Vettel claims tense Ferrari 1-2 in Hungarian GP

Sebastian Vettel overcame steering issues to win a tense Hungarian Grand Prix and head home a Ferrari one-two.

Vettel struggled throughout the race with his car pulling to the right, hampering his pace and allowing those behind to remain in touch throughout the 70-lap race.

His race got underway in near perfect fashion with a textbook start from the Ferrari duo.

The pair controlled the field into the first corner while further back contact between the two Red Bull drivers saw Daniel Ricciardo’s race end after just three corners.

Max Verstappen slid wide at turn two, making contact with Ricciardo’s sidepod, who suffered race ending damage as a result.

Lewis Hamilton made a sluggish start to initially fall behind both Red Bulls, becoming trapped behind Verstappen after the Safety Car restart once Ricciardo’s car had been cleared.

It was worst case scenario for the Mercedes driver as Vettel scampered clear at the front, protected by team-mate Raikkonen in second.

Though Verstappen collected a 10 second penalty for his part in the opening lap melee, Hamilton remained powerless until he made his stop on lap 32.

Vettel also stopped after 32 laps, with Raikkonen in on the following lap as the Italian team protected their position at the head of the race, though a fresh set of boots failed to cure Vettel’s handling woes.

Released, Hamilton quickly caught up to his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas, but around the tight Hungaroring circuit he was unable to find a way through.

The pair quickly closed on the Ferraris at the front as Vettel continued to struggle with handling issues, prompting Mercedes to release Hamliton who immediately lifted the pace by a second a lap.

His charge ultimately proved futile. Unable to get close enough to Raikkonen to pass, Hamilton handed third place back to Bottas at the final corner, despite the looming challenge of Verstappen, who was on a charge in the closing stages.

The Red Bull had run strongly following his stop, matching the pace of those at the front to end the race 13-seconds off the lead in fifth place, showing how costly his opening lap clash and resulting 10 second penalty had been.

McLaren left Hungary with a solid points haul courtesy of Fernando Alonso in sixth and Stoffel Vandoorne recording his first points finish of the season in 10th.

Results: Hungarian Grand Prix

Championship points