Lewis Hamilton took a controlled victory in Hungary after luck finally fell his way as he secured his first victory for Mercedes and became the first British winner for the team since Sir Stirling Moss in 1955.
The 28-year-old only thought a ‘miracle’ would see him stand atop the podium, but a brilliant drive combined with some misfortune for chief rival Vettel – who got stuck behind Jenson Button for some 18 laps – saw Hamilton ease to the win with a ten second lead.
Kimi Raikkonen’s strategy played out allowing him to jump Sebastian Vettel and finish second for Lotus. Vettel fought hard against the Finnin the closing laps and eventually finished just 1.5 seconds behind.
Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso rounded off the top five, whilst the second Lotus of Romain Grosjean was handed a drive-through penalty for overtaking Felipe Massa outside of the track limits. He finished sixth but faces a second investigation for making contact with Jenson Button in seventh.
Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez were eighth and ninth, whilst Pastor Maldonado took Williams first points of the season, elevated a place when Nico Rosberg retired with an engine failure with just five laps to go.
Race Result – 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix:
# | Driver | Team | Gap | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|
01. | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 25 | |
02. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | +10.9 | 18 |
03. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | +12.4 | 15 |
04. | M. Webber | Red Bull | +18.0 | 12 |
05. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | +31.4 | 10 |
06. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | +32.2 | 8 |
07. | J. Button | McLaren | +53.8 | 6 |
08. | F. Massa | Ferrari | +56.4 | 4 |
09. | S. Perez | Sauber | +1 lap | 2 |
10. | P. Maldonado | Williams | +1 lap | 1 |
11. | N. Hulkenberg | Sauber | +1 lap | |
12. | J-E. Vergne | Toro Rosso | +1 lap | |
13. | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | +1 lap | |
14. | G. van der Garde | Caterham | +2 laps | |
15. | C. Pic | Caterham | +2 laps | |
16. | J. Bianchi | Marussia | +3 laps | |
17. | M. Chilton | Force India | +3 laps | |
18. | P. di Resta | Marussia | Retired | |
19. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | Retired | |
20. | V. Bottas | Williams | Retired | |
21. | E. Gutierrez | Sauber | Retired | |
22. | A. Sutil | Force India | Retired |