Can Mercedes' Upwards Trajectory Continue in Hungary?

Picture this: it's late at night, way too late for your brain to properly comprehend anything, but you have a reason for depriving yourself of some much needed sleep: the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. You've waited hours for this moment- the moment when the each of the five rows of lights start to illuminate, signaling the countdown to the start of the race. 

Your favorite driver is on pole, or maybe in P7, or possibly the back of the grid, but you're going to stay up and watch it regardless of where they've qualified because positions in F1 can change in the blink of an eye. And you have hope that at the end of the night you'll be holding up your pillow triumphantly like your favorite driver just held the trophy, getting ready for sleep knowing you just witnessed a brilliant race with an even more brilliant outcome.

That's the glory of Formula 1. And halfway through the season, with a mega six different race winners: the season's only going to continue to get better and better. 

Coming off of Lewis Hamilton's record-breaking win in Silverstone two weeks ago, multiple teams are looking in good form heading into the race weekend, and with a solid drive from one of their drivers, there's a decent chance we'll see someone other than Verstappen on the top step of the podium.

Starting with qualifying, three teams are currently in the fight for pole. You've got the obvious: Red Bull and Verstappen who started the season with strong quali performances, but have been staggering since Canada. They're set to bring a "large" upgrade package to Hungary, but chances are the upgrades are a mix of track-specific and car balance upgrades, rather than pace. 

Also in contention for pole you've got both McLaren and Mercedes drivers. The latest race winner and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will be looking to continue the team and his positive trajectory, and will have the morale boost after a nearly thousand day win drought- going back to Jeddah in 2021. George Russell's also in the mix with his strong qualifying sessions this year and he's got the edge of revenge after a water issue that interfered with his home race two weekends ago, shortly after he put it on pole.

Oscar Piastri will be in the hunt for his first win, and Lando Norris for his second, and both drivers have commented on the McLaren's current form, creating the perfect opportunity for a front row lockout before the summer lockout. Piastri has noted this week that once they find the right way to maximize performance, he'll be on the top step. Possibly this weekend? The car is arguably the best on the grid at the moment, but Red Bull with their upgrades could put a wrench in their plans. 

With all that being said- keep a close watch on Russell in the Mercedes when looking at who's in the current best form to snatch pole.

Other storylines to watch this weekend include: 

1. Checo's future with Red Bull and who the possible candidates are for his seat if he continues to underperform. A big moment for the Mexican will be making Q3, that's if he's able to escape Q1 as he was unable to do so in Silverstone. (FUN FACT: Sargeant has outqualified Checo six times this season)

2. McLaren's holes in the brake drums. Red Bull, the dominating force in engineering in Formula 1 over the past couple of years have drawn attention to the Woking-based team and their supposed "holes" in the brake drums which the FIA will likely investigate this weekend. 

3. HAAS continuing to score large sums of points, making a charge on Visa Cash App RB in the Constructors standings. With Nico Hulkenberg's back to back P6 performances, the team's taking a huge chunk out of the points differential between them and the Red Bull sister team.

4. Possible driver announcement with Esteban Ocon rumored to be joining Bearman in the HAAS 2025 driver lineup. 

5. This weekend will be telling of where Ferrari's at in reversing the upgrades they brought to the Spanish GP nearly a month ago. Carlos Sainz hopes they've made a step in the right direction with the bouncing issue, and it'll be apparent this weekend if they have.

Red Bull's lead in the Constructor's championship has been narrowing, with McLaren and Ferrari within an arm's distance from taking the lead. But with Ferrari's recent form, it looks like the papaya team will be the only one in contention to make a charge this weekend on Red Bull.

The dominating team could look towards former driver Daniel Ricciardo, or current teammate Yuki Tsunoda to fill the seat for next year, or possibly the rest of this season if Pérez fails to bring points home.

The race is set for Sunday the 21 of July at Hungaroring and will be the first part of the pre-summer lockout double-header. It's lights out and away we go...