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The gap between the Bulls, Merc dominance: Some more F1 Hungarian GP talking points

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Lewis Hamilton (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Lewis Hamilton (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Mark Thompson

• Williams F1 team looked good during Qualifying on Saturday.

• The Gasly/Albon swap at Red Bull remains a topic of interest.

• Mercedes to lap the field again at Silverstone in August.

• For more motoring stories, go to www.Wheels24.co.za


Round 3 of the 2020 Formula One season in Hungary saw Lewis Hamilton taking the lead of Drivers' Championship while Mercedes consolidated their position in the Constructors' Championship. They now hold a lead of more than double the points accumulated by their nearest rivals Red Bull Racing.

Of course, the race provided some points to reflect on afterwards.  

Williams shows pace 

It has been a difficult few seasons for one of F1's most successful teams of late, but Saturday's Qualifying session saw both Williams drivers progressing to Q2 for the first time in nearly two years.

George Russell and 2020 rookie Nicholas Latifi qualified in 12th and 15th places respectively. Despite making good starts, the pair slid to the bottom of the order as the race progressed. This is a step in the right direction for the team who also utilizes Mercedes-Benz power.  



Albon A-Team material or Verstappen simply just A+ 

After 2019's Hungarian GP, Red Bull Racing demoted Pierre Gasly back to the Torro Rosso team while Alex Albon stepped into the first-team alongside Max Verstappen. And yet again there are questions over this swop. 

During this past weekend, Verstappen came back from an out-lap crash to finish as runner-up. Albon could not get past Q2 with Verstappen almost 0.8 of second faster than him. Albon did finish in fifth place in the race though; be it 70 seconds down the road from his team mate. 



But let's shift our attention away from the second Red Bull seat for a minute though. There is no doubt about Verstappen's talent and pace. He is one of the most exceptional drivers on the grid. That will make it very hard to find a suitable team mate for him.

Red Bull already confirmed that they would not be bringing Sebastian Vettel back to the team for 2021, yet he might be the only available driver to see the team emerge as a strong contender with two very equal drivers. Take nothing away from Albon or Gasly; both of them have proven to be good and competitive drivers. But to step up as an equal to Verstappen is proving to be a tough challenge.

With F1 being a team sport, it is crucial to have two cars in close contention. This is an area where Red Bull have lacked since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo.  



Stroll answers the call

With Vettel's uncertain future also including "loose talks" with Racing Point over a seat in 2021 when the team will be rebranded to Aston Martin, this was undoubtedly the time for Lance Stroll to shine. This he indeed did by Qualifying in third place and delivering a solid performance to cross the line in fourth place.

On both occasions, he beat his team mate Sergio Perez. While Vettel will undoubtedly bring lots of experience to the team, would it be a good idea to break up the current pair?  


Mercedes in a class of their own 

When people speculate that Mercedes could lap the entire field at Silverstone, don't bet against it. No one has got an answer to their dominance, and although there will be a lot of head-scratching in the two weeks ahead, there is very little that anyone will be able to do even to come close to them. 

With a Silverstone double-header and Barcelona ahead, it will most likely take penalties or retirements for anyone to spoil the party for Mercedes and Hamilton. They are simply in superb form.



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