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Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian GP in commanding fashion, lapping all but three drivers

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Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1 / Twitter)
Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1 / Twitter)

• Hamilton wins the Hungarian GP, the 86th win of his career.

• Hamilton now leads the drivers' championship from Bottas.

• Verstappen and Bottas round out the top three.

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Lewis Hamilton sealed the 86th win of his Formula 1 career after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Briton won in commanding fashion, taking the chequered flag 30 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and lapping everyone bar the top four.

At the start of the race, the Mercedes driver got off the line beautifully to head into the first corner ahead of Racing Point's Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen from Red Bull.

By the end of the first lap, Hamilton had a gap of three seconds over Stroll, and by the end of the third, it was eight seconds.

Good start for Hamilton

With the race having started on the intermediate tyres following rainfall, drivers began dipping into the pits for a swap of tyres. Ferrari brought both its drivers in and fitted Charles Leclerc's car with the Softs and Sebastian Vettel's with Medium.

Mercedes opted to bring Hamilton in two laps later, which turned out to be the right decision. With the majority of drivers changing to dry tyres, it was Hamilton now leading from Verstappen and Kevin Magnussen (Haas). Stroll, who dropped to fifth place, quickly cleared Magnussen's team mate, Romain Grosjean, to occupy fourth place - a position he'd occupy for the remainder of the race.

As the chequered flag dropped, it was Hamilton leading Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, and Stroll - despite coming in for a tyre change three laps from the end.

READ: Lewis Hamilton wins 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix

Devastating blow

Coming into the race, Bottas had a six-point lead over his Mercedes team mate, but Hamilton turned the tables to go top of the drivers' standings in the championship. By the time the 15th lap came around, Hamilton had already eked out a gap of 10 seconds over Verstappen, but the defending champion turned down the domination in a bid to save his engine.

The fact that Hamilton could turn down the engine and still win in commanding fashion, does not predict anything good for his rivals over the remainder of the 2020 season.

For Ferrari, it was another difficult weekend as both drivers struggled for pace both in the dry and the wet. Leclerc, having struggled immensely after going onto the Soft tyre early on in the race, finished the race outside of the points and a lap down on Hamilton. Vettel managed to secure a top 10 finish, but a sixth-place is hardly anything for the team to be excited about.

Hamilton had lapped every driver in the race, except for the four drivers finishing behind him.

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