F1 commentary gets mashed up

Honda driver Jenson Button’s solitary Formula One victory has been commemorated as a YouTube dance anthem. The Briton picked up his only grand prix victory to date at Hungary in 2006, and ITV commentator James Allen’s lively commentary has now been reworked into a different sort of track.

Lewis accepts Kovi’s car is better set-up for quali

We have just been alerted to a seemingly innocuous remark made by Lewis Hamilton in an interview with The Sun, prior to Sunday’s Hungarian GP.

Lewis said:

“Heikki’s car is easier to get a lap out in qualifying than mine. I accept that. Last year I tended to be quickest in qualifying but this year I have sacrificed a little in order to be stronger in the race.

“Over the year, I have pushed the team in a certain direction. It has worked sometimes to my advantage and at others to Heikki’s - especially in qualifying.”

It’s a very interesting statement. Is Lewis moaning, is it mind games to freak out Heikki, it it mere frankness? Anyway, Lewis went on to claim pole, comfortably, in Hungary, so perhaps his car isn’t so shabby in quali after all.

How did Ferrari get ahead of Renault in pits?

Spanish rags AS Diario and Marca (pillars of truth, both… ahem) report that Renault are looking closely at Kimi Raikkonen’s second pit stop in Hungary. Alonso was ahead of Kimi before the stop, but Ferrari managed somehow to get their driver out ahead, a move that effectively ruined Nando’s chances of making the podium.

Alonso himself was mystified by Ferrari’s lightning-fast stop: “I don’t know how they did it,” he is quoted as saying. “We will carefully study the data and see if they have something that allows them to fill up faster.”

Has world champion lost his mojo?

What’s up with Kimi these days? He seems to have lost his passion for F1. After Sunday’s Hungarian GP, he described the race as “boring”. Okay, so he was stuck behind Fernando Alonso for a large portion of the race, but he only seemed to come alive near the end of the GP, putting in the fastest lap of the race. No F1 driver should describe the heat of battle as “boring”.

The Italian press savaged Kimi after Hungary. Tuttosport wrote: “This Raikkonen is not the driver that Ferrari needs”. We see their point. Apart from the last few laps, Kimi was rubbish in Hungary.

Reaction from the men in the crash helmets to Sunday’s thrilling GP

1st: Heikki Kovalainen (Mclaren)

“There have been races this year where I’ve been in a position to challenge for victory but had something go wrong for me. Halfway through this race, things started working for me and I started pushing Felipe (Massa) hard - and it worked. I feel sorry for Felipe because he drove a great race, but my car felt good and I knew I could push for the victory. This is a great moment for me, something I’ve been targeting for many years. Hopefully, this victory will be the first of many.”

More quotes from the key drivers below:

Hungaroring’s embarrassing tribute to McLaren ace

This plaque, which commemorates Lewis Hamilton’s win at Hungary in 2007, can be seen in the Hungaroring’s F1 “Park of Fame”.

Can you spot what’s wrong with it? (Quite apart from the fact that it doesn’t look a whole lot like our Lewis.) Clue: the answer’s in the headline.

FAIL!

Grid Crasher’s Budapest report card

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (finished 3rd)
Somehow managed to luck into a spot on the podium, despite being off the pace all weekend - his team must take some of the blame for that. Who knows why they loaded his car with so much fuel in qualifying, and on a track where overtaking is almost impossible. 6/10

Felipe Massa, Ferrari (DNF)
Shocking luck for the Brazilian, who had earned his lead after a stunning start. Still very much in the title race. 7/10

Piquet Jr snapped with leggy model in Hungary

Master Piquet, who finally seems to be getting his act together, was photographed in the company of a head-turning blonde in Hungary. As far as we know, he’s still going out with Brazilian model Gabriela Constantino, but maybe he’s traded up?

More pics of Piquet and his new companion below (including totally gratuitous ass shot):