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Formula 1 managing director of motorsports, Ross Brawn, believes that the Hungarian Grand Prix demonstrated the “vast chasm” between the top three teams and the rest of the field.
While Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton passed Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen for victory inside the final four laps, only two other cars finished on the lead lap, namely the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.
Furthermore, the third placed Vettel crossed the finish line more than a minute behind Hamilton after 70 laps around the Hungaroring.
Carlos Sainz was the best of the rest in fifth, and his McLaren team is similarly a distant fourth in the constructors’ championship to runaway leaders Mercedes, Ferrari, and the resurgent Red Bull.
Brawn believes that the results are further evidence of why the sweeping changes planned for F1 from 2021 are imperative in order to bolster excitement in the championship.
“The gap between Ferrari and Mercedes was huge, but what about the rest of the field?” he posed in his column on F1’s official website.
“Carlos Sainz finished an impressive fifth and, along with rookie Lando Norris, McLaren is now firmly staking a claim on being the fourth best team. But its drivers were both lapped by the winner.
“Four drivers from four different teams were lapped twice and another driver was actually lapped three times.
“With Hamilton and Verstappen fighting for the duration of the race, the pace at the front was astounding from the first to the final lap, as that was the only way to win.
“However, it demonstrated the vast chasm in performance between the top three teams and the rest.
“I’ve said it so often, but this gap must be reduced. It remains one of our main objectives for the future as, alongside the FIA, we continued to work on the 2021 regulations.
“It’s an ambitious goal, and it won’t happen overnight as we do not have a magic wand, but it has to be our central ambition, achieved via the three main areas of the rules: technical, sporting and financial.
“It’s a key theme for the future of this sport and I think we are all in agreement on this, starting with the fans, whom we must listen to, because, at the end of the day, they are our most important asset.”
While the French Grand Prix was processional, at least three of the past four races have genuinely been fought for by multiple teams, including the rain-induced chaos of Germany.
Brawn maintains that F1 has delivered an acceptable level of entertainment so far this year despite his observations about the most recent grand prix.
“Without wishing to upset my friends at Mercedes, who are heading for the championship title win again, everyone would like to see a closer fight for the major honours,” he noted.
“Having said that, of the 12 races to date, at least half have been closely contested, with the outcome in doubt.
“As with every fan of F1, I can’t wait for the hostilities to resume at the end of August when Spa is followed immediately by Monza, two fantastic, historic tracks that are bound to provide the sort of excitement only Formula 1 can offer.”
F1 resumes after its summer break with the Belgian Grand Prix from August 30-September 1.
