29 July 2012

Hamilton triumphs in tight Hungarian GP

Lewis Hamilton led from the front to capture his second Formula One win of the season with a narrow victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton lifts the trophy after winning the Hungarian GP on Sunday.The McLaren driver took the chequered flag 1.032 seconds ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, with Roman Grosjean finishing third to give Lotus a second podium place.

Double world champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull was fourth ahead of overall leader Fernando Alonso in a Ferrari and McLaren’s Jenson Button.

The remaining top 10 places were filled by Bruno Senna (Williams), Mark Webber (Red Bull), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes).

Hamilton got off to a clean start from pole position and apart from pit stops kept in front throughout despite pressure initially from Grosjean and then from the Frenchman’s teammate Raikkonen.

The Finn had muscled past Grosjean on lap 46 after emerging from the pits, squeezing his teammate off the track, and was within a second of Hamilton with 15 laps remaining.

However the Briton, who been dominant all weekend, was able to keep Raikkonen at a distance on the Hungaroring track, which offered few opportunities for overtaking.

“An amazing day, fantastic work by all the team and the fans have been fantastic. Thank you for having us,” Hamilton said on the podium.

Hamilton moves to fourth in the drivers’ championship on 117 points, trailing leader Alonso on 164 points, with Webber on 124 and Vettel on 122.

Formula One now takes a summer break until the Belgian Grand Prix on September 2.