Hungarian GP
The Debrief by Aramco
We extend our points-scoring run to 11 consecutive races as Fernando and Lance finish in the top 10 at the Hungaroring.
Fernando and Lance reached the chequered flag in the points in the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, our 11th consecutive points-scoring race of 2023.
High temperatures and high tyre wear meant this would always be a multi-stop race. Fernando qualified eighth but finished ninth. He began the race on a used set of Medium tyres, pitting for a used set of Hards on Lap 20 and a new set of Hards on Lap 43.
Lance meanwhile carried out a solid recovery from P14 to P10, collecting the final point on offer. He began the race on a new set of Soft compounds, making his way into the top 10 on the first lap before pitting for used Hards on Lap 25 and for another set of used Hards 10 laps later.
Despite being outscored by rivals in Hungary, we retain P3 in the Constructors' Championship heading to Belgium.
Read what Fernando, Lance, and Team Principal Mike Krack said after Sunday's Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
The Grand Prix
"I think three points for us was the maximum we could achieve [as a team] today. We had a bit of a lonely race with no threats behind, but we were unable to make significant ground up on our competitors ahead of us. It was a hot and demanding race as well and we all had to manage the tyres throughout." Fernando summarises what turned out to be a trouble-free and mostly uneventful race in Hungary.
"I think P10 was the best we could have done today. I had a good first lap and I was happy with the move around the outside of [Valtteri] Bottas, but after that the pace just wasn’t up there." Lance says that the final point was the maximum he could have achieved from P14 on Sunday.
"Getting two cars home inside the points was the maximum today. It was a quiet and uneventful race, and the results were in pace order as we finished behind our direct competitors. Both Lance and Fernando performed very well, but we are missing the performance to challenge higher up. Lance did particularly well to finish just behind Fernando from his initial grid position." Mike adds that three points were the culmination of hard work from the team on Sunday, and a fair reflection of the AMR23's pace. He praises Lance for recovering to P10.
"As a team, I think we have some work to do to try and understand what we can be doing better. The car is quick, but there’s more pace to unlock and that has to be our priority as the season continues. We’ll take these learnings into Spa next week where, as always, we’ll be pushing hard." Lance looks to the next race at Spa-Francorchamps, a contrasting challenge to the low-speed and technical Hungaroring.
"There have been a lot of surprises in the last few race weekends, but we need to try our best to get back to fighting at the front of the pack. We will analyse everything and look to bounce back at Spa next week." While we haven't clinched a podium to echo our stunning start to the season, we have scored points on every race weekend so far. Fernando looks ahead to Belgium, the final race before the summer shutdown, with the whole team working to bounce back.
"Today is a reality check. We need to keep our heads down, keep working hard, and push through the developments to get back to where we were in earlier in the season." Mike reflects on a result that will only motivate the team to come back stronger and repeat the results we achieved earlier in the campaign.