Improved Showing Secures Silverware Heading into Summer Break:

Hungarian GP Recap

A Return to the Rostrum

“George you are driving perfect,” was Toto’s description over the radio after car 63 made its way past Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and up into P3 in the closing stages on Sunday.

A strong final stint gave George his first podium since Canada, and sixth top-three finish of the campaign.

Career podium number 21 and George’s second in Hungary, his points tally of 172 is his highest ever after 14 races – or at the shutdown phase of a season – to date.

The fact both George and the team were frustrated to be P4 and just 0.058 seconds off pole on Saturday was evidence of the strides made in Hungary to put W16 competing up near the front of the field once more.

For the fourth time this year, George joined the two McLarens in the post-race champagne showers.

A Hard-Earned Point

After a start to the year that yielded so many highs, you might think Kimi’s P10 in Budapest is not particularly notable.But this was no easy 10th place finish.

Out of position from the start, having been knocked out in Q2, Kimi kept calm on Sunday afternoon and delivered a measured drive to hold off Isack Hadjar and Lewis Hamilton for the final point.

Both the Racing Bull and the Ferrari had much faster, fresher rubber, but were unable to find a way past the 18-year-old and his 48-lap-old Hard tyres.

“Very well driven, Kimi,” came the call from Toto at the chequered flag.

Kimi’s first score since his Canada podium will be a much-needed boost going into the summer break, and he will be eager to push on once again when the racing returns in Zandvoort at the end of the month.

Momentum

With the exception of Canada, it had been an up and down few months for the team in Europe, but 16 points in Hungary helps keep the pressure on Ferrari in the battle for P2 in the Constructors’.

A seventh podium of the year before the summer break bests the tally of last season by one at the same stage. In total, it was the 305th top-three finish for the three-pointed star in F1.

Win number 15 in Hungary for MB Power extends their record for most wins at the track by an F1 engine manufacturer.

A fourth all-Mercedes powered podium also moves MB further clear of Renault for second in the all-time list of 1-2-3 finishes for an F1 engine manufacturer.

Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains is now on a run of four consecutive 1-2 finishes.

MB Meet Ups in Budapest

Prior to the weekend in Hungary, George swapped the racetrack for the production floor and visited the Mercedes-Benz factory in Kecskemet.

The plant is the home of the Mercedes-Benz CLA and produces 410 vehicles a day. George took time during the tour to meet with the talented and hard-working team members who make all that happen.

Later in the weekend, back in Budapest, Kimi and George spent an evening with Mercedes-AMG, taking to the stage to address a select group of invited guests to the event under the setting sun of the Hungarian capital.

From the Podium to Puerto Rico

George and Kimi were not the only Mercedes drivers to get behind the wheel at the weekend, as the team made history on the other side of the globe.

Esteban Gutierrez and W13 lit up the streets of San Juan in Puerto Rico for a crowd of more than 9,000 people at the weekend, marking the first time that an F1 car had run in the country.

Timed to coincide with rapper Bad Bunny’s record-setting No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, the activation also marked the official celebration of the artist as an honorary member of the team and a new product launch with adidas Originals.