Holy Crap Something Different Happened In F1 For A Change
Wait, what? What just happened? Did we actually see something... different happen at the Hungarian Grand Prix today? Was that an outcome different from every typical Formula One race lately? Did we all wake up in Bizarro World? What the hell is going on?
What I know is I just watched a race where not only did Lewis Hamilton not win, Nico Rosberg didn't either, and we actually saw some damn good, dramatic racing for a change. What a day.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel walked away with a decisive win today, his second of the season and his first career win at the Hungaroring. Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat finished second — his first podium finish of his career — while his teammate Daniel Ricciardo placed third.
You'll notice that none of those men race for Mercedes, nor are they Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg. I can't even, you guys.
Hamilton took pole in qualifying, but I think it's safe to say he scrubbed his launch at the very start of the race, with Vettel passing into pole position so quickly I expected pixelated sunglasses and "Deal With It" to drop down out of nowhere. Vettel maintained his lead throughout the race, and Hamilton never quite caught up after flying into a gravel trap on the first lap. While he's still far ahead in points, he settled for a sixth place finish today.
There was plenty of chaos and drama throughout the rest of the race. On lap 43 Nico Hulkenberg's front wing seemingly fell off; it went exploding under his tires and he veered head-on into a tire barrier. Kimi Raikkonen qualified in fifth but retired due to technical problems.
Then of course you had lap 64, just five from the end, where a contact during a dogfight between Ricciardo and Rosberg led to the latter's rear left tire getting shredded. Rosberg had to settle for a disappointing eighth place finish.
This race was also the best showing yet for McLaren Honda. After an abysmal qualifying that led to Fernando Alonso pushing his car off the track — a metaphor for their entire season thus far that's so sad I can't even make fun of it — Alonso and teammate Jenson Button got to do some actual racing! And actual passing! Like they were in real cars, holy shit! Alonso finished in fifth place, the most successful result of McLaren's season so far.
All in all it was a fantastic race, albeit one with the shadow of Jules Bianchi's death hanging over it. It was an event full of tributes to the young driver, who died last week as a result of injuries incurred in a 2014 racing crash.
Aside from that sadness it was wonderful to see something other than a Mercedes win for a change. Their dominance this season hasn't exactly made for the most exciting racing in the sport's history. More like this, please.
What was your favorite moment from today's race?
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.