BUDAPEST, Hungary (CMC) – Championship leader and defending champion Lewis Hamilton suffered a shocking sixth-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, but miraculously still managed to extend his lead in the Formula One ‘drivers standings’.The Brit, who started on pole, served up an error-filled performance as four-time former champion Sebastian Vettel clinched his second victory of the season in a surprise result.
The Ferrari driver, who started from the second row, clocked one hour 46.09 minutes to finish ahead of Red Bull’s rookie Daniil Kyvat with his teammate Daniel Ricciardo claiming third.
Bizarrely, Hamilton’s nearest rival, fellow Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, picked up a puncture and finished eighth, allowing Hamilton to actually increase his overall lead in the championship to 21 points.
“That was a very tough afternoon. The team did everything right and the car clearly had the pace. I just had a very bad day at the office,” Hamilton said afterwards.
“It was one of the worst races I think I’ve had and I don’t really have any explanation for it at the moment. All I can do is apologise to the team and work hard to make amends at the next race.
“My start wasn’t ideal and the Ferraris were really quick off the line, so suddenly I was under attack from both sides.”
Hamilton, whose paternal grandparents hail from the Caribbean island of Grenada, earned eight points from the chaotic outing with Rosberg taking half that amount.
He now leads with 201 points to Rosberg’s 181. With the victory, Vettel closed to within 21 points of Rosberg in third, on 160.
Hamilton’s misfortune started as early as the first lap when he was quickly overtaken by the Ferraris and then also ran wide on the chicane to drop down the field.
Things went from bad to worse later on when he smashed into Ricciardo and damaged his front wing, losing even more ground.
Hamilton said he was ready to put the performance behind him and focus on the next Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps late next month.
“I just made too many mistakes today. In the end, it’s damage limitation in terms of points for the Championship, so I just need to take the positives into the summer and bounce back in Spa.”