2008 Hungarian GP Predictions

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Lewis Hamilton led all 70 laps in Hungary last year

It’s time to don your thinking hats and predict the top three for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Read my prediction and pick the podium below.

McLaren are on a roll at the moment and are widely expected to lead the way at the Hungaroring.

But Ferrari have thrived in the hotter races this year and there’s a good chance we’ll see temperatures of more than 30C at the Hungaroring this weekend.

Bridgestone are bringing its two softest tyres to the Hungaroring, as were used at the similarly tight-and-twisty Monte-Carlo circuit. As the F2008 has often been kinder to its tyres than the MP4/23, I don’t think Ferrari are going to be as far off McLaren’s pace as some have predicted.

I’d definitely back Kimi Raikkonen to prise his way between the two McLarens. Felipe Massa, on the other hand, seems to have circuits where he does well and circuits where he does poorly, and he is yet to finish higher than seventh at the Hungaroring.

So I’m backing Lewis Hamilton to take a third consecutive win, but I think there’ll still be a performance gap between him and Heikki Kovalainen – and Raikkonen will squeeze in between them. That will, of course, give us the same top two as last year:

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Kimi Raikkonen
3. Heikki Kovalainen

Last time I only managed to predict third place correctly (Massa). Although no-one got the top three right Warren, Diseased Rat, Bob, Sebastian, Derek, Salty, Sassan, Noel, Verasaki, Becken, James B, Donwatters, Dan Brunell, Loki, Jae and Gerry Carr all correctly picked Hamilton to win.

Dan Brunell, who made several different sets of predictions, picked Nelson Piquet Jnr to finish second “if hell freezes over…”

What are your predictions for the Hungarian Grand Prix podium?

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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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45 comments on “2008 Hungarian GP Predictions”

  1. 1.HAM
    2.RAI
    3.HEI
    4.KUB
    5.KOV
    6.MAS
    7.ALO
    8.WEB

  2. 1. Hamilton
    2. Kovalainen
    3. Massa

  3. 1. Raikkonen
    2. Kubica
    3. Hamilton
    4. Massa
    5. Alonso
    6. Piquet
    7. Vettel
    8. Bourdais

  4. I forgot about the hell freezes over picks. I can’t believe that…

    My guess.

    1: HAM
    2: MAS
    3: HEI
    4: RAI
    5: KUB
    6: KOV
    7: VET
    8: ROS

    Pole: Hamilton
    Fast Lap: Massa

  5. Pole: Hamilton
    FL: Raikkonen

    1. Hamilton
    2. Raikkonen
    3. Massa
    4. Kubica
    5. Kovalainen
    6. Webber
    7. Heidfeld
    8. Alonso

  6. Pole – Hamilton

    1. Kovi
    2. Heidfeld
    3. Raikkonen

    Fastest Lap – Alonso

    Dry/Wet/Dry/Wet/Dry.

  7. 1: Raikkonen
    2: Hamilton
    3: Kubica

  8. Pole: Hamilton, FL: Raikkonen

    1. Hamilton
    2. Raikkonen
    3. Kubica

    Similar to what Journeyer said, I just don’t have the same faith in Massa…

  9. diseased rat
    1st August 2008, 8:37

    1. The Hammer
    2. Heidfeld
    3. Massa

  10. Pole – Kovi
    FL – Kimi

    1. Kimi
    2. Hamilton
    3. Kubica

  11. lol @ Dan’s piquet prediction!

    head says;
    1 hamilton
    2 heikki
    3 Massa

    heart wants;
    1 heidfield
    2 kimi
    3 massa

    hell freezes over;
    1 Rosberg (his car just isn’t good anymore)
    2 sutil
    3 piquet

  12. 1 Kovalainen
    2 Raikkonen
    3 Alonso

  13. 1.Alonso
    2.Webber
    3.Massa

  14. please please please let it rain… thats what i’m predicting

  15. 1.ham
    2.raikkonen
    3.massa
    4.kubica
    5.kovalanien
    6.alonso

  16. 1: Raikkonen
    2: Hamilton
    3: Kubica

  17. 1.Kimi (You must do it Kim)
    2.Massa (if he be able to finish the race)
    3.Kubica (this is his home race, 40 thousands crazy Polish fans are cheering for Rob there)
    4.Nando
    5.Nick
    6.Heiki

    DNF. Lewis Fiamilton

  18. 1.Heidfeld
    2.Kovy
    3.Kimi

    ..Yeh seriously :)

  19. 1.Kimi (Now or never)
    2.Heikki (Happy to get the seat for ’09)
    3.Kubica (We all know here, what a Polish invasion can do)

    Lewis – hmm…lemme see, I predict that he would miss the pole by a whisker and then try hard to overtake at the first corner and having an off moment, then rejoining lower down, only to be taken out by our ever so reliable DC.

  20. There is no way Hami is taking 3 in a row.

    Kimi
    Heidfeld
    Button.

  21. Triple H: Hamilton, Heikki & Heidfeld.

  22. HAM
    RAI
    MAS

  23. Massa
    Kimi
    Lewis
    Alonso
    Piquet Jr.(wishfull thinking, I confess)
    Kovi
    Rosberg
    Vettel

  24. C’mon Dan Brunell, don’t keep us waiting for the “hell freezes over” prediction for this one…!!

  25. Presuming a little bit of rain…

    1. Hamilton
    2. Kubica
    3. Kovalainen

    No rain…

    1. Hamilton
    2. Kovalainen
    3. Massa

    The thing about Raikkonen is that his frustration at losing out in various races doesn’t seem to be channeled into his racing. It’s not that he doesn’t care (he seems fairly annoyed a lot of the time) but his concentration seems to have gone – or at least the extra 5% that makes the difference. Unless Ferrari get some tracks/races where they dominate easily, I don’t see him up there.

  26. Looking back to the two FP Lewis seems to be very dominant again. The difference between Felipe and Kimi in the second practice is nothing:

    5. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:21.009
    6. Massa Ferrari 1:21.010

    MY PREDICTIONS:

    Qualifying:
    1) LEWIS
    2) HEIKKI
    3) MASSA

    Race:
    1) LEWIS
    2) HEIKKI
    3) MASSA

    Nelson won two rounds of GP2 here in 2006 and in the wet. He will finish the race in front of Alonso again on this race, scoring some more valuable points to the team again. I bet Fernando will use his set up again tomorrow…

  27. RAI
    HAM
    KUB

    for the race…I won’t even dare anticipate what will happen in wet conditions!

    One strange thing though at this part of the season is the unbelieveable over analysis and (often) incorrect scrutiny of the drivers. All the talk of Kimi having a slump and Ferrari being in a crisis are mad…it’s just part of the ups and downs of racing. All in all, Kimi’s off form weekends were the season opener, Monaco and then Germany. Silverstone was due to rotten team tactics. These are stats remarkably similar to all the other top 4 drivers. And a month ago Lewis was being written off as a pop-star-esque basket case, in emotional meltdown. A bit over the top or what.

    People tend to forget the machinations, violent outbursts and screw-ups, even by Senna, Shumi, Prost, between 88-93, for example. These were brilliant drivers, on a normal roller-coaster of highly charged seasons of F1.

    Imagine the media and blog frenzy if the same happened today with those guys! People are really overcooking things today, drives me mad! Thanks to F1 Fanatic for keeping things in a bit more of an intelligent perspective…just needed to get that out!

    It’s going to be a great race mark my words. This is the closest Kimi gets to a home GP as well as Kubica, and it will be a cracker.

    I trust that Keith will keep us entertained during the three week break after this? Please?!!

  28. Hamilton
    Massa
    Kimi

    Piece of cake.

  29. David Watkins
    1st August 2008, 15:53

    Hamilton
    Raikkonen
    Massa

  30. 1)Lewis
    2)Heikki
    3)Massa

  31. 1) Kovalainen
    2) Raikkonen
    3) Massa

  32. Hamilton
    Heikki
    Massa

  33. 1. Hamilton
    2. Raikkonen
    3. Alonso

  34. Hamilton will not finish this race!

    Pole position:
    Massa

    Race results:
    1.Kimi
    2.Robert Kubica
    3.Massa or Heidfeld

    That’s it…virtually impossible that Hamilton will do a hatrick!

  35. 1)Kimi
    2)Lewis
    3)Massa

  36. If the very unlikely rain does fall:

    1. Hamilton
    2. Trulli
    3. Button

    If it is a dry race:

    1. Hamilton
    2. Raikkonen
    3. Kovalinen

  37. Qualifying:

    1. Hamilton
    2. Massa
    3. Kovalainen

    GP:

    1. Kimi
    2. Kovalainen
    3. Kubica

  38. i bet for kimi,heikki,lewis in Qualifying …

    in race ..kimi, lewis, massa …

  39. 1- Hamilton
    2- Kubica
    3- Alonso

    …and thanks to Dan Brunnell for making hell freeze over…now we don’t have to worry if it is tolerable.

  40. 1. Robert Kubica
    2. Lewis Hamilton
    3. Felipe Massa

  41. If it’s dry…..
    1. Hamilton- Takes control of the title chase
    2. Massa- Keeps establishing himself as Ferrari’s top challenger
    3. Kubica- The crowd gose wild……

    If it rains…*
    1. Hamilton- The next great wet-weather driver emerges
    2. Alonso- Just the situation he wants after his comments this week….
    3. Heidfeld- Keeps the car on-track and in contention

    * The rain version includes a dramatic final battle between Hamilton and Fernando, with every TV commentary crew running out of air by race’s end from excitement. Afterward, we’re all going to need to discuss what nation’s TV crew did the best job!!!

    Seriously, I’m onboard for the Hamilton 3-peat…who’s with me?

  42. I think Hamilton will take this one as well, followed by the two Ferrari’s.

    So I’m going with

    1. Hamilton
    2. Massa
    3. Raikkonen

  43. I don’t want to be boring, but my prediction is the same as Keith’s. This track seems to suit the Mclaren and Lewis’ driving style. Kimi to come a strong second, Kovi to prove he’s entirely capable in a support role, defined or otherwise.

  44. Quali: KOV/MAS/HAM
    Race: KIMI/KUB/ALO/KOV/MAS

    HAM – DNF

  45. After qual. it seems to be like this:

    1. Kubica
    2. Massa
    3. Kovalainen

    DNF- Hamilton

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