What Was The Most Underrated Moment From Hungary?

With twelve races done and an exact same number to go, the current F1 season is in the full wake of its powers. Somewhere, the sense of competition is alive and more intrigue is driving the competition forwards than seen before; something that was perhaps not to be sighted all that much as far as the previous seasons were concerned.

Not only have we seen more drivers take that big win instead of the great Max Verstappen singularly dominating the show, who, by the way, is still the defending world champion, we have seen the rise of McLaren as a formidable force that can even topple the supremacy of Red Bull.

An excellent reminder of the above was evident at the recent Formula 1 Grand Prix of Hungary. Oscar Piastri took a great first win for himself, one that came with a late change of guard at the front or the pecking order. One wonders, what might have happened if Norris, the pole sitter at Hungary, had not let his teammate through in the end?

What was also brilliant was to see a first McLaren 1-2 finish at any race since the 2021 Italian GP and a first for the famed stable at Hungary since the year 1999. There were more admirable sights such as the great Sir Lewis Hamilton capturing his 200th podium, another scintillating world record.

But a moment that perhaps went a touch under-appreciated or maybe, not appreciated at all was the fact that Lance Stroll beat his teammate Fernando Alonso at the 2024 event at Hungary.

While Lance Stroll may have rounded up in tenth and thus scored only a solitary point at the famous Hungaroring, the very fact that only one Aston Martin car was able to score a point was, in itself, quite a talking point, albeit it being underwhelming.

But what perhaps deserves some mention, if not exaggerated appreciation (not that one is arguing for that case), is that the race at Hungary became the second consecutive occasion where the young Canadian driver outperformed his senior teammate from Spain, a double world champion.

How is that?

Well, prior to Hungary, Lance Stroll had fought his way to a respectable seventh. In so doing, he ended up ahead of Fernando Alonso; the Samurai of racing finished on eighth.

While this might not have mattered a great deal to many of us who are perhaps mostly occupied- and understandably so- with the top headline makers who form the front of the pack or the pecking order, Stroll’s effort was worth something for Aston Martin.

Lest it is forgotten, the young driver failed to score any points, whatsoever, at the recent Austrian Grand Prix. Not that, his teammate did any better; even Alonso was found struggling at the Styrian Alps.

In some ways, Hungary spelt a fine effort for a driver who may want to come back even stronger once racing resumes at Spa-Francorchamps.

As it is, in his young career, Stroll has copped up more critics than admirers and it isn’t an everyday sight when a driver not even half as experienced as the mighty Fernando Alonso ends up toppling the very F1 great.

What would you say?