Norris has made a comeback in Hungary; Verstappen put in the best performance

Maurizio Arrivabene was right. “You’ll see that Toto Wolff will now hand over the second part of the instruction manual to McLaren. That way, the papayas will grow and take points away from Ferrari.” The former Ferrari team principal was spot on. With the substantial update package unveiled in Budapest, last season’s dominant force are back in full force (even though Piastri didn’t finish the race due to a gearbox failure). Lando Norris was the fastest of the lot in qualifying and proved in the race too that, in the Hungarian heat, no one else stood a chance. Yet his team-mate, Piastri, had outmanoeuvred him at the start. Proof that Lando is a great driver when there’s no need to get physical. But when close combat is required, he remains as timid as ever.

Speaking of battles, do have a look at Verstappen’s ‘masterstroke’ overtaking manoeuvre on Hamilton on lap 16. A masterpiece of strength, cunning and daring. Once again, he’s outperforming his car’s capabilities. In times like these, when the puppet master on the pit wall is pulling the strings more than ever, long live those like Max who, when he lowers his visor, remain unmistakably their own person. He has complained – as he always does by now – about his Red Bull. He deemed it undriveable, yet he tamed it, proving that there’s still no one quite like him in the circus.

In what was, in truth, Mercedes’ first real lean weekend, ‘our’ Kimi managed to wrap up the first phase of the World Championship whilst gaining further ground. A podium finish that seemed unlikely for many laps, having started from seventh on the grid due to a mistake in qualifying. His driving style appeared conservative at times, almost too mature for someone of his tender age. “Attack, but use your head,” he’d said before the race. He did just that, maximising his performance without taking any risks. His team-mate had fallen by the wayside due to a problem at the start (the team’s fault – George will be heading off on holiday to some place of worship) and Ferrari weren’t on top form. Toto Wolff is right when he says he’s not happy, from a Constructors’ Championship perspective. But the Drivers’ Championship currently seems out of reach for Kimi’s rivals. It’s a shame, for him, that there were a few slip-ups – what they call ‘track limits’. That’s where the curly-haired driver can and must improve, staying on the track as much as possible and not going beyond the limits. Yet he heads into the break with a 50-point lead over Hamilton and 59 over Russell. That’s a gap of two races – a huge margin after 11 races have been contested (over the weekend, the Federation announced that the Bahrain Grand Prix would be rescheduled to take place alongside the Sepang Grand Prix. However, there are still two asterisks hanging over Qatar and Abu Dhabi; yesterday, Domenicali left the door open for a race at Imola in the autumn should the situation in the Middle East remain complicated).

Ferrari? Unfortunately for the Scuderia, we’re back to the ‘Friday lions’. On the first day of practice, the team looked so strong that it sparked a debate over whether, in the event of a certain one-two finish for Ferrari, it would be better for Hamilton or Leclerc to win. As usual, what we’ve seen in other races happened again. Where Ferrari seemed doomed (Silverstone and Spa), they went on to achieve great results. Where it appeared unbeatable (Hungaroring), disappointment followed. This was the result of an overall flawed strategy, starting with the red tyres at the start. But it was also down to repeated blunders that led to penalties. Once again, Lewis Hamilton – who nevertheless seems to be on top form – was penalised. That makes five penalties in four races – an unacceptable burden, and one that makes winning races unthinkable. These are details, individual factors which, in such a closely fought championship, carry decisive weight. Now a few weeks’ break. We’ll be back for the ‘second half of the season’ at Verstappen’s home circuit, Zandvoort, on 23 August.