Hungarian Grand Prix betting tips and F1 predictions: Alpine could shine at twisty Hungaroring

Where to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend

Practice one & two Sky Sports F1 12.30pm & 4pm Friday
Practice three & qualifying Sky Sports F1, 11.30am & 3pm Saturday
Race Sky Sports F1 2pm Sunday

Best bet

Esteban Ocon top-six finish
1pt 8-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Hungarian Grand Prix predictions

The one-man show that has been the first half 2023 F1 season arrives in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

World champion Max Verstappen heads for Hungary with a 99-point lead in the championship and riding a six-race winning streak. The Red Bull ace has won eight of this season's ten races, finishing second in the other two, and his victory by only four seconds at Silverstone last time rates as a poor performance by his recent standards.

While Verstappen has run away with the season, the picture behind him has changed race by race.

In the last four events, four drivers from four different teams have taken the runner-up spot. And as the twisty Hungaroring is a totally different type of circuit to fast-and-flowing Silverstone we could see another shake-up this weekend.

McLaren have made a dramatic improvement over the last couple of races and they were unlucky not to have both cars on the podium in Britain. They could struggle to match that in Budapest, though.

Aston Martin haven't managed to keep up their impressive early-season form, but the return to a slow track should help as Fernando Alonso seeks to add to his podium tally.

Ferrari have potential but are still making too many strategic errors, while Mercedes should be in the mix at a circuit where Lewis Hamilton has won eight times and George Russell claimed pole position last year.

Alpine have had a tough time of it lately, with both cars retiring at Silverstone, but it could be their turn to have a strong weekend this time.

Esteban Ocon won in Hungary in 2021 and starred in Monaco this year, qualifying third and finishing the race in the same position.

The fast Frenchman could prove a value bet to reach the top six on Sunday.

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