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The grid for the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP is set and we have Lewis Hamilton on pole position. With pole No. 104 secured in a competitive and non-flukish manner, there are many that feel the Mercedes driver could positively have a shot at winning race No. 104.
There's also the elusive threat of the McLaren duo starting the race on the second row in very competitive cars. Who would win the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP? How would the race pan out? Where could the surprise of the weekend, the Alfa Romeos find themselves?
Let's take a look as we share our predictions for the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP.
#5 Alfa Romeo's double points finish could be on the cards
A P5 and P7 start in the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP is an impressive starting position but it will be a bit tough to keep these positions during the race.
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There will be quite a few variables in play here and that include the strategies that the teams will employ in a race that could have two to three stops.
You could see the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and even the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso jump the two Alfa Romeos during the race. Having said that, if the duo keep their nose clean, points finish for both of them is certainly not off the table.
We could be looking at a decent haul of points for Alfa Romeo.
#4 George Russell scores points
George Russell will be a bit disgruntled with the way his weekend has gone so far and a part of his qualifying result falls on him as well.
Having said that, the Mercedes driver has a strong car under him. He's shown an ability to make his way through the field and this race could see him doing the same thing.
One can't expect him to reach the heights that Lewis Hamilton will this weekend but a points finish in the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP is not off the table in any which way.
#3 Sergio Perez does not challenge for the podium
Sergio Perez will start the race in P9 and looking at the speed he's shown during the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP race weekend, it does not look promising.
On the plus side, the Mexican has been able to finally make it to Q3 but with him starting the race in P9, and considering the nature of the track, it's a tough ask to expect him to make his way through the field and attack a podium finish.
The 2023 F1 Hungarian GP is going to be the race that extends Sergio Perez's run of finishes where he continues to miss out on a podium.
#2 The battle for the win could be interesting
Zhou Guanyu is in P5 and while the qualifying form seems very impressive, it's hard to see it get replicated in the race. Having said that, the battle between the top four drivers could be very interesting. The long-run data on Friday did not show a massive advantage for Red Bull.
On the other hand, the McLaren long-run pace was there or there about as well. One can assume that the changes made by Mercedes overnight will make the car competitive in the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP as well.
Add to this, the hard-to-overtake nature of the Hungaroring is going to make things trickier as well for Max Verstappen, especially since Lewis Hamilton is not going to give up on the win this easily.
All in all, we're looking at a race where the battle for the win is going to be very interesting.
#1 Max Verstappen wins the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP
Sure Lewis Hamilton will start the race on pole position and if we look at the long-run pace from Red Bull on Friday, it didn't have the same advantage it does on other tracks.
Having said that, the car was still the fastest on the grid. How Mercedes will perform is still a question mark because the team made significant changes from Friday but expecting the team to be quicker than Red Bull over a race distance might be a tough ask.
To add to this, the race is expected to feature multiple stops and that will give Max Verstappen the opportunity to play around with the strategy if an on-track overtake becomes a bit dicey.
