WEEKEND WARM-UP: Vettel’s retirement news catches the paddock off guard as they get set for Hungary
Hot on the heels of France comes the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, the final race before F1 goes into summer recess and the paddock get a well-deserved break.
Before the action had even begun, Sebastian Vettel dropped the bombshell that he was planning to retire at the end of the season, causing an outpouring of emotion from his colleagues. While the German undoubtedly stole the headlines on Thursday, there are still plenty of other storylines in play in Budapest.
Charles Leclerc needs to get back to winning ways to atone for his mistake last time out, and he might be well-placed to do so at a track that is expected to favour Ferrari. But watch out for his team mate Carlos Sainz, who was arguably the quicker of the two at Paul Ricard and is carrying plenty of confidence from his maiden win just a few races ago.
FORM GUIDE: Is Verstappen set to extend his lead in Hungary – or can Ferrari fight back?
At Red Bull Max Verstappen will want to take his sizeable championship lead into the summer break, while Mercedes will be another team looking to finish the first half of the season on a high as yet more upgrades arrive on the W13. They have yet to win this year – could Hungary provide the same sort of chaos that unfolded last year and give them that opportunity?
Join Rosanna Tennant and Lawrence Barretto in Weekend Warm-Up, and hear from the drivers ahead of the race weekend via the video player above.
