Hungarian Grand Prix race betting tips and F1 predictions: Value on Piastri as old rivals collide

Where to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix

Sky Sports F1, 2pm Sunday

Best bets

Oscar Piastri podium finish
1pt 7-2 Hills

Guanyu Zhou top-six finish
1pt 7-2 Hills

Hungarian Grand Prix race predictions

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s rivalry has gone cold since their classic 2021 title battle, but there’s hope of it being rekindled at Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, where Hamilton will start ahead of his old nemesis on pole.

The seven-time world champion hasn’t started from P1 since the penultimate round of the 2021 season, 33 races ago, but Hamilton pulled a special lap out of the bag in qualifying on Saturday to bump Verstappen down to second by just three one-thousandths of a second.

That has put Red Bull’s 11-race win streak in jeopardy for the first time this season, although bookmakers doubt the credentials of Hamilton despite his eight previous wins in Hungary.

The Brit is a 14-5 chance with Verstappen the 1-2 favourite to get one over on his adversary and chalk up a seventh successive victory.

The layers may have a point with only three of the last nine races in Hungary won by the driver starting on pole, including last year when Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell came home in third.

Verstappen took the honours that day, making a mockery of the Hungaroring’s reputation for lacking overtaking spots by winning from tenth on the grid.

Whether anyone can match Verstappen’s charge is unlikely with Russell, who starts 18th after a mistake in Q1, facing an uphill battle to get back into the points.

It may be worth taking a chance on two of the more inexperienced members of the grid enjoying career-best days instead with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the podium reckoning after qualifying fourth, just behind colleague Lando Norris.

Piastri was unfortunate to miss out on the top three at Silverstone two weeks ago, getting jumped under a safety car, and this is a circuit where he had plenty of success in the junior categories. Getting past Hamilton won't be easy but the Mercedes hasn't looked as fast as the McLaren on the tyres which will be used for the race.

Alfa Romeo have been the surprise of the weekend with Guanyu Zhou securing a career-best fifth place in qualifying. The Alfa enjoys the slow corners in Hungary, is quick on the hard and medium tyres and has a new power unit, giving the Chinese racer a great shot at a top-six finish.

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