Even when he is unlucky, Hamilton is lucky!!

Last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix turned out to be a great race, definitely not what I had expected. The Hungarian GP in normal conditions is a processional race but right from the start you could see this race was always going to be different. Hats off to Felipe Massa, a driver who has faced a barrage of criticism following his dismal Hockenheim performance, where he easily let Hamilton through. After the race at Hockenheim, Hamilton was quick to say "He didn't defend very well, All I know is that if it was the other way around then he wouldn't have got past." Boy did Massa make him eat his words. Massa seemed to be in total control of the race and started to pull away after his first stop, even though Hamilton was fuelled for a longer second stop. Hamilton's puncture brought a new twist to the race, and even though he had a 45sec lead over the rest of the pack (barring Kovalainen) it was not looking too good for the McLaren driver.

But as has happened before, Hamilton luck turned when the Ferrari engine went up in a huge puff of smoke on the start finish straight. It was reminiscent of the time Mika Hakkinen's engine blew on the last lap of th Spanish Grand Prix, back in 2001. There is nothing much to do or say, but just move on and be happy with the performance you have put it. Massa was perfect until the engine let go and his loss seemed to be Hamilton's gain.

A brilliant drive from Timo Glock, who has not put a foot wrong all weekend, ensured that Kimi Raikkonen finished third, following a disappointing drive by the world champion. All this played straight into Hamilton's hands, who goes off for the summer break with his lead still intact.

As predicted Ferrari did fight back this weekend in the form of Massa's challenge, but they have to put up a much stronger and more consistent effort, if they are to beat McLaren and Hamilton. Kimi still looked out of sorts but once he gets his qualifying worries behind him, he will be back in contention.

So a little summer break and then the battle resumes, it is safe to say that BMW are out of the reckoning for the title. The way the last few races have gone, it seems to be up and down between the Ferrari's of Massa and Raikkonen, and Hamilton's McLaren. One thing is for sure we are in for hell of a battle between these three guys when the season resumes..

Hungarian GP Preview

The buzz going into this years Hungarian Grand Prix is whether Lewis Hamilton and his Vodafone McLaren Merecedes can make it three in a row. He is definitely coming off a hot streak and not many people are willing to put their money against him winning. However, I do believe that one of the Ferrari's or both will fight for victory. My money this weekend will be on Raikkonen winning as he is due a victory, but ruling Massa out will be a mistake too.

The Hungarian GP is normally one of the least interesting races on the Formula One calendar, with regards to the track, but off the track I believe Budapest is one of most interesting cities to visit. The Hungaroring is a tight and twisty track where overtaking is close to impossible and often turns out to be a processional race. The circuit is pretty similar to Monaco, minus the glitz and glamour. While the Hungaroring might not appeal to some drivers, it has been witness some of Formula One's most memorable moments.

Hungaroring has been witness to the classic duels between Senna and Prost, Mansell's tyre blow which cost him the F1 Championship, emotional debut wins for both Fernando Alonso (2003) and Jenson Button (2006), and more recently the falling out between Alonso and Hamilton, which exploded during last year's qualifying. 2006 probably had the best F1 race in Hungary, the only time a wet race took place, which saw Championship rivals Alonso and Schumacher starting from the middle of the pack and carving their way up the field, until both retired in the finishing stages of the race.

This year's race will definitely be a crucial race as the Championship gets tighter. McLare are sure to be favourites after they trounced the opposition, including Ferrari at the last race in Hockenheim. McLaren normally do well here and to add to that Hamilton is looking as confident as ever, and will be looking to repeat last year's success at this circuit. Both Raikkonen and Massa have been under fire, following their disappointing performances at the last race, but expect them to bounce back with a bang. With chances of rain being very low, it will definitely be a McLaren vs. Ferrari battle.

Behind the leading pack, look out for the battle between Renault, Red Bull and Toyota. Alonso has been extremely unlucky in the last couple of races and is due for a good result, at one of his favourite circuits. Glock returns from his horror crash last week, while Webber and Coulthard will be aiming for a good finish here. Lastly watch out for Sebastian Vettel, the Toro Ross driver has been hugely impressive in the last couple of races and will be hoping to go even better here.

Qualifying and strategy will be crucial here so let us see which team can master the conditions this weekend...