Hamilton and Alonso lead the charge to Hungary

Here’s the situation coming to Hungary; we have two fairly realistic options for the race. One is Sebastian Vettel takes pole, wins and puts his stamp back on the 2011 season. Option two is, Hamilton and Alonso finish 1-2 in either order, and the chase is on.

After the last two races we can suddenly begin to think of something other than a Vettel victory. Despite the majority of races being pretty damned entertaining, it has been nice having other drivers win.

But what if they win more? What then for Vettel? He showed he could crumble last year. But he still came back strong and eventually stepped up to take the crown and this year has been so much stronger in his mind as a result. However, now Red Bull appear to be being caught. Vettel has already urged his team to improve the car, could we begin to see the cracks in what looked like team invincible only a few races ago.

Fernando Alonso never ever gives up and Ferrari are developing and evolving to such an extent that he’s been on the podium in four of the last five races, whereas he’d only visited once in the first five. If there’s a driver who can make a comeback it’s Fernando, he’s like a little terrier that just won’t leave you alone.

Last year he proved he was pretty good at fighting until the end; after a disastrous first half of the year, he nearly won the title, he’ll certainly be hounding Vettel for all he’s worth. But as he told the BBC, Fernando Alonso doesn’t just need Ferrari to be fast, he needs McLaren to be right up there too to push Red Bull down further.

Lewis Hamilton has already proved he’s pretty good at come backs. This year has been one great big roller coaster for him. It almost seemed like he was cracking up at Monaco after a few clashes, his Ali G ‘joke’ and rant about other drivers, and then he got better by hitting two more in Canada, it was a supreme demonstration of how best to get sent to the stewards.

However, he’s bounced back well, he’s remembered that he is in fact the best over taker in the sport and he can do it without taking anyone else out. A brilliant defence of Massa at Silverstone and of Webber at the Nurburgring, and fantastic passes on Webber in Germany and Alonso at both races show he’s tuned his aggression to a sublime controlled attack.

He’s always going to have incidents because he takes risks, but it’s why he’s one of the most entertaining drivers around. But it’s when he avoids those incidents that he places himself above the rest of the field. If he can continue in this vein, then he’ll get better and better, the frustration will go and he’ll elevate himself to the next level. It’s when he’s like that, Vettel, well everyone, has something to fear. With McLaren also back to top race pace in Germany, they’ll want to capitalise in Hungary to enter the summer break on a high.  

Vettel needs to lead from the front again, it’s what he’s best at. He doesn’t want to be in the pack, it’s not what he’s best at. Having said that I’d like him to prove that he can do it, he has the ability I’m sure, but does he really believe he can take on the likes of Hamilton and Alonso wheel to wheel? It’s about time he did. It’s looking like he might need to. The last thing he’ll want is those two breathing down his neck in the title chase.

Let’s also not forget Mark Webber in the title chase, he could still have a part to play as could Button (200^th race in Hungary, but admits title is over for him) and Massa although the latter two are in increasingly supportive roles. Mark finished ahead of Vettel for the first time this year in Germany and will be looking for that form to continue in Hungary, a race he won last year.

It’s been raining in Budapest during the week, with a promise of cooler conditions than normal for the race this weekend. Conditions are working against Red Bull as this should suit McLaren, although Ferrari look to have overcome their tyre heating issues at last as well.

Red Bull were a second quicker here last year, Vettel will be hoping a similar performance advantage is available to him this year. It’s not unlikely that he’ll bounce back stronger and dominate this weekend but if Hamilton and Alonso can continue their good recent results and Webber joins them then Vettel and Red Bull could well have a proper fight on their hands in the second half of the season.