in the past. The odd interesting question or comment did come out well after the TV feed was switched off, but you’d only know about that if you hunted out the transcript somewhere.

            Doing it on the podium with someone of interest makes sense for the fans at the track, and doesn’t rob the TV viewer of anything other than a cut from camera as the drivers trek pointlessly off to a poky back room somewhere to be asked asinine questions by the jingoistic national press organs.

      2. @fer-no65 I guess I’ve got spoiled this season and it comes as a bit of a shock, especially after extremely interesting Valencia, to see Hungaroring being well… Hungaroring. This race has perhaps the greatest potential to deliver a dull race with everything determined by the strategy, little to none overtaking etc. Unfortunately it used this potential to the fullest.

        1. Well, at least it’s over with then. And at least the title race tightened up.
          4.

      3. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
        29th July 2012, 15:11

        @fer-no65
        Or EJ…or they could have got Alonso up on the podium and sang happy birthday to him!

        1. @tmcs88 @zantex or Schumi… he retired early, he could’ve done it! :P

          1. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
            29th July 2012, 15:16

            @fer-no65
            or Horner… *Dead silence as tumbleweed roles past*

          2. @tmcs88 Or Helmut Marko

            (that’d have been interesting! :P)

      4. Disagree. Placi Domi did as well as anyone in the situation, and was a bit more witty, and I’m afraid, all those you mention are getting a bit boring…. sorry! Plus, his english is better!

        1. You’re being sarcastic right? His English was terrible. He couldn’t make his sentences work even though he asked pretty much the same question of each driver.

          Still he managed to put in more words in his questions than he allowed the drivers to speak. Guess he’d rather hear himself talk than the drivers.

          1. Lauda was extremely dull in Germany, well for me. I liked this one, or maybe cause I’m Lotus fan I could feel the same enthusiasm. Alonso bit in the end was the only bad thing for me, bit too pushy.

      5. Or Batman!

    2. Gotta thank Hamilton, for generating ANY excitement into the race that it had! First he held back Grosjean long enough to let Raikkonen close the gap and then Kimi raced a race second only to Japan’05, Secondly he held back raikkonen till the race end.

      1. What is there to hold back of when you know that passing is nearly impossible.

    3. I completely agree! Just ended up watching the whole thing because I couldn’t find anything else to watch on TV.

  3. 7. because of just championship.

  4. 3.

    That was an awfully boring race. The combination of a restrictive track, cars unable to follow well in turbulent air, and the teams getting a hold of the Pirelli tyres means that the race was no more than a strategy simulation for most of the teams.

    The only things that felt remotely exciting were Schumacher’s bad start, Kimi and Romain fighting at the pit exit, and Maldonado’s incident with Di Resta.

    Quite frankly I was hoping it would rain. It didn’t and we got a forgettable race.

    1. +1
      The only bit of emotion the whole race coming from Mr Ice Cold Grumpy, says it all! The strategy simulation is spot on.

      More worrying, though, was the penalty for Maldonado. What planet are FIA stewards on? Are they just completely incompetent? I think he should have been race banned 3 times now for three deliberate collisions and should probably count himself lucky to be in Formula 1. I really don’t care what penalties he gets. But it does bother me he gets one for simply racing and pushing someone wide, without causing any real incident. At least he was trying to gain a position. FIA stewards with this kind of penalty just make the sport duller and duller.

      1. Didn’t Massa force Alonso off the track in the same way in Barcelona 2007 – the stewards didn’t even look into the matter then.
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8cbD90V_gU
        I don’t think it was right to penalize Maldonado today. It was clearly a racing incident.

        1. Thanks for the video. Another interesting thing about the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix: Felipe Massa won the race from pole!

  5. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
    29th July 2012, 14:51

    4/10
    An ok GP. unfortunately pit stops dictated the race. Hamilton proves once again that he can manage his tyres when he has to.

  6. Dimitris 1395 (@)
    29th July 2012, 14:51

    Strategic race, although it had interesting development and result. Little overtaking action and a small amount of battles. For me its a 6 as my favourite drivers(Hamilton, Raikkonen) were on podium and the teams seem pretty equal as the season progress…

  7. Knowing that the Hungaroring was never an overtaking-friendly track, I was a bit more lenient here. There was a lot of tactical racing today, which I like, so a 7/10 is all right really.

  8. 5. Quite a procession. Thought the mixed strategies at the end would’ve mixed things up but there still wasn’t much overtaking or many battles.

    Glad Lewis won though, he was utterly brilliant all weekend. Made that kind of pressure look effortless.

    1. Same with me, a 5 simply due to the interesting strategies towards the end of the race and Kimi’s rapid pace. There was a complete lack of overtaking, the circuit could use an extended straight.

  9. worst race of the season so far

    1. Totally but at least it was Hamilton’s first legit pace based victory this year.

      1. I don’t think it was legit. If it was legit it had to be won by a lotus since they were faster than Hamilton. As I said before Hamilton only because the track favor him because in that track is impossible to pass other cars

  10. 5 for me. It was one of the more tedious races of the year even though there was a fair mix of strategies. Most of the passing was old-skool pitlane.

    The phrase “plan B” will make me shudder for the rest of my life. Compare McLaren’s 3 stop strategy for JB to Red Bull’s for Vettel. How could they possibly have thought it would work? It looked like panic to me.

    1. true..i guess the championship for may well have been over for button,even after winning the first race and no pit stop mess ups like lewis he is still 90 points down on alonso…button just dont have raw pace like vettel n ham

      1. @smokinjoe – yep but even if he’s not in contention, that strategy still ruined his race.

        1. Button ruined his tyres too quickly so they had to do an extra stop. Not much the team can do there. Button then was unlucky that he ended up just behind Senna, otherwise he would have been fighting Vettel for that position for the entire race.

          Oddly enough Hamilton was told he was on “plan B” also and in his case it seems to have meant doing one stop less.

          1. In an interview afterwards Button stated that his tyres were ok and that the team brought him in too early

  11. How can you call that boring?? Didn’t you feel the suspense or tension?

    1. exactly. 7 for me. the whole race was quite tense.

    2. At first I too thought it was suspense and tension later it proved to be mere frustration. Talk about ditching Valencia, Hungaroring is hopeless, not even DRS helps. What’s the point of racing here (at least with such a track layout) if every race ends up being a procession?

    3. Because you are a Hamilton fan. You could tell 10 laps to go , kimmi was not going to win because it was impossible to make a pass on another car.

      1. you are a Hamilton fan

        According to his profile @brad-ferrari supports Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

        Was the ‘Ferrari’ in his username and the picture of Alonso as his avatar not a big enough clue?

        1. Thanks for clearing that up. :)

          1. @brad-ferrari No problem – this sort of thing is exactly why I wanted that option in the profiles!

    4. I agree! It was a very tense and tactical, if uneventful race. I liked how the various strategies ended up playing out, and how the different drivers/teams coped with the race as it unfolded. Plus, Schumacher’s start-line antics and Vettel’s temper tantrums added some intrigue. I gave it a 7.

  12. Definitely below average, but only just as it’s good to see Hamilton get a decent result. 4

  13. 4 – mostly boring and little happening, but there were a few battles and we could never be sure who’d win. Decent race, not each and every one can be a classic.

  14. Poor, and cannot believe what happened to Button.

    I give it 4, and only because Ham won

    1. @ben321
      What can´t you believe about Button? Lewis, Kimi, Grosjean, Vettel and Alonso all had better race pace than Button… Even if the McLarens did qualify well…. Button´s racecraft is found to be weak compared to the above mentioned.

      1. Button made several mistakes, his pace was fine.
        He made a gap to Vettel but then slid off track letting Vettel get within DRS range again.
        Without the mistakes Button would have been 4th at least and maybe even 3rd.

  15. 4. Absolutely mediocre. The thunderstorm that never came. Every corner looks the same. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this track off the calendar in near future.

    1. Every corner looks the same

      @tkcom No they don’t…

      The track hardly ever gives the chance of an exciting, hard fought Grand Prix. But it’s not a bad circuit at all. It’s quite an unique circuit that’s in the calendar. And certainly better (as a racetrack) than most of the others.

      1. Agree about the track. Good for hot-lapping, not so good for racing with aero dependant cars.

  16. 3. Nothing happened.

    1. agreed! same score, passing in the pits is exciting as a vegetarian meatloaf

  17. If the previous race got a 7 then this gets a 3.

  18. 4 or 5. I am surprised no one tried a 1-stop strategy. Given how tough it is to overtake, going for a 3 stopper was pretty strange, if you ask me.

  19. sid_prasher (@)
    29th July 2012, 15:02

    promised a lot but nothing happened…still a 6

  20. 6 for me. It was nice to have an old school nailbiter after the Hollywood extravaganza races we have been accustomed to in 2012

    1. Meaning just because the other races were exciting we needed to have a boring one?

      That’s like saying it’s nice to get sick for a change after being healthy for so long.

    2. This race was boring even for pre-2011 standards.

  21. 4. Processional, strategy driven race with few redeeming points.

  22. 5/10.

    Not very exciting on the overtaking front, and the DRS zone was not effective. Tyre strategies were interesting but that was about it.

  23. Expected this to be either wet or dull. It proved to be the latter. Still… it’s Hungaroring.

    Nothing out of the ordinary to talk about except for Raikkonen’s brilliant second stint.
    Webber’s strategy not paying off, the Saubers barely keeping on pace with the Torro Rossos and Mercedes practically invisible again – all huge disappointments. Maldonado’s penalty – there to bring even more of a “familiar” feeling to this race.

    Not a “BAD” race but maybe too much of a downer before the summer break. The thing is, the championship standings look absolutely great after this round so a 6 looks alright for a rating.

    Well deserved break now.

  24. 4/10. Just plain boring. Kimi Raikkonen somewhat saved the race with his large charge against Hamilton.

  25. It was an interesting race because of the strategies and even though there weren’t many overtakes, it was good to see some alternative strategy being tried out in the race. Vettel, Webber won’t be happy. They lost places while their nearest contender gained a position.

    Any other races on the calendar with a layout similar to Hungary? Singapore is a street circuit but I wonder if it has such D/F demands on the car like Hungary. Looks like Ferrari have a lot more work to do if Alonso has to sustain his lead. But Birthday boy was good enough for damage limitation on a day when his car his 7th fastest:)

  26. Gave a generous 5 due to there being a bit of surprise when the red bulls went for 3 stoppers but it was a really dull race. There was no tension in any of the battles as it was always going to be impossible to overtake unless a car’s tyres completely fell off the cliff.

  27. This was a 8/10 race.

    1. Yes, in 2011.

  28. Yeah, I suppose it was pretty boring.Not much really happening.Lewis pretty well in control from start to finish with nobody out there adequate to the task of really challenging him. Good showing from Lotus but one can wonder where some of the other ‘leader’ drivers where? Is it remotely possible that Red Bull’s consistent ‘dancing with the rules’ is now having a detrimental effect upon their winning ability?
    Still, it deserves a 7 for the competence and strategy of the teams and drivers – and for Lewis’s dominance over the whole weekend.Nice to see him winning again..

  29. 5/10. Not much happened on track. Strategy dictated the race. Hamilton did a wonderful job in managing his tyres to fend of the Lotuses. Kimi was exceptional especially in the 2nd stint when he jumped from 4th to 2nd. His move on Grosjean in Turn 1 almost felt like Kimi telling him who is boss at Lotus.
    Now to Spa after the 4 week break. Will the Iceman break his duck in that legendary track?

  30. Tyre strategies made it more interesting than not, and watching Kimi race hard was great.

  31. Lots of swapping of places during the pit stops with promise of action on the track that didn’t quite deliver. I did find the constant mention of tyre management to be hugely frustrating.

  32. Pure boring.

  33. Trenthamfolk (@)
    29th July 2012, 15:20

    Delighted that Hamilton won, but was very disappointed with the lack of overtaking… A bit of a damp squib to enter the summer break on… Kimi was superb, and elevated it to a 6 for me.

  34. 3. .nothing really to watch except Kimi and Romain’s charge at Ham for a while. .
    but happy for McLaren. .that was an amazing drive by Hamilton.

    on the other hand, imo Michael would have a better chance of finishing a race in HRT/Marussia/Caterham instead of that Merc. .

  35. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    29th July 2012, 15:30

    9.0

    I loved every minute of it!
    All the strategies of the teams (especially Raikkonen to get from 5th to 2nd) throughout the race trying to out think each other, was extremely absorbing to watch.

    Of course I mainly voted it so highly because HAMILTON WON!!!!
    And I was amazed to see how fast Raikkonen’s lotus was half way through his final stint.

    Great race!

  36. 10. Lewis won XD

    1. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
      29th July 2012, 22:38

      @lew1s
      This might be a wild stab in the dark, but I’m guessing you’re a Hamilton fan…right?

  37. 6 for me. there wasn’t that much action going on here… not that i expected action particularly on this track

  38. 7. Almost zero overtaking but great strategic battles and a final result that promises an interesting fight for the championship.

  39. 5, bit of an anticlimax because there were no overtakes

  40. Very boring, gave it a 6 because I’m a Lotus fan so for me it was exciting to see them doing well. Good strategy for Kimi, but nothing much else happened

  41. Very average. Kimi’s last minute fightback only saved it from being a typically, infamous, processional Grand Prix for me.

  42. Very very boring race

  43. 7 for me. Hamilton won – well deserved. However, somewhat disappointing that it is so difficult to overtake. DRS did nothing, also KERS just – there is no point in having it.

    Wth happened at the start? It seemed that the guy who is supposed to walk across the road with a “all clear” green flag just never showed up and .. all of sudden he started dancing across the road – it seemed like he was talking on the phone with someone. The MSC turns his car off? why would you turn your car off!?

  44. I accidentally voted 5 but it deserve 4, the only thing was Kimi’s pass over Romain after the pit stop.

  45. Yes it was a procession, but it was very close and intriguing if you knew where to look. Formula 1 in its current state is boring- the artificiality is making it more so. Don’t fix what’s not broken. However, this race at least remained interesting and as a result it was bearable. There have been much worse races this year (Silverstone and Monaco for example).

  46. 10. All teams seemed to be thinking on their toes, throughout the race!
    DRS get criticised when there’s overtaking…
    A small mistake upfront could have changed the results, now that’s suspense.

  47. 5 from me
    @keithcollantine could you count up the number of times “boring” appears in these comments, plz?

    boring

  48. Again a bunch of “What Ifs ?”, at least there were some positives to take from Lotus but im pretty sure that even Grosjean is sick of podiums, they are capable of winning, i’m not going to start with the “whats” at least Lotus did the perfect tactic this time with Raikkonen unfortunately, luck hasnt been his best quality, nontheless it seems that leading is really crucial and Hamilton was cold blooded today he was sure that no one could pass him at hungary so he preserved his tyres really well on the last stint, again the fastest car finishes 2nd a theme of 2012.

  49. No overtaking, but it was tense and edgy, there were few spicy moments but that doesnt mean that the race was terrible. People are confusing great racing and loads of overtakes, i wouldnt rate this race so low, i’m sure at least there was no drama, lottery kind of stuff which is nice for a change, for instances the Canadian GP was both great and ridiculous, this was plain but true.

  50. 6. I could be biased & give it a creditable 7 from my view because Lewis won but I’m going to be honest & stick with a 6, more or less an ordinary race by Hungary’s standards, not much thrilling & tantalizing action.

  51. Beginning scale of 5
    Different strategies from teams +1
    Kimi on old tyres still doing fast laps in the middle stint which led him to leapfrog 3 places +1
    Not alot of overtaking -1
    So i rate the race a 6.

  52. 5 for me… it was all about strategy…
    I´m happy for all the podium finishers!! And FA is still leader! ;)

  53. This was a generous 4 to me. This race reminded us the ancient F1 before Pirelli and DRS.
    Even so Pirelli should have been more agressive with the tyres they brought. Concerning to DRS not much more could be done it was on in the whole start/finish line and even so the only overtaking seen there was to the backmarkers!
    Spa can´t come soon enough just to forget this one…

  54. 8 for me. The deduction in points being for how ridiculously hard it was for anyone to pass. At least Maldonado tried…
    Otherwise it was interesting to watch team strategy play out, analyse the good calls (Raikkonen) and the bad (Button/Webber).
    Bonus points for Webber gaining positions on the start line, that’s two races in a row he’s done that now. Hope he doesn’t forget how he did that over the break.

  55. I went for 6. I enjoyed the fact that it was a dry race weekend (mostly) and we could see the true pace of all of the teams. This weekend bodes very well for Mclaren. Red Bull have definitely lost some performance from the ban on their “exotic” engine maps, and without rain Ferrari showed the true pace of the car. Even Alonso wasn’t able to drag the car higher than 5th. I can understand why people will have voted much lower though. The overtaking was limited.

    I think a mention should go to how unbelievably poor the TV coverage was. In the middle when Kimi was making a move we saw nothing. When Grosjean was closing on Hamilton and then made a couple of mistakes, we saw nothing. The FOM coverage needs sorting out.

  56. BORING. Should have slept in.

  57. I voted 6. Would have been 5 had it not been for Kimi’s great charge at the end. There was tension at the front even if there wasn’t overtaking. Plus there was a completely unnecessary strategy move by McLaren for Button which I found fairly amusing.

    1. Forgot to mention Vettel asking his team to ‘do something!’ as well when behind Jense.

  58. It was predictable… You heard me! 4.

  59. Even being a Hamilton fan, I’d rate this race at a high of 7. 6 if the top 2 weren’t this tight. No fun in such a track layout without any overtakes unless there is DRS and DRS passes don’t do anything for me either. I loved the Lewis & Kimi fight and also liked how Grosjean really competed with Lewis.

    Seb was fun as usual, saying things on the radio in such a fun way. Jenson was looking good for a podium but 3 stops and his laptimes weren’t worthy of a podium either. Alonso just sneaked past Webber and Button with a great result in P5. Even if he doesn’t have the front row pace, he’ll try his best to capitalize the most points and 10 points in the bag where your closest rival scores so less is fantastic. I think this is his championship to lose right now.

  60. Well, I tried to vote several times but all I got were messages to register.

    Anyway, I would give the race a 5. The strategy adjustments were, let’s say odd, as anything else is probably not printable. The interest came from wondering if a strategic pass could actually be pulled off by Kimi. But nothing came of it with Lewis holding up under the pressure.

  61. A six from me. Marginally better than Monaco, but otherwise, the most disappointing race of the season. Kimi’s charge was the only highlight. I probably would have given it a seven had he managed to win the race, but overtaking was nigh-on impossible today.

  62. Certainly the most boring race in the season. At least you know Monaco has serious limitations in terms of track and has some spectacle around it to make the race interesting. The organizers need to take a serious look at trying to make track improvements to aid overtaking.

    I think here was a perfect example of what happens on a track when neither tyres degrade nor DRS can help. Hamilton had a good race and weekend but then suppose overtaking was easier, would he have kept the lead? In that aspect Kimi drove brilliantly making the strategy work and put in the hard laps right on cue.

    I heard on the Star Sports (Asia) commentary that after Kimi passed Romain and that wheel to wheel happened, Romain signaled to Kimi that he was going to back off. I think that’s excellent team camaraderie and really good on him !

    In short to describe the race, everyone pretty much finished about where they started.

    1. I think here was a perfect example of what happens on a track when neither tyres degrade nor DRS can help.

      I think this is what it amounts to take away DRS and Degrading tires and you get boring racing.

  63. This is how racing should be. Tension for the lead and podium all through the race, different strategies, drama and comical errors (Schumacher). DRS seemed to work perfectly. No cases of just driving past each other. On a track where overtaking was previously considered pretty much impossible there was some nice overtaking moves.

    1. there was some nice overtaking moves

      Yeah, too bad they happened in the pits.

      1. Coming out of the pits maybe. Raikkonen fighting Grosjean was nice. Besides that there were plenty battles in the turn 2, 3 and 4 section of the track.

        Still, I’ll admit I rather watch a strategic battle like this than a musical chairs type lottery. If that means passing in the pits then so be it. All these fake overtakes of previous races (mostly in 2011) were just as useless.

    2. No cases of just driving past each other

      I think you mean “No cases of driving past each other”.

    3. “Tension for the lead”

      What? I must have missed Raikkonen or Grosjean’s attempts to pass Hamilton then.

      This was just Hamilton cruising to victory with Lotus easily taking the podium while Vettel desperately tried to keep up with the faster cars. Luckily for him Button had a lot of trouble keeping his car on the track and handed Vettel 4th. The Red Bull’s and Alonso just couldn’t do the laptimes that the McLaren’s and the Lotuses did.

  64. Average race for me! As much as I wanted Hamilton to win, the track didn’t give Raikkonen any opportunity to have a go. Maybe this circuit could be next on the modify list it’s just too twisty! Pretty dull race. 6

  65. Nice driving by the winner, Raikkonen and Senna – but still a bit of a throwback to the boring old days of fuel stops. James Allen and his fans may wet themselves about strategy, but for me a race needs a bit more than just passing in the pits.

  66. I was going to give it 5 – but having had a good long think about how no one could overtake……… it gets a 4.

    This is the only track that needs Bernies sprinkler system.

    1. +1… It does need a soaking to make it exciting.

  67. Not great, not boring, good result for the chamionship, not much overtaking, but the leaders were always close to eachother, so Hamilton ( who did a superb job) had to work hard for it.
    I guess I’ll give it a 7 then

  68. McLaren should definitely look for another driver than Button for next year..

    1. Ummm – McLaren are to blame for Button finishing 6th. I would rather they sort out strategies than get rid of Button! I assume you think Webber should go from RedBull due to a few rubbish races??

      1. Button was dropping in pace. They felt they had a small window to pit Button before Senna. Button had a bad lap and Senna had a great lap so in the end Button ended up just behind Senna. It’s pretty much Button’s own fault for dropping his pace though. Or not making his tyres work.

    2. No, McLaren should look to their pit crews. Those guys can be blazing fast one stop and terribly slow the next. To paraphrase Forrest Gump: McLaren’s pitstops are like a box of chocolates; You never know what you’re going to get next.

  69. A 7 for me, not the most exciting but not the worst a better DRS would help several faster cars were held up by slower cars and with no place to pass.
    Great drive by LH a poor showing by JB the next month will be the longest of the year.

  70. It was boring until Raikkonen was at the front putting in those fast laps then it got significantly more exciting for the rest of the race. But other than that the lack of overtaking made it boring. 6

  71. 6 == boring, but I did not fall asleep + a couple of tussles & nudges + hamilton won + kimi showed quite some speed + grosjean showed speed & consistency + there was tension for 1/2 and 5/6/7 until the end

  72. 4/10
    No action at all. The exciting parts were Raikkonen’s and Vettel’s recoveries, which should have got them better results, if it wasn’t for the track.

  73. 6 from me. Nothing really happened, did it? None of the battles that were on delivered, though I am grateful that we’re in a position where there can at least be a battle.

  74. I rated it at 2 as it was somewhat boring. There were a few spots it got interesting but I just can’t remember them.
    The most boring race so far by far IMHO.

  75. Gave it a 4/10, definitely the worst race of the season. Shows you just how bad Hungaroring is. This was a repeat of 2007 and 2009; cars just going round and round and not being able to overtake each other. Yeah, strategy played an important role, so I didn’t give it 1/10.

    The race had potential had Pirelli’s degraded more (just imagine the epic Lewis-Kimi battle we might have had if the rear tires had gone off), but with most battles, it quickly became clear that you just can’t follow close enough through the last few corners to overtake down the main straight.

  76. I gave it a five. Compared to races in the past, it might have been exciting but very very dull by 2012 standards.

  77. 3. When you’re watching delayed highlights, and there’s still nothing to talk about for 90% of the time, then you know you’re watching boredom personified. If Valencia, often derided as the worst race track on the calender, could produce a reasonably good race, then the processions of Silverstone and Hungaroring need to be looked at.

    Fast cars stuck behind slower cars meant potentially interesting battles were ruined.

  78. 3+1(for hamster win) = 4.

  79. It was a bit dull, which is such a shame as it is one of my favourite circuits (mostly because is there for many years and is not some tilke thing). 6 from me.

  80. 4.

    1 point for Hamilton winning, 1 point for Raikkonen on the podium, 1 point for Alonso NOT making it on the podium and 1 point for Button handing Vettel 4th place. I thought that was quite nice of him. :)

    Seriously though, what a dull race.

  81. This race reminded of me the “delta” racing days with Schumacher in the early 2000’s. Sort of intriguing from that point of view, but I guess that is not exciting for some of us.

  82. I give it a 7. It wasn’t a classic race, but I think it’s still a very decent race. Few overtakes, but pit stop strategy and battle for the lead keeps it entertaining for me.

    What concerns me is that people tend to complaint when there are many DRS overtakes, but when drivers unable to overtake easily like on Monaco or here in Hungary, people would say that as “boring race”. Personally, I think it’s better to have a race like this rather than those DRS races.

  83. Disappointed with the race today really. Gave it a 6. I was pretty happy with the result as it was good for the championship with Hamilton, Raikkonen, Grosjean and Vettel closing the gap but apart from that there wasn’t too much to take away from it.

    The Hungarian Grand Prix was spoilt last season but the rain we all wanted never came. It was good to finally see the pace of the cars in the dry but it provided little to no on track racing action. It was all done in the pitstops which reminded me very much of early 00’s F1.

    Good race for the title, bad race for entertainment.

  84. 4. It was the dullest race of the year so far.

    I seem to remember the races of the noughties being decided by overtakes in the pit stops, which we all hated. yet for some reason when it happens this year it’s seen as eventful. I don’t agree.

  85. 6 – quite boring with little on-track action (or did i miss it as i caught 40 between laps 5-20?)
    highlight was the radio transmission when seb bieber was wingeing to red bull telling them to manufacture an overtake and rocky reeling him back in

  86. Melchior (@)
    30th July 2012, 10:00

    A 3 from me.Not sure how and why i managed to stay up and watch the finish.
    No overtaking except in the pits and those bloody Poorellis !!!

  87. 7 from me. I found it quite a welcome break from the avalanche of slam-dunk DRS passes we’ve seen all season. I can’t imagine any race ever being a 4 or lower for me, since I don’t think i’ll ever find the spectacle of 24 of the fastest racing cars in the world being driven on the limit boring, especially when you have cars as beautiful as the lotuses. Bit of a shame there weren’t any big on-track battles, but there was plenty of excitement and frustration, and the Raikkonen/Grosjean pit exit moment was absolutely brilliant. Good to see Hamilton back at the level he should be driving, and incredibly Teflonso once again has a get out of jail free card, somehow extending his lead on a day when he finished fifth.

  88. 6.5-Hamilton and Raikkonen had a good battle but no overtaking happened,it was just the same.Nice try for Vettel for closing the gap but it wasnt enough.I would like to see more fun on battles at the Hungaroring next year

  89. I gave it a 6. Not much action but it was quite tense at times (especially as a Lewis fan!). Also, my three favourite drivers were on the podium, so it got an extra point for that.

  90. 5, listening to the team radio’s was more interesting than watching the driving. This race needed rain

  91. Probably the worst of the season so far, almost impossible to overtake and the DRS area was well, totally useless. One to forget, cant wait for Spa and Monza!

  92. For me the only exciting parts were; Button’s pass on Vettel at the start, and Kimi’s effort to hunt down Lewis – but even that ended up as anti-climax as there weren’t any real opportunities to pass. Once they started the interview I flicked over to archery at Lords… It was that boring.

    1. Oh, and Kimi’s pass on Romain coming out of the pits.

  93. Not a great race so I only gave it a 6.

  94. Presumably all the People who’ve been complaining that all these easy overtakes have been ruining the sport have voted this race a 10.

  95. Basically depends who you support. I was like #$)%% until Kimi passed Alonso.

    Unlike Kimi, most of other drivers were like #$$&*@ whole race :)

    Though I would give this race an 8. I can’t see how anyone who is not Hamilton or Lotus fan would give it over 6 :)

  96. Voted a 4, i liked the fact that Hamilton won, that Raikonnen was good and Grosjean got on the podium again. But the race was a parade, nothing more.

  97. LEWIS LOOKED AFTER HIS TYRES SO WELL COS HE WAS IN FRESH AIR

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