Max Verstappen wins the Hungarian Grand Prix: F1 – as it happened

Here’s Giles Richards’ report from Hungaroring. Nine races of the season to go, as we head into the summer break.

Driver championship standings after 11th race

• 1. Max Verstappen - 258 points
• 2. Charles Leclerc - 178 points
• 3. Sergio Perez - 173 points
• 4. George Russell - 158 points
• 5. Carlos Sainz - 156 points
• 6. Lewis Hamilton - 146 points
• 7. Lando Norris - 76 points
• 8. Esteban Ocon - 58 points
• 9. Valtteri Bottas - 46 points
• 10. Fernando Alonso - 41 points
• 11. Kevin Magnussen - 22 points
• 12. Daniel Ricciardo -19 points
• 13. Pierre Gasly - 16 points
• 14. Sebastian Vettel -16 points
• 15. Mick Schumacher - 12 points
• 16. Yuki Tsunoda - 11 points
• 17. Guanyu Zhou - 5 points
• 18. Lance Stroll - 4 points
• 19. Alex Albon - 3 points
• 20= Nicolas Latifi - 0 points
• 20= Nico Hulkenberg - 0 points

The final positions

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 3. George Russell (Mercedes)
• 4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
• 5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
• 6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 7. Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 8. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
• 9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
• 10. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)

George Russell, who started on pole but could finish third, speaks: .

When it started spitting at the beginning and we were on the soft tyres I thought we were on, and we had a strong start it was a good first stint, and then towards the end on the mediums I really struggled and loosing a bit of temperate.

Again, an amazing job by the team in pole position yesterday, double podium, we are definitely making progress so really proud of the work everyone has done.

I’m sure there’s a lot I will look over and I could have done better. Managing the tyres obviously we pitted quite early on both stints so you’re trying to eat the tyre out to the end, trying to push as hard as possible at the same time. A bit of a challenging position to be in but never the less pleased to come away with a podium.

I think it’s been incredibly intense start to the season I think a break will do everyone some good.

Second-placed Lewis Hamilton speaks

I was definitely struggling at the beginning but bit by bit I got more comfortable with the balance. I had a really good start so I want to acknowledge my team. We’ve had a tough year and for both cars to be on the podium is an amazing way to go into the break.

The other guys have an edge but we are clearly closing the gap. Hopefully we can bring some more into the second half of the season and start fighting with them.

I was hoping it was going to rain at the end so I could challenge Max [Verstappen] but we ran out of laps. If the DRS had been okay yesterday we’d have been in [a fight] for the win.

Two seconds [places] in a row, I’m really happy so a huge thank you to the fans for all the amazing support.

The winner Max Verstappen speaks.

I was of course hoping I would get close to the podium, but it was very tricky conditions out there but we had a really good strategy, we were really reactive, always pitting at the right time. I think we had some good outlaps but even with the 360 (spin) we still won the race.

I was struggling with the shifts and the clutch and we had to change a few things around that to basically not burn the clutch and that costed a bit of performance and so that caught me out a bit on that corner.

I was battling a lot of guys and it was a lot of fun out there. It was a crazy race but of course very happy we won it.

Edwin gets in touch: “I think Ferrari should employ a strategist. This is getting embarrassing.”

Could be some choice words from Charles Leclerc. It was his fault last week, but nothing like his fault this week.

“Who would have believed that when we woke up this morning,” says a jubilant Verstappen. “Up there with your best,” says Red Bull leader Christian Horner.

“Great work, lads,” says Lewis Hamilton. “Sorry on the tyres,” says Russell. “Great job on Lewis.”

The gap starts to narrow, but the Red Bull comes home in the rain. The world champion can ease it home, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, and with George Russell making it another Mercedes 2-3. Sainz comes in fourth, Perez fifth, and Leclerc, painfully in sixth. Norris was seventh, Alonso eighth, Ocon ninth and Vettel, the old man who is actually younger than Hamilton, in tenth.

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69/70 That virtual safety car has rather drawn a veil over the racing. A full safety car might have seen something of a reversal of the Abu Dhabi situation. The green flag waves, and there’s a couple laps in the wet to come.

68/70 The aforementioned Valtteri Bottas, in his Alfa, comes off the track, and a yellow flag is waved. A virtual safety car comes on. Decisions, decisions, on tyres? Will the rain now come?

67/70 The lead is 10/6 seconds for Verstappen on Hamilton. Red Bull have been done a favour by the resurgence of the Mercedes cars during the races.

66/70 Ferrari, mournfully, are in fourth and sixth, and former leader Leclerc is in sixth. Verstappen, who started tenth, looks on course to win.

65/70 Hamilton gets past at turn one, and now Verstappen is in his sights. The gap is 11 seconds. Can it be bridged?

64/70 Russell doesn’t seem ready to give up his place, and Valtteri Bottas, the former Mercedes driver gets in the way for a while. The race is one for second and third, when it might have been expected Hamilton would be offered the honour.

63/70 Hamilton is soon bearing down on Russell, and second will soon be his.

62/70 The Mercedes shows the greater grip, and has half the straight left by the time he whips past.

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61/70 DRS is imminent between Hamilton and Sainz, as they head to the main straight on a track the Briton has won eight times. Sainz is trying to hold the inside line.

60/70 Perez in fifth, is between Leclerc and Hamilton, who is catching the top three. Sainz is complaining about the front end dropping away from him. He is told to stay to the end.

59/70 Spots of rain on the cameras, as Hamilton gets closer and closer to Sainz. Once he gets there. Russell will likely step aside, as he is on a different strategy.

58/70 Yet another fastest lap from Hamilton, this is old-school stuff, and the chase is on for Verstappen. It’s all on the Red Bull tyres to hang on. They are 11 laps older than those of the Mercedes.

57/70 Hamilton sets another fastest lap, he’s 1.4 seconds faster than Sainz. Mercedes heading for two cars on the podium for the second race running.

56/70 Russell is almost nine seconds behind Verstappen, and the big race is now Hamilton coming in for Sainz to take third. The warning is of a brief and light shower.

55/70 Leclerc being called in for a third pit? What was the point of those hard tyres. Leclerc comes into sixth, behind Perez, and with Hamilton on a fastest lap. Ferrari have boxed him in.

54/70 Russell overtakes Leclerc and takes second place. Ferrari’s nightmare continues. Sainz is at least driving better.

53/70 Russell is struggling to overtake Leclerc while Hamilton is chasing down Sainz, two battles of Mercedes v Ferrari.

52/70 Leclerc holds off the Mercedes into turn two, and they stay close, Russell being held off by defensive moves. Hamilton pits, and drops into fifth, and Verstappen is now in the lead.

51/70 Mercedes hanging on for a safety car? That would put Lewis Hamilton in a decent position to win the race. Russell meanwhile is chasing down Leclerc, the Ferrari’s rock-hard tyres continuing to be a problem. That’s the race for third.

50/70 Stroll goes past Ricciardo back in midfield. Ricciardo has a five-second penalty despite his protestations of innocence before.

49/70 Hamilton is in the lead, and has 5.5 seconds on Verstappen, though a pit to come. Verstappen looks best placed to get the win.

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48/70 Sainz comes in and it’s another Ferrari mare, and 4.8 seconds. Sainz comes into the field in fifth. Back in the field, Ricciardo and Stroll clash. “I gave him plenty of room,” says Ricciardo. That’s the battle for 11th and 12th.

47/70 Russell, the former pole position, is showing better speed than Leclerc. Ferrari are telling Leclerc the hard tyres are the right choice. Let’s see what he say afterwards.

46/70 Ferrari’s hopes now lie with Sainz having a decent pit, and holding off Verstappen. Hamilton is yet to pit for a second time in the Mercedes, too.