New Delhi:- Another record was set at one of F1's oldest milestones, the Hungarian Grand Prix, when Max Verstappen and Red Bull marched to the scene, sacrificing one of the sport's most relentless machines. While it was a celebration for the team, the Hungaroring was far from a test for Red Bull and was a sort of endurance race for neutral drivers.

Verstappen's win in Budapest was as dominant a performance as he has had all season. In the scorching sun, he emerges after 70 laps with his hair barely slipping, not sweating like a Shire Horse, but with a faint glow like noon. The win was Red Bull's 12th consecutive win since hoisting the flag at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of 2022, breaking McLaren's 35-year record of 11 consecutive victories set in 1988. 

In terms of record, the team aren't fundamentally better than they were in the first round of the season, and wouldn't have been worse off if that record had been interrupted by a loss, but it shows how well they're doing operationally and the margin they have now.

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With Red Bull being the powerhouse in Hungary, the race was lukewarm at best and the rest of the season was ominous. Verstappen passed McLaren's Lando Norris by 33.7 seconds. Dutch team-mate Sergio Perez came back from ninth on the grid to finish third.

After the lights went out, the 25-year-old was unable to catch up as he started from pole position but took the lead ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth. The reveal of Red Bull's pace has completely dashed any optimism that Hamilton could win. The world champion hit the road at a pace that no driver could resist him. 

In the clean air, he extended the lead he had held at both pit stops, and although he went wide at the end, he almost certainly scored without putting too much pressure in the final quarter.

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Hamilton was unable to come back and the McLarens, including Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri who finished fifth, were in a completely different class than Verstappen. If the race had lasted longer, Norris would have lost to Perez as well. 

Verstappen was in charge this season. His seven win streak has also reached a record level, sharing with Albert Ascari, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg and closing in on Sebastian Vettel's record of nine, set by a German in 2013.

Verstappen won the competition and took the broken trophy away from the competition in a fitting way. At the podium ceremony, which was more lively than the race itself, Norris performed his usual trick of slamming the bottom of a champagne bottle into the ground to create a brighter splash. The impact caused Verstappen's trophy to fall, and the €40,000 ($33,000) hand-made porcelain piece that took six months to make fell and split in two. The Dutchman took it well and laughed at the accident as easily as a man who already enjoys a truckload of accidents.

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In fact, I have nothing but praise for the precise and near-perfect performances he has achieved in each of his nine victories this year. It was a thrilling race, with Verstappen struggling with the car in qualifying and Hamilton putting in an impressive performance to move him closer to pole, but the improvement Red Bull made in the race proved huge. Their lap job was done without looking back when the Dutchman vanished in midfield in a carriage on the rails.  

The feat was therefore overwhelming and unforgiving, worthy of admiration, but the long lines made it difficult to enjoy in the endless curves typical of Hungary. With just 11 meetings completed during the 22-race season, we cannot discount the possibility of more similar performances in the future.

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Red Bull could still go on a winning streak, while Verstappen, who currently trails Perez by 110 points, is on track for the title despite a series of tire punctures. A 180-point advantage is needed to take the lead in Japan with six races remaining, but a meager 146-point advantage in Qatar will do just that. With five races to go, Verstappen is headed for the inevitable end.

Daniel Ricciardo has performed well in his first F1 race since becoming Red Bull's reserve driver after being sacked by McLaren at the end of last season. The Australian, who was accepted into the AlphaTauri team, put in a strong race despite an accident on the first lap. He finished 13th ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

Mercedes' George Russell was sixth, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in seventh and eighth, and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in ninth and tenth. 

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The Hungarian Grand Prix was so amazing that the drivers made a great struggle to get the positions that they are on this week. Max Verstappen got up with a Seventh positon after Lewis started by getting a pole.