REPORT: Tough Afternoon at the Hungaroring

Despite battling drives from both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, Atlassian Williams Racing head into the summer break without adding to their 70-point total after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The team opted to start both drivers on the Soft tyre – a decision that paid off on the opening lap. Carlos gained one place from his P13 grid slot, while Alex climbed three spots from P19.

The opening stint saw both cars caught in a long DRS train stretching all the way up to Fernando Alonso in P5. Alex was the first of the pair to pit, following Esteban Ocon in on Lap 14. A swift switch to Mediums by the crew allowed him to jump the Frenchman in the pit lane.

Carlos boxed a lap later, switching onto the Hard compound and rejoining just ahead of his teammate.

Both drivers quickly re-entered the pit windows of those yet to stop, cycling up to P12 and P13 respectively, before Alex made his final stop on Lap 40.

Carlos stayed out longer, gradually climbing the order and briefly running inside the top 10 for three laps starting from Lap 43.

Despite his best efforts, it became clear that the one-stop strategy wasn’t going to work for Carlos. He pitted again on Lap 52 for a late push to the flag with the benefit of fresh rubber to attack.

First up for our No.55 was Yuki Tsunoda, who he passed at Turn 1 before closing in on a pack that included his teammate. Carlos overtook Nico Hulkenberg and then swapped positions with Alex on Lap 60.

Two laps later, Carlos moved ahead of Pierre Gasly on the run to Turn 2, but the Alpine driver collided with him at turn-in. Hulkenberg capitalised on the contact, and Carlos dropped back. Gasly was handed a 10-second penalty for the incident.

In the closing stages, the action didn’t let up. Alex passed Gasly, while Carlos made his way past Ocon – a move our No. 23 soon mirrored.

Carlos reeled in Hulkenberg once again, but before he could launch a move, the chequered flag was waved. The pair crossed the line in P14 and P15.

"It was a cleaner weekend for us; it’s just a shame it’s not on a weekend where the car is strong," Carlos reflected.

"P13 looked like the maximum, which is where we would’ve been without the incident with Gasly. We tried to do a one-stop but that was probably too optimistic going from the Soft to the Hard, but we tried to do something different before switching to the two-stop.

"I’m leaving the first half of the season slightly disappointed as we didn’t maximise the weekends where we were stronger, but hopefully the second half of the season is the other way around.

"A big thanks to the team for their massive effort and to all our fans for their endless support. We’ll reset, recharge and come back stronger for the rest of the season!"

"It was a very tough weekend," Alex commented. "I came into this weekend optimistic, and I feel like we're a little bit exposed around this track and the car didn't really suit it.

"We struggled in the race more than I thought we would. We need to do our homework because I know we would do a better job if we had another go at it. It's going to be a dogfight for the rest of the year and it's not going to be easy.

"I think we favour the lower downforce circuits and others probably favour the higher downforce ones, so we'll see how it plays out. But I'm going to fight like hell to keep P5 in the Championship for us and I'm sure Carlos feels the same. It's going to be a fight to the end."

"A difficult weekend," James Vowles explained. "We need to make sure that we learn and understand why we can be strong on one circuit and poor in others.

"It's a pattern that's been consistent over years, but we need to break out of it in order for us to be able to move up the grid. I'm really proud of what the team has achieved in the first half of the season.

"It's great to be in fifth in the Championship. However, we have to recognise it will be a close fought battle to the end of the year and we have to maximise every opportunity that comes towards us.

"Well done to everyone on the team, Alex and Carlos for everything we've achieved in the first half of the year. It's time for everyone to enjoy a break and come back refreshed in a few weeks."