2017 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Vettel wins as Hamilton returns the position on the final lap

The Hungarian Grand Prix was held over 70 laps. Vettel retained the lead from pole, with Räikkönen following closely as Ferrari quickly established a one-two. The narrow Hungaroring offers few overtaking opportunities, making a front-row start and pit-stop strategy crucial to the fight for victory.

The Red Bull team-mates collided after the start when Verstappen hit Ricciardo, damaging the latter’s car and forcing him to retire. Verstappen received a ten-second penalty. He continued at a strong pace, with the time penalty costing him the chance to fight for a podium finish.

Vettel subsequently reported a steering problem, with his steering wheel sitting off-centre, and Ferrari chose to keep him in the lead. Räikkönen controlled the pace behind and refrained from attacking his team-mate. Securing a one-two finish took priority in Ferrari’s running order.

Bottas was ahead of Hamilton in the Mercedes order. Hamilton picked up his pace in the middle part of the race and asked for the chance to chase the Ferraris. Bottas moved aside under an agreement that Hamilton would return the position if he was unable to pass them. Hamilton made several attempts but was unable to close on the Ferraris.

Late in the race, Bottas continued to wait for his team-mate to honour the agreement. Hamilton moved aside on the final lap, restoring Bottas to third and crossing the line in fourth. The decision honoured their earlier agreement and preserved Bottas’s podium after he had cooperated with the team.

Vettel won in 1:39:46.713, 0.908s ahead of Räikkönen. Bottas was third, Hamilton fourth and Verstappen fifth. Alonso finished sixth and set the fastest lap, Sainz was seventh and Vandoorne tenth, with both McLarens scoring points.

Hülkenberg, di Resta, Grosjean and Ricciardo failed to finish, while Massa missed the start because of illness. Vettel extended his championship lead and Ferrari secured its second one-two of the season. The race was completed, with the final results recorded in the official 70-lap classification.

The table below lists the official finishing positions, drivers, teams, completed laps, gaps or retirement status, and points. Di Resta took part as a substitute and retired after completing 60 laps. Massa was absent from the race timing classification.