Time On Track, Ep. 12: Round 12 – Hungary

Time On Track returns for round 12 of the 2023 Formula 1 season with the race in Hungary. Ricardo and Blake react to the new qualifying format trialed at this race (a change we’d like to see made permanent), as well as all the race drama that unfolded on track on Sunday. The end result may have been predictable, but there was still plenty to ponder as we head into the mid season. McLaren continues to storm up the grid with another impressive performance from Lando Norris, who finished P2, and rookie Oscar Piastri, who once again came tantalizingly close to his first podium. Can Mercedes replicate their customer team’s jump in pace? They’ll need to if they want any chance of closing the gap to Red Bull in this weekend’s race in Belgium.

Another mystery we explore the sudden lack of pace from Aston Martin, who have gone from a podium regular, to barely scraping by in the points. Is it the new tires, as Fernando Alonso suggested? Additionally, Ferrari have gone to nearly anonymous mode in recent weeks with more questionable strategy calls and a car that’s looking increasingly anemic. Finally, this is the second race in a row to see both Alpine cars take DNFs, and this time it happened on lap 1, turn 1, through no fault of their own.

This race was a welcome step back onto the grid for Daniel Riccardo, who had about as good an outcome as he could have hoped for, especially in light of the incidental contact in the same tussle that sent both Alpines packing. Will he be able to keep up the pace at Spa? We certainly hope so. Join us next week for our discussion on round 13 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, which will include a sprint race, and from the looks of it, a load of rain.