Daniel Ricciardo will be back in action at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, with the main objective of proving himself worthy of a seat at Red Bull in the future.
The Honey Badger started the 2023 Formula 1 campaign as Red Bull’s third-stringer behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but now he’ll be with AlphaTauri as he replaces an out-of-form Nyck de Vries.
Speaking of Red Bull, they’re still in pole position both in the drivers and constructors standings after they ended their Silverstone drought, courtesy of Max Verstappen.
However, not everyone expected Lando Norris to come in second behind the Dutchman, and McLaren are planning to use their momentum ahead of this weekend’s race.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares some of the top Hungarian Grand Prix 2023 updates.
Full circle moment for Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo is actually back where it started for him because he once raced for Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in the early stages of his Formula 1 career before he went to Red Bull, where he won seven Grands Prix.
By that time, Ricciardo looked like he was on his way to reach the top of the Formula 1 mountain. But once Max Verstappen outpaced him, he shocked everyone by switching to Renault, and things only got worse.
Many saw the move to Renault, a much inferior team, as a step down in Ricciardo’s career, and they would be proven right because he only notched two podiums and zero wins.
In 2021, Ricciardo moved on to McLaren, where he continued his steep decline. Although he won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, his time in Woking was a forgettable one, and he was left without a seat by the end of the 2022 season.
Now that he’s got his second chance, you better believe that the Honey Badger will make the most of it. However, he will face the daunting task of picking up points in a difficult car.
Should he do well at the Faenza-based outfit, he would give Red Bull’s top management something to think about, especially with Sergio Perez still struggling big time.
Are McLaren back in the game?
The battle for second continues to heat up, and it has been a tug-of-war between Mercedes and Ferrari. But after the past few races, a new challenger has arrived in the form of McLaren.
Since their poor outing in Spain and Canada, the Woking-based outfit has hauled in a lot of points from Austria and England, with Lando Norris leading the way.
Norris finished P4 and P2 in Austria and England, while teammate Oscar Piastri had his highest finish so far this season, at P4 last time out.
McLaren’s dramatic improvement was because of their upgrades. The MCL60’s aerodynamics, in particular, was given a major boost when they revamped its floor and sidepods.
However, they still have a long way to go since they continue to struggle with slow-speed corners, which the Hungaroring circuit is best known for.
History
Even though he has yet to win a race in quite some time, Lewis Hamilton remains a dangerous driver here in Hungaroring, as he has the most wins on this track with eight.
Last year, Hamilton managed to finish second after starting seventh, but he fell short behind Max Verstappen, who won the race despite starting 10th.
It was also at the Hungarian Grand Prix that George Russell had his first-ever pole and Esteban Ocon recorded his first-ever Formula 1 win in what was one of the craziest races we’ve seen in recent memory.
In the 2021 edition, where Ocon won, there were two major crashes in Lap 1 that led to six DNFs. The FIA gave Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll five-place grid penalties following their roles in the incident.
What are the odds?
Max Verstappen is poised to repeat here in Hungaroring, according to the Hungarian Grand Prix 2023 odds, as the two-time defending champion is priced at 1.35 compared to 3.04 against any other driver, head-to-head.
As for his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, he is likely to struggle again, as he is installed at 2.20 in the 1X2 market. Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr., and even Lando Norris are all ahead of him in the battle for a podium spot, priced at 1.60, 1.70, 1.75, 1.91, and 2.13, respectively.
If it weren’t for Perez’s form, Red Bull’s margin for error would be bigger. Instead, they’re priced at 1.80 compared to 2.20 against their rival teams, head-to-head, rather than at 1.65.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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