BUDAPEST, July 22 (Reuters) - Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton could go into Formula One's August break on a Hungarian high this weekend while championship leaders Mercedes seek urgent answers to George Russell's car woes.
Russell's plight, with his car losing chunks of time on the straights, has dominated paddock chatter as his 19-year-old Italian teammate Kimi Antonelli goes from strength to strength with six wins in 10 rounds.
The Briton, who started the season as title favourite and with the nickname 'Mr Consistency', is now 50 points adrift of Antonelli after spinning off into the gravel in Belgium last Sunday for his third no-score of the year.
That blank let Hamilton back into second place overall, 45 points behind Antonelli, and the Hungaroring is a favourite for the seven-time world champion who won six of his titles with Mercedes before moving to Maranello.
EIGHT TIMES WINNER AT THE HUNGARORING
Hamilton has won eight times in Hungary over the years, an unparalleled feat at the Budapest track, and can equal his outright record Silverstone tally of nine wins at the same circuit.
Hungary is also the scene of Hamilton's most recent pole position, back in 2023.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur was wary of talking up the team's prospects, at a circuit where engine power and straight line speed matter far less, even if others were already doing so.
"Now each weekend we start from scratch. It's a lot about setup, tyre management. On this one Budapest will be probably much better than Spa, it will be a different game ... but it's not a given," said the Frenchman.
"I don't want to go to Budapest considering that it will be easy, because it won't be easy. On paper for sure the engine deficit will be less of an issue, but then we have to do the same thing."
Charles Leclerc won at Silverstone and was second in Spa, and is the form Ferrari driver from the last two races, while Hamilton won in Barcelona and was third in Britain, fourth in Belgium.
COULD BECOME A FOUR-TEAM BATTLE
Antonelli said it could be a four-way battle, with Max Verstappen's Red Bull and champions McLaren in with a shout at a slower and twistier track where energy deployment is less of an issue.
"It’s going to be another track where it’s maybe a bit more like Monaco, where you just try to drive as fast as you can," said the Italian.
"It’s going to be interesting. I think it’s going to be very tight between all of us, and that’s why it’s going to be important to try to put things together."
Four of the top seven drivers in the standings have won previously in Hungary, the Mercedes drivers and Leclerc being the exceptions, and Leclerc was on pole last year when Lando Norris won in a McLaren one-two with Oscar Piastri.
McLaren will be bringing some big upgrades to Hungary, including a new floor and aerodynamic parts. They will also continue to test an experimental rear wing.
Italian Leonardo Fornaroli, the team reserve and last year's F2 champion, will be taking part in Friday's first practice while Piastri sits out the session.
Aston Martin are also bringing a long-awaited chassis upgrade but will have to wait until the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August before they get the latest Honda engine.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
