Max Verstappen recovered from a 10th place start and a spin later in the race to win the Hungarian GP as Ferrari faltered once again.
In what is quickly becoming a norm, the Red Bull’s closest challengers made questionable tire choices for Charles Leclerc to slip further in the standings.
The Monegasque who started third, had two stints on Mediums before he was pitted for hard compounds in a bid to last longer in the race but it turned into a disaster as he lost pace needing Ferrari to pit him again for softs but it was too late.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished second with Mercedes teammate George Russell, on pole for the first time in his F1 career, third in a repeat of the previous race in France.
Leclerc eventually ended up in 6th place having lost precious time in the pits despite having what many would argue is the fastest car on the track.
The Hungarian GP win for Max Verstappen was his eighth win of the season and 28th of his career. He now has 258 points to Leclerc’s 178 and has only once finished off the podium in his last 10 races
The reigning champion Verstappen now goes into the August break with a massive 80-point lead, a difference of more than three race wins, over Leclerc after 13 of 22 races.
Carlos Sainz finished fourth with Sergio Perez fifth for Red Bull. Lando Norris took seventh for McLaren with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon eighth and ninth with a one-stop strategy.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who announced on Thursday his retirement at the end of the season, took the final point for Aston Martin after another close battle with teammate Lance Stroll.
