Lewis Hamilton endured an anticlimactic and eventful Hungarian Grand Prix as the Mercedes driver failed to deliver on the impressive run-up he had enjoyed all weekend.
It all started with a poor run off the line when the lights went green, with Hamilton swamped by his team mate and both Ferraris into Turn 1. He then attempted to lock on to Rosberg only to lock up at the chicane and drift further down the order into 10th place.
"My start wasn't ideal and the Ferraris were really quick off the line," Hamilton said. "So suddenly I was under attack from both sides. It was tight with Nico later in the lap where I locked up and went off."
It appeared his race would be all about damage limitation in relation to his championship standing but steadily, his fought his way back to 4th after overtaking Ricciardo before the halfway mark although Rosberg was still a hefty 14 seconds up the road at that point.
The Safety Car, which was initiated after Hulkenberg crashed at Turn 1, was a welcome strategic bonus for Mercedes but as he mounted his charge Hamilton clashed with Ricciardo, dropping the Brit down to sixth and then enduring an agonizing pit stop for a new front wing.
"It wasn't deliberate but it was my fault. He took a tight line around the outside and I just lost grip, ran out of road and understeered into him. That meant a drive through which dropped me right back again after all that work to make it back through."
In the end, a sixth place finish and a few added points over Rosberg were salvaged, providing a relative sense of relief to the championship leader.
"To be honest, having not really thought about it yet, I don't feel particularly relieved at the moment. I think I definitely had a bad day at the office, a very bad day, but I'm grateful the team did a great job with the calls so I could at least get a couple of points. It was one of the worst races I think I've had and I don't really have any explanation for it at the moment. All I can do is apologise to the team and work hard to make amends at the next race."
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