The Hungarian Grand Prix has often been a race that has left us wanting a bit more. ‘Difficult to pass”, “processional” and “Monaco without the glamour” are among the less complimentary descriptions given to the race in the past.
But this year was different: F1 Fanatic readers rated the race 7.676 out of ten on average, the third-highest result so far this season so far and the highest rating for a dry race at the Hungaroring.
Hungary yielded the fifth different winner this season in Lewis Hamilton, mixed strategies, plenty of action at the front, a fight developing between title contenders in the closing stages and Williams finally getting off the marks for the 2013 season.
Here’s what you had to say about the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Best race so far I think. It was great. I was on the edge the entire time.
@Philereid
This race was better than some in years past at Hungary. There were some good drives and interesting strategies, but the track severely hinders the action. Watching faster cars stuck behind slower cars for many laps is not good racing action.
There were some positives, I?óÔé¼Ôäóm glad Hamilton won. This bodes well for Mercedes and for a more interesting fight for the championships in the second half of the season.
Happy to see Williams finally score. Glad to see Lotus and Raikkonen do so well. I can understand why Grosjean incurred his penalties. Perhaps on a track with a bit more room he may have had a cleaner race. But, that is F1.
@Bullmello
However the Hungaroring still attracts a lot of criticism:
I thought this was the weakest race of the year. Terrible track ?óÔé¼ÔÇ£ it’s Monaco without any charm, or glamour, or a fraction of the history.
Hamilton had a great drive, and his victory was clear as soon as Vettel got behind Button. The only real exciting moment would have been Vettel on Raikkonen, but it didn?óÔé¼Ôäót turn into a challenge except at one moment when the pass didn?óÔé¼Ôäót turn out.
There were many penalties that were not deserved. There wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót real tension ?óÔé¼ÔÇ£ just uncertainty (like the prospect of a tyre or engine failure) which isn?óÔé¼Ôäót real excitement.
@Chaddy
One of the biggest topics of conversation was the Romain Grosjean, who collected two penalties during the course of the race. His drive-through penalty for leaving the track while overtaking Felipe Massa was a focus of discussion:
The only thing that?óÔé¼Ôäós left a bitter taste is the penalty following Grosjean?óÔé¼Ôäós sensational move on Massa. But, those are the rules, so no point in complaining about that.
@Jackysteeg
Feel bad for Grosjean, second was his if not for the penalty.
@EdMarques
Grosjean got a penalty for overtaking. Shame about the ban on overtaking, improves safety I suppose.
@Speedking84
Perhaps most interestingly for a race in 2013, the first event with Pirelli’s revised 2013 rubber was not seen as being excessively influenced by tyre strategy:
Some nice proper racing for once (no easy DRS passes), the tyres weren?óÔé¼Ôäót dominant and a nice battle for the minor podium places
@Vettel1
I liked it. It had an unexpected winner, variety of strategies some good battles and plenty of brave overtakes. Oh, and there were no DRS power or tyres drama.
@Dimitris1395
Previous rate the race results
2013 Rate the Race results
| Race | Rating |
|---|---|
| 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix | 7.826 |
| 2013 Australian Grand Prix | 7.698 |
| 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix | 7.676 |
| 2013 German Grand Prix | 7.643 |
| 2013 Chinese Grand Prix | 7.412 |
| 2013 British Grand Prix | 7.394 |
| 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix | 6.826 |
| 2013 Canadian Grand Prix | 6.329 |
| 2013 Monaco Grand Prix | 6.132 |
| 2013 Spanish Grand Prix | 5.947 |
Hungarian Grand Prix Rate the Race results
| Race | Rating |
|---|---|
| 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix | 8.344 |
| 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix | 7.677 |
| 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix | 6.808 |
| 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix | 6.654 |
| 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix | 6.202 |
| 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix | 5.975 |
2013 Hungarian Grand Prix
- Hamilton takes second Driver of the Weekend win
- Hungarian GP rated among top three races so far
- 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix team radio transcript
- Why the Hungarian Grand Prix is a must-see race
- 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix fans’ video gallery
Image ?é?® Renasult/DPPI
Chris (@tophercheese21)
10th August 2013, 11:03
I thought it was the best of the year so far.
erix
11th August 2013, 12:04
I wonder why the top 5 involving Kimi more and the bottom 5 involving Kimi less? Is he like F1 idol or something?
electrolite (@electrolite)
10th August 2013, 11:23
Australian Grand Prix was the second best so far? I was about to comment on how harsh people had been since then but all the race ratings have actually been pretty consistent… I do think some knee-jerk votes have generally kept scores fairly average, particular as the tyres have become more and more dividing in opinion. But in that case, I’m surprised Bahrain is the highest…
Andy (@turbof1)
10th August 2013, 11:57
Was a fine race. Drs for once did what it supposed to do: aid in making an overtaking move, instead of being an overtaking move. Alot of overtaking went down outside the drs zones, but were possible because drivers could keep the gap small enough because of drs.
Lucas Wilson (@full-throttle-f1)
10th August 2013, 12:01
Yes was a good race, Hamilton was on fire.
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
10th August 2013, 12:05
@full-throttle-f1 Phrase 2, or phrase 1, which one contributed to your race rating?
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
10th August 2013, 12:16
My only qualm with it was the unchallenged lead, otherwise it was a great race!
Chris (@tophercheese21)
10th August 2013, 16:32
But then shouldn’t you have had a qualm with almost every victory that Vettel has had? Lol
That’s all he did in 2011. That must have been a terrible year for you then. Baha
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
10th August 2013, 17:33
@tophercheese21 I gave Hungary an 8. Therefore, it would not be unreasonable on that basis to have given Bahrain an 8 (which I did).
mantresx (@mantresx)
10th August 2013, 16:41
Well you know what? That’s why this race scored so high because people were expecting the Mercedes to go backwards and it didn’t, if you are not an F1 fan and watched the race it would’ve been boring but knowing what we know made it a very exciting race.
DaveD (@daved)
10th August 2013, 23:25
Agreed….except that I’m such a Hamilton fan that I have a hard time complaining about the lack of competition for the lead! ;)
Seriously, as Lucas mentioned above: Hamilton was on fire that weekend. Now let’s see if he and Merc can do that again on a track like Spa or Monza.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
10th August 2013, 13:01
On the overall ratings, I find it fitting the Spanish GP is at the bottom (that race really was atrocious: the only exciting part was the first lap and we didn’t even have the drivers pushing as a consolation), I’m surprised the British GP is mid-table (I thought after the second tyre explosion it just became a farce and was really no longer a proper race – no race is a 7/10 when it was threatened with being red flagged for safety issues IMO). The only other one I’m really surprised by is the Australian GP – for a season opener I found it to be almost exactly average but that may have just been the fact I was so fatigued having woken up at 4/5 for qualifying only for it to be delayed to 12, then up at 5 again (then to rub it all in having to go on a hike in the snow and get up at 7 the next morning for school)!
Mr win or lose
11th August 2013, 9:36
I really liked the Spanish Grand Prix. It was full of action, mixed strategies and there were numerous fights between title contenders. I don’t see anything wrong with the tyres – four-stop strategies are rather common on tracks with many high-speed corners nowadays. The British Grand Prix, on the other side, was indeed atrocious, fake and very dangerous. I don’t understand how that race could have been so enjoyable. The Hungarian Grand Prix was nothing much special. Just average or below average, but not one of the best races this year. Hopefully the best has yet to come.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
11th August 2013, 11:45
I didn’t like the Spanish GP because tyre strategy was too dominant: because of that there weren’t any proper fights between title contenders (remember Vettel asking if he should fight Kimi and being told no? That’s not good racing if you ask me).
Each to their own I suppose but I cannot envisage anybody justly rating if above a 7 certainly, below 6 would be reasonable.
TMF (@)
10th August 2013, 13:54
Hungary was a good race.
However the circuit needs some work – maybe elevate turn 2, make the entry a bit wider and have it leaning inwards on the exit. Or straighten it out between 11 and 14 to create some overtaking opportunities. Otherwise it’s too predictable with the dirt off the racing line and the missing flexibility in turn 16.
Tomsk (@tomsk)
10th August 2013, 14:40
I think it was good to see a race – any race – after 3 weeks off. I predict the Belgian GP will get a decent score for that reason too (but being at Spa always helps!)
No really outstanding ratings yet this year. That’s interesting, and about right too. Pirelli should take note.
However, I’m sure one of Spa, Monza, Austin and Interlagos can work its magic and produce a memorable race.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
10th August 2013, 15:33
@tomsk what this season has been really lacking is wet weather on a Sunday – the only wet conditions we’ve had so far were the first 5 laps or so of the Malaysian GP (which is almost too insignificant to count). You can always rely on Belgium and Brazil to throw some torid conditions into the mix though! :D
Tomsk (@tomsk)
10th August 2013, 17:16
That’s true – wet races are usually rated out of 11, and the rain’s all been on Fridays this year, usually when Pirelli brought out the development tyres!
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
10th August 2013, 17:33
@tomsk even the weather hates Pirelli ;)
DaveD (@daved)
10th August 2013, 23:27
LOL Comment of the week!
Hairs (@hairs)
10th August 2013, 15:34
If Grosjean’s penalty was the subject of discussion, why is only one side of the discussion (“penalty was a bad thing”) being quoted?
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
10th August 2013, 15:59
@hairs I’m not sure but I’m with the stewards here I have to say: he wouldn’t have completed the move had he not had four wheels off the track so he should’ve given the place back. As nice as it was rules are rules and the penalty was merited.
tmekt (@tmekt)
11th August 2013, 1:15
The feeling I got from watching the replays was that he was only being cautious at the exit by leaving plenty of space for Massa and that incidentally led to him going off the white line.
The rules are pretty clear on the matter so the penalty was justified in that sense. It’s damn shame though that what was an amazing, brave maneuver was in the end diminished by stewards’ decision (even if it was clearly the right one to make).
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
11th August 2013, 12:54
@tmekt agreed, that’s a fair assessment. I just hope they’re consistent with it now though! It seems to be a crusade that was started in Germany last year.
andae23 (@andae23)
10th August 2013, 16:15
I think because if you’d think that the penalty was a good thing, i.e. justified, you wouldn’t mention it in your argumentation why you thought the race was good/bad.
Hairs (@hairs)
10th August 2013, 19:05
Well, no but if you were taking part in the discussion about the penalty, then you certainly would.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
10th August 2013, 17:12
The race was not so bad but the circuit is so terrible. I would not cry if it had to disappear from the calendar.
Rigi (@rigi)
10th August 2013, 21:53
@spoutnik well, if you haven’t catched up with news lately, hungary’s contract has been renewed and it will hold races until 2021 at least. so i guess you’ll have to put up with it :)
liam (@)
10th August 2013, 22:07
well that’s a downer. The brown envelope must have been fatter than a few better tracks.
bosyber (@bosyber)
11th August 2013, 11:43
Or maybe it is also the fact that a lot of fans like going there, and that it is the only race in middle/eastern Europe so far @liambo?
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
12th August 2013, 12:15
@rigi yep sad news indeed…
@bosyber I fear this is only a matter of money
liam (@)
10th August 2013, 22:04
It was only rated highly for one thing..A British driver winning. If it had been Kimi, Alonso or Seb it would be ranked near the bottom of the rankings. The race was a train apart from 2 or 3 overtakes and pit-stop penalty.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
10th August 2013, 23:01
@liambo I disagree – I don’t give a damn about the nationality of the driver who wins (hell I’m a Brit and support a German driver!) and I frankly dislike both Hamilton and Kimi, but I thought it was a good race. One of the better this season because it wasn’t dominated by all the tyre nonsense.
Mark (@marlarkey)
11th August 2013, 0:06
+1
Was only fairly average imo
Nick (@npf1)
11th August 2013, 13:51
@liambo Would you be so kind to tag us Dutch people in the next few Rate the Race articles and tell us to give the race a 1? You know, with Giedo van der Garde not winning and all. [/sarcasm]