Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle on Hamilton's Hungary brilliance, the curious case of Romain Grosjean and the state of play in F1 as the sport breaks for the summer
Monday 29 July 2013 13:29, UK
Lewis Hamilton once again demonstrated that in terms of outright speed he is the fastest driver on the grid at the moment.
It was cruel that he was penalised for completing the move on Massa while being marginally all four wheels off the track. Without doubt the drivers will see this as a disincentive to 'have a go' and create those magic moments people still talk about years later. The trouble is that the rules are very clear about leaving the track between the white lines and gaining an advantage or position. If it was a barrier or a gravel trap he wouldn't have even contemplated it. I'm led to believe that the teams and drivers were told that using the run-off at T4 was fundamentally okay. With the way that tracks are evolving however the Stewards must be strict on this and apply the rules rigidly. And consistently, even if the circumstances are subtly different each time. Lotus and Grosjean said that he ran wide to give Massa space and to avoid contact. I don't buy that but I am disappointed that circumstances determined that he was penalised for such a brilliant piece of driving. Other strong performances came from Mark Webber recovering from a mechanically challenged qualifying, and Jenson Button who grabbed seventh and showed very strong pace at times. A steaming hot series of slow Hungarian GP corners are hardly likely to be fully indicative of future pace on tracks such as Spa and Monza but early indications show that the mid-season tyre changes have helped Mercedes, McLaren and Williams (who happily claimed their first point of the season), and have hurt Ferrari, Force India and Toro Rosso in particular. It's the summer break now but there's a huge amount going on with new contracts between the teams, FOM and the FIA, not to mention Pirelli. The driver market is very busy with information and misinformation mostly waiting for Red Bull to make their mind up. And the significant challenges of the massive changes for 2014 edge ever closer. This championship is far from over but Vettel still looks the favourite. MB
