The Formula 1 Hungaroring Review

Key Outcomes
The Davis and Davis Show (hosted by Scott and Burke) delivered a comprehensive post-race analysis of the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. Lando Norris claimed victory, with Max Verstappen finishing second and Kimi Antonelli rounding out the podium in third. The episode examined practice sessions, qualifying controversies, race incidents, and team performance evaluations, while raising serious concerns about FIA governance issues that could potentially destabilize Formula 1 as a sport.
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Decisions Made
Both hosts concluded that the FIA is applying disproportionate penalties to Lewis Hamilton, potentially in retaliation for his past criticism of FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The hosts reached consensus that the FIA's governance problems—including inconsistent penalty enforcement and blue flag system technical failures—are actively hindering competitive racing.
Each team's weekend performance was graded on an A–F scale, with Aston Martin earning top honors for their transformative upgrade package.
The next race was confirmed as the Heineken Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort, scheduled approximately 25 days from the recording date.
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Race Weekend Recap
Practice Sessions
FP1 proceeded relatively smoothly, with notable incidents including Leclerc suffering gearbox issues, Stroll spinning due to suspension problems, and both Albon and Sainz flat-spotting complete tire sets.
FP2: Kimi Antonelli battled persistent lockup issues; Stroll's car experienced a breakdown but was successfully repaired; Paul Aron (substituting for Colapinto) lost control and heavily damaged the car's rear section against the barrier.
FP3: The session ran with minimal drama. Norris topped the timesheet, followed by Hamilton, Antonelli, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, and Verstappen.
Five rookie or substitute drivers participated in FP1: Frederick Vesti (Mercedes), Leonardo Fornaroli (McLaren, replacing Piastri), Colton Herta (Cadillac, replacing Bottas), Ryo Hirakawa (replacing Bearman at Haas), and Paul Aron (Racing Bulls).
Scott confirmed that Colton Herta is the son of former IndyCar/ChampCar driver Brian Herta. At 26 years old, he currently competes in Formula 2 and is based in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California.
Qualifying
Q1 eliminations: Bearman, Sainz, Albon, Stroll, Bottas, and Perez failed to advance.
Q2 highlight: Alonso reached Q2 for the first time this season—a significant milestone given Aston Martin's year-long struggles. Hadjar briefly topped Q2 with a 1:17, while Antonelli secured the final Q3 spot in the closing seconds.
Q3: Verstappen spun in the final moments, triggering yellow flags. Russell stopped on track under double yellows, and Antonelli couldn't complete his final flying lap. Norris secured pole position, with Hamilton qualifying second.
Post-qualifying penalties: Both Hamilton and Russell received 3-place grid penalties for failing to lift under yellow flag conditions. This reshuffled the starting grid to: Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Hadjar, Antonelli, Lindblad, and Hulkenberg.
Sergio Perez was relegated to a pit lane start after his team modified the suspension setup under Parc Fermé regulations without technical director approval.
Race — Key Events (70 Laps, 86°F Air / 126°F Track)
Lap 1: Leclerc lost three positions; Piastri gained two; Verstappen advanced one spot; Russell triggered anti-stall and plummeted 13 positions.
Laps 14–15: Hamilton pitted first for hard compound tires, followed by Verstappen. On Lap 16, Verstappen overtook Hamilton at Turn 1.
Laps 16–17: Valtteri Bottas's carbon fiber brake rotors ignited at pit entry, forcing him to stop at the pit road entrance. CO2 extinguishers were deployed, creating a risk of thermal shock to the carbon rotors.
Lap 22: Antonelli, who had built a commanding 12-second lead on his opening tire stint, finally made his pit stop.
Laps 38–39: Sainz (Car 55) received a 5-second penalty for causing contact with Piastri (Car 81) during a blue flag situation. Stewards noted that Sainz had been informed of the blue flags but made contact regardless. The FIA later acknowledged that their blue flag display system experienced technical failures during the race.
Lap 39: Piastri's gearbox failed catastrophically, triggering yellow flags and a Virtual Safety Car period. Norris, Hamilton, and Leclerc all pitted under VSC conditions, switching to soft compound tires.
Lap 58: Hamilton was ordered to return position to Antonelli after incorrectly assuming he had exited the pits ahead.
Lap 60: Hamilton received a 5-second penalty for pit lane speeding at 80.1 km/h—exceeding the 80 km/h limit by just 0.1 km/h.
Lap 51: Perez retired (DNF) while circulating at reduced speed.
Bearman was handed a 5-second penalty for ignoring blue flags. Both hosts noted this penalty may be subject to appeal given the confirmed blue flag system malfunction.
Final Classification (Top Results)
P1: Norris | P2: Verstappen (+2 from grid) | P3: Antonelli (+4) | P4: Leclerc (−2) | P5: Hamilton (after 5-sec penalty) | P6: Hadjar (+2) | P7: Russell (recovered from P16 start) | P8: Lawson (+3) | P9: Hulkenberg (+1)
DNFs: Piastri (gearbox failure), Perez, Bottas
Bearman was classified P19 after his post-race 5-second penalty was applied.
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FIA Governance Concerns
Scott expressed mounting concern that the FIA under Mohammed Ben Sulayem is following a trajectory similar to the institutional breakdown that caused the CART/IndyCar split in American open-wheel racing.
Ben Sulayem has implemented rules that effectively eliminate viable challengers to his presidency. In the 2024 election, all three opposing candidates were disqualified for missing a 45-day qualification window. The remaining eligibility requirement—active FIA race participation—is controlled by Mohammed himself.
Carlos Sainz Sr. was among the potential challengers. Scott considered him a highly credible candidate given his Formula 1 driving pedigree.
Hamilton's pit lane penalty (0.1 km/h over the limit) exemplifies what the hosts view as selective, disproportionate enforcement. Scott noted that NASCAR provides drivers with segment-specific speeding data, while the FIA cannot even identify where in the pit lane Hamilton's alleged infringement occurred.
Following the Spanish GP, the FIA admitted that Leclerc's contact with Hamilton should have been penalized—an acknowledgment that came too late to affect the race outcome.
Race director history: Charlie Whiting served for approximately 30 years and commanded universal respect throughout the paddock. Since his death, the FIA has cycled through at least three race directors: Michael Masi (removed following the Abu Dhabi 2021 controversy), Niels Wittich, and current director Rui Marquis (appointed November 2024).
Both hosts agreed that Charlie Whiting's approach—strict but fair, with proportional warnings before penalties—is conspicuously absent from current FIA race control.
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Team Performance Grades

Team Grade for this race
Aston Martin
A
Introduced a comprehensive 16-part B-spec upgrade package. Alonso reached Q2 for the first time this season. Stroll finished P13 (+7 positions). Nearly scored points in their first race with the new upgrades.
Red Bull
B+
Verstappen recovered to P2 and showed notable restraint on team radio. Hadjar secured P6.
Ferrari
B
Hamilton remained competitive despite being hampered by FIA penalties. Leclerc finished P4.
McLaren
B
Piastri rocketed to P1 off the start line with apparent car upgrades. His gearbox failure prevented what could have been an A-grade performance.
Racing Bulls
B
Lawson finished P8, Lindblad P10. Strong performance considering their limited upgrades compared to the senior Red Bull team.
Mercedes
C−
Falling behind the midfield pack. Team strategy appeared to favor Antonelli over Russell.
Audi (née Renault/Alpine lineage)
B
Hulkenberg secured P9. Bortoleto continues improving. The team needs a more aggressive second driver.
Alpine
C
Gasly finished P10, Colapinto P12. Solidly mid-pack but showing no signs of progression.
Haas
D
Bearman classified P19 (post-penalty). As the least-funded team, their car design relies on outdated Ferrari blueprints with no mid-season development capability.
Williams
D
Sainz was penalized. Albon delivered an unremarkable performance. Development has stagnated while competitors improve.
Cadillac
F
Both cars retired (DNF). This marks the second race with brake fires (Bottas). The team is not yet running GM engines, instead renting Ferrari-spec power units until approximately 2028.