It’s time to don your thinking hats and predict the top three for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Read my prediction and pick the podium below.
McLaren are on a roll at the moment and are widely expected to lead the way at the Hungaroring.
But Ferrari have thrived in the hotter races this year and there’s a good chance we’ll see temperatures of more than 30C at the Hungaroring this weekend.
Bridgestone are bringing its two softest tyres to the Hungaroring, as were used at the similarly tight-and-twisty Monte-Carlo circuit. As the F2008 has often been kinder to its tyres than the MP4/23, I don’t think Ferrari are going to be as far off McLaren’s pace as some have predicted.
I’d definitely back Kimi Raikkonen to prise his way between the two McLarens. Felipe Massa, on the other hand, seems to have circuits where he does well and circuits where he does poorly, and he is yet to finish higher than seventh at the Hungaroring.
So I’m backing Lewis Hamilton to take a third consecutive win, but I think there’ll still be a performance gap between him and Heikki Kovalainen – and Raikkonen will squeeze in between them. That will, of course, give us the same top two as last year:
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Kimi Raikkonen
3. Heikki Kovalainen
Last time I only managed to predict third place correctly (Massa). Although no-one got the top three right Warren, Diseased Rat, Bob, Sebastian, Derek, Salty, Sassan, Noel, Verasaki, Becken, James B, Donwatters, Dan Brunell, Loki, Jae and Gerry Carr all correctly picked Hamilton to win.
Dan Brunell, who made several different sets of predictions, picked Nelson Piquet Jnr to finish second “if hell freezes over…”
What are your predictions for the Hungarian Grand Prix podium?
sajonaraman
1st August 2008, 7:20
1.HAM
2.RAI
3.HEI
4.KUB
5.KOV
6.MAS
7.ALO
8.WEB
jae
1st August 2008, 7:37
1. Hamilton
2. Kovalainen
3. Massa
Vlad
1st August 2008, 7:40
1. Raikkonen
2. Kubica
3. Hamilton
4. Massa
5. Alonso
6. Piquet
7. Vettel
8. Bourdais
Dan Brunell
1st August 2008, 7:42
I forgot about the hell freezes over picks. I can’t believe that…
My guess.
1: HAM
2: MAS
3: HEI
4: RAI
5: KUB
6: KOV
7: VET
8: ROS
Pole: Hamilton
Fast Lap: Massa
Journeyer
1st August 2008, 8:11
Pole: Hamilton
FL: Raikkonen
1. Hamilton
2. Raikkonen
3. Massa
4. Kubica
5. Kovalainen
6. Webber
7. Heidfeld
8. Alonso
Toby
1st August 2008, 8:13
Pole – Hamilton
1. Kovi
2. Heidfeld
3. Raikkonen
Fastest Lap – Alonso
Dry/Wet/Dry/Wet/Dry.
cyanide
1st August 2008, 8:16
1: Raikkonen
2: Hamilton
3: Kubica
Dorian G
1st August 2008, 8:26
Pole: Hamilton, FL: Raikkonen
1. Hamilton
2. Raikkonen
3. Kubica
Similar to what Journeyer said, I just don’t have the same faith in Massa…
diseased rat
1st August 2008, 8:37
1. The Hammer
2. Heidfeld
3. Massa
Kester
1st August 2008, 8:52
Pole – Kovi
FL – Kimi
1. Kimi
2. Hamilton
3. Kubica
Sush
1st August 2008, 9:10
lol @ Dan’s piquet prediction!
head says;
1 hamilton
2 heikki
3 Massa
heart wants;
1 heidfield
2 kimi
3 massa
hell freezes over;
1 Rosberg (his car just isn’t good anymore)
2 sutil
3 piquet
MartyP
1st August 2008, 9:21
1 Kovalainen
2 Raikkonen
3 Alonso
j unit
1st August 2008, 10:34
1.Alonso
2.Webber
3.Massa
Chaz
1st August 2008, 10:51
please please please let it rain… thats what i’m predicting
v8
1st August 2008, 10:52
1.ham
2.raikkonen
3.massa
4.kubica
5.kovalanien
6.alonso
Salty
1st August 2008, 11:25
1: Raikkonen
2: Hamilton
3: Kubica
esse
1st August 2008, 11:35
1.Kimi (You must do it Kim)
2.Massa (if he be able to finish the race)
3.Kubica (this is his home race, 40 thousands crazy Polish fans are cheering for Rob there)
4.Nando
5.Nick
6.Heiki
DNF. Lewis Fiamilton
TommyB
1st August 2008, 11:44
1.Heidfeld
2.Kovy
3.Kimi
..Yeh seriously :)
Bluray
1st August 2008, 11:47
1.Kimi (Now or never)
2.Heikki (Happy to get the seat for ’09)
3.Kubica (We all know here, what a Polish invasion can do)
Lewis – hmm…lemme see, I predict that he would miss the pole by a whisker and then try hard to overtake at the first corner and having an off moment, then rejoining lower down, only to be taken out by our ever so reliable DC.
Nick
1st August 2008, 12:18
There is no way Hami is taking 3 in a row.
Kimi
Heidfeld
Button.
Chris Wait
1st August 2008, 12:21
Triple H: Hamilton, Heikki & Heidfeld.
Shahriar
1st August 2008, 12:28
HAM
RAI
MAS
Antifia
1st August 2008, 12:42
Massa
Kimi
Lewis
Alonso
Piquet Jr.(wishfull thinking, I confess)
Kovi
Rosberg
Vettel
qazuhb
1st August 2008, 12:52
C’mon Dan Brunell, don’t keep us waiting for the “hell freezes over” prediction for this one…!!
David
1st August 2008, 13:56
Presuming a little bit of rain…
1. Hamilton
2. Kubica
3. Kovalainen
No rain…
1. Hamilton
2. Kovalainen
3. Massa
The thing about Raikkonen is that his frustration at losing out in various races doesn’t seem to be channeled into his racing. It’s not that he doesn’t care (he seems fairly annoyed a lot of the time) but his concentration seems to have gone – or at least the extra 5% that makes the difference. Unless Ferrari get some tracks/races where they dominate easily, I don’t see him up there.
Becken
1st August 2008, 15:06
Looking back to the two FP Lewis seems to be very dominant again. The difference between Felipe and Kimi in the second practice is nothing:
5. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:21.009
6. Massa Ferrari 1:21.010
MY PREDICTIONS:
Qualifying:
1) LEWIS
2) HEIKKI
3) MASSA
Race:
1) LEWIS
2) HEIKKI
3) MASSA
Nelson won two rounds of GP2 here in 2006 and in the wet. He will finish the race in front of Alonso again on this race, scoring some more valuable points to the team again. I bet Fernando will use his set up again tomorrow…
monaco73
1st August 2008, 15:26
RAI
HAM
KUB
for the race…I won’t even dare anticipate what will happen in wet conditions!
One strange thing though at this part of the season is the unbelieveable over analysis and (often) incorrect scrutiny of the drivers. All the talk of Kimi having a slump and Ferrari being in a crisis are mad…it’s just part of the ups and downs of racing. All in all, Kimi’s off form weekends were the season opener, Monaco and then Germany. Silverstone was due to rotten team tactics. These are stats remarkably similar to all the other top 4 drivers. And a month ago Lewis was being written off as a pop-star-esque basket case, in emotional meltdown. A bit over the top or what.
People tend to forget the machinations, violent outbursts and screw-ups, even by Senna, Shumi, Prost, between 88-93, for example. These were brilliant drivers, on a normal roller-coaster of highly charged seasons of F1.
Imagine the media and blog frenzy if the same happened today with those guys! People are really overcooking things today, drives me mad! Thanks to F1 Fanatic for keeping things in a bit more of an intelligent perspective…just needed to get that out!
It’s going to be a great race mark my words. This is the closest Kimi gets to a home GP as well as Kubica, and it will be a cracker.
I trust that Keith will keep us entertained during the three week break after this? Please?!!
donwatters
1st August 2008, 15:34
Hamilton
Massa
Kimi
Piece of cake.
David Watkins
1st August 2008, 15:53
Hamilton
Raikkonen
Massa
Warren
1st August 2008, 16:15
1)Lewis
2)Heikki
3)Massa
Alianora La Canta
1st August 2008, 17:03
1) Kovalainen
2) Raikkonen
3) Massa
Matt
1st August 2008, 17:03
Hamilton
Heikki
Massa
Jack
1st August 2008, 17:18
1. Hamilton
2. Raikkonen
3. Alonso
Quattro
1st August 2008, 17:42
Hamilton will not finish this race!
Pole position:
Massa
Race results:
1.Kimi
2.Robert Kubica
3.Massa or Heidfeld
That’s it…virtually impossible that Hamilton will do a hatrick!
GDalcin
1st August 2008, 17:53
1)Kimi
2)Lewis
3)Massa
M Smith
1st August 2008, 19:51
If the very unlikely rain does fall:
1. Hamilton
2. Trulli
3. Button
If it is a dry race:
1. Hamilton
2. Raikkonen
3. Kovalinen
Juhhi
1st August 2008, 20:18
Qualifying:
1. Hamilton
2. Massa
3. Kovalainen
GP:
1. Kimi
2. Kovalainen
3. Kubica
kimster46
1st August 2008, 21:07
i bet for kimi,heikki,lewis in Qualifying …
in race ..kimi, lewis, massa …
Wesley
2nd August 2008, 0:24
1- Hamilton
2- Kubica
3- Alonso
…and thanks to Dan Brunnell for making hell freeze over…now we don’t have to worry if it is tolerable.
nicho
2nd August 2008, 4:00
1. Robert Kubica
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Felipe Massa
Gman
2nd August 2008, 4:27
If it’s dry…..
1. Hamilton- Takes control of the title chase
2. Massa- Keeps establishing himself as Ferrari’s top challenger
3. Kubica- The crowd gose wild……
If it rains…*
1. Hamilton- The next great wet-weather driver emerges
2. Alonso- Just the situation he wants after his comments this week….
3. Heidfeld- Keeps the car on-track and in contention
* The rain version includes a dramatic final battle between Hamilton and Fernando, with every TV commentary crew running out of air by race’s end from excitement. Afterward, we’re all going to need to discuss what nation’s TV crew did the best job!!!
Seriously, I’m onboard for the Hamilton 3-peat…who’s with me?
Eric M.
2nd August 2008, 6:29
I think Hamilton will take this one as well, followed by the two Ferrari’s.
So I’m going with
1. Hamilton
2. Massa
3. Raikkonen
Noel
2nd August 2008, 9:01
I don’t want to be boring, but my prediction is the same as Keith’s. This track seems to suit the Mclaren and Lewis’ driving style. Kimi to come a strong second, Kovi to prove he’s entirely capable in a support role, defined or otherwise.
Nirupam
2nd August 2008, 11:19
Quali: KOV/MAS/HAM
Race: KIMI/KUB/ALO/KOV/MAS
HAM – DNF
mac
3rd August 2008, 4:32
After qual. it seems to be like this:
1. Kubica
2. Massa
3. Kovalainen
DNF- Hamilton