Two themes have shaped events in Formula 1 for many years.
These include dominant performances by the industry leader and numerous errors made by arguably the most traditional racing team in the premier class of motorsport.
Naturally, we are talking about Ferrari. At the Hungarian GP, the "Scuderia" once again underlined this stereotype in its usual manner.
After strong performances at the start of the weekend, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were actually among the favorites. However, both drivers ultimately missed out on the podium.
Hamilton's Penalty Fiasco Continues
Just a few weeks ago, after Hamilton's maiden victory in Barcelona, the "Scuderia" harbored many hopes for the long-awaited world championship title.
Currently, however, the situation looks completely different again. It seems the British record champion magnetically attracts rule infringements.
Initially, he got away with a warning at Silverstone after ignoring yellow flags. However, in the very next race, he incurred a time penalty after a collision with George Russell.
Now, another penalty followed in both qualifying and on race Sunday. After qualifying, he received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Piastri. Furthermore, during the race, exceeding the speed limit dropped him back to fifth place.
Understandably, Hamilton was not pleased about this. "They (the FIA, editor's note) are handing out penalties like they're on a conveyor belt," the Briton grumbled over team radio.
Hamilton Frustrated Over Pit Stop: "We shouldn't have done it"
Ferrari's tire strategy also went wrong again. Initially, the "Scuderia" was the only top team to opt for soft tires to gain a grip advantage at the start.
However, the risk didn't pay off. Both drivers initially remained stuck behind Max Verstappen (Red Bull) for several laps, and the McLaren drivers extended their lead. Consequently, the chance for victory vanished early on.
To top it all off, in the final phase, the "Scuderia" also pitted Hamilton for a tire change a third time during the VSC phase after the incident with Oscar Piastri.
As a result, Hamilton not only lost out to Verstappen but also to Antonelli in the fight for the podium.
"We shouldn't have done the pit stop. My tires were perfectly fine. I could have at least held onto third place," said the Briton.
Thus, the gap in the World Championship standings between Antonelli and Hamilton grew to 50 points, and hopes for the title are fading.
