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F1 LIVE – Max Verstappen Has ‘difficult’ Perez Talks, Hamilton Makes Demand

Red Bull ace Max Verstappen will be looking to get back to winning ways at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman finished fifth in Austria and second at Silverstone but is still well ahead of the chasing pack in the Drivers’ Championship standings.

Lewis Hamilton won his first Grand Prix in 945 days a fortnight ago and will be aiming to prove he still has what it takes to compete with the best at the Hungaroring circuit in Budapest.

His is currently one place behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell in the standings, with the British duo separated by just one point in seventh and eighth.

The top British driver this year is Lando Norris, who is second in the standings and 84 points behind Verstappen. Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, are third and fourth respectively.

There are two practice sessions in Hungary today, ahead of a third practice session and qualifying tomorrow. The Grand Prix then gets underway at 2pm BST on Sunday.

Express Sport will bring you all the latest news and breaking stories throughout the day. So stick around and follow our live blog below.

16 mins ago10: 24 Tom Parsons

Ocon lashes out at AlpineEsteban Ocon has lashed out at Alpine after insisting his struggling team have failed to act on long-term warnings from their drivers. Ocon is set to leave Alpine at the end of the year.

“There are a lot of things that were not done as they should have been,” Ocon explained in Budapest ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix.

“We [the drivers] all said things about the development of the car. A lot of the problems were there a few years ago.”

2 hours ago08: 57 Tom Parsons

Perez gives update on futureSergio Perez has insisted he will still be driving for Red Bull next season following a dismal run of form over the summer. The Mexican, who penned a new two-year deal earlier this year, has come under intense pressure ahead of the summer break after sliding down the F1 standings.

“Obviously I cannot talk about my contract,” he said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “What I said was the next two races are important for me. I want to go on holiday with a good spirit and I think it’s good for my side of the garage to go with a good spirit.

“I’m fully focused to fully deliver. I will be here and here again next year and that’s nothing different. I’m just fully committed to myself. These two races give the same amount of points and we need these points from now until the end of the year.”

Red Bull star Sergio Perez has spoken out about his future (Image: GETTY)

2 hours ago08: 46 Tom Parsons

Hamilton makes F1 demandLewis Hamilton has demanded that F1 as a sport makes progress when it comes to inclusivity. The seven-time world champion was speaking after former star Ralf Schumacher announced at the weekend that he was in a same-sex relationship.

“Clearly he has not felt comfortable being able to say it in the past. It is definitely not a new thing,” Hamilton said ahead of this weekend’s race.

“It is one thing saying it’s inclusive and it’s another actually making sure people feel comfortable in the environments. This is a male-dominated space and as far as I know he is one of the first to at least publicly be speaking in that respect.

“We are very inclusive within our team, but the sport does need to continue to do more to make people feel more comfortable, make women feel more welcome in this space, because I know they have not always been treated well in this space. So we can 100 per cent do more.”

2 hours ago08: 41 Tom Parsons

Verstappen has Perez talksMax Verstappen and Sergio Perez have given their feedback about their Red Bull car ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

And discussing the Mexican ace following the talks, Verstappen explained: “At the end of the day we are team-mates and we always try to give our feedback to the car, and that’s also what Checo has been doing. So he’s been always fully contributing to that.

“But of course we cannot deny that the last few weeks have been a bit difficult. I would say also some were a bit unlucky. In qualifying for example in Silverstone, that off then cost you your qualifying. You start in the back, and especially in a race like that, it’s very difficult to progress.”

“I think also he wants to do better, but I know that he’s working very hard. It’s not that he takes it for granted or whatever. Hopefully here, when the car suits his driving a bit more, everything feels connected, it can work a bit better for him.”

2 hours ago08: 40 Tom Parsons

Good morning!Good morning and welcome to the Express Sport F1 blog ahead of Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The drivers will get the chance to test out the circuit during FP1 and FP2 later today. So stick around for all the latest news throughout the day.

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