2023 F1 Hungarian GP: Ricciardo returns, Red Bull record and fight for second

F1 returns after a week break for the Hungarian Grand Prix as the sport filters into its final double-header ahead of the summer break. 

Daniel Ricciardo is set to return to the F1 grid in a shock return as the fan-favourite Australian will return to his former team, Alpha Tauri, after he replaced Nyck De Vries last week.

Red Bull are on the cusp of breaking their first record of the season after the dominant RB19 has secured all 10 victories since the 2023 campaign began. 

The championship seemed to have tightened up for the runner-up spots in the constructors standings, amongst Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren, as Red Bull look untouchable. 

Ricciardo’s return

Following on from the British Grand Prix, in Silverstone, the grid has had a shake up with Ricciardo being parachuted into Alpha Tauri to replace de Vries for the remainder of the 2023 season. 

After failing to score a single point on the board in 10 races, the Faenza-based team axed the Dutch driver off their roster. However, with one of the slowest cars on the grid, it’s likely that Ricciardo’s target will be to match or beat Tsuonda in the same machinery rather than getting points on the board.

The decision to replace de Vries came after Ricciardo’s impressive test session for Pirelli’s tyre test, on Tuesday, last week. Allegedly, the Australian put in a time in the RB19 which would’ve been good enough for the front row of the British Grand Prix 

Red Bull’s record

Red Bull is on the verge of breaking a long-standing record this weekend if their drivers Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez secure the team’s 12th consecutive win in Budapest. 

The record in question has been unbroken since 1988 when McLaren secured 11 straight wins between the 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix to the 1988 Belgium Grand Prix. It remained relatively untouched for 35 years until Red Bull tied the record in Silverstone with their 11th consecutive win – at the hands of Verstappen. 

Red Bull’s successful run of race wins spans from Verstappen’s most recent race victory in Silverstone and goes all the way back to the 2022 season finale in Abu Dhabi. This came after Mercedes’ George Russell secured his first F1 victory in Brazil in the race before. 

Fight for second place

Red Bull looks to have both the drivers and constructor’s tables wrapped up ahead of the summer shut-down, it looks as if the second half of the season will be a battle for the best of the rest. As it currently stands Verstappen currently stands on top of the driver’s standings 99 points ahead of teammate, Perez while the team stand 208 points ahead of Mercedes. 

Mercedes are currently second in the standings but as the development battle continues, and teams continue to deliver upgrades to bolster their positions, they are finding themselves in more battles out on track. 

McLaren was the latest team in the group to join Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari out in front after a decent showing in Britain last time out. However, the fights remain fairly inconsistent with some teams being impacted circuit-by-circuit. 

Despite a resurgence of form from McLaren, they still remain fifth in the constructor’s table and will be looking to rebuild from there going into the second half of the season. 

Third-placed Aston Martin, on the other hand, will want to get themselves back into the fight after being without a podium since Canada. At the same time, Ferrari will be hoping to cut into their 46-point deficit to Mercedes as the Scuderia occupy fourth place in the team’s standings. 

While Red Bull may be out in front collecting their 12th consecutive win, a potential four-way fight for the remaining podium spot between Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren does seem enticing as we head towards the summer break.

That’s all for the article; F1 Hungarian Grand Prix: Ricciardo returns, Red Bull record and fight for second!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Nyck de Vries sacking: Was it too early for Alpha Tauri to let him go
• Daniel Ricciardo to replace Nyck de Vries for remainder of F1 season
• Antonio Felix Da Costa sympathises with Nyck de Vries after replacement rumours
• ‘Respect goes both ways’ says Alfa Romeo F1 after Brundle/Delevingne clash
• Karun Chandhok suggests a new grid idea after Brundle/Delevingne snub
• Cara Delevingne responds after British GP Martin Brundle Grid Walk
• LIVE: F1 British GP

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.