Lewis Hamilton takes the 2016 championship lead in Hungary

Lewis Hamilton reached Hungary still chasing the consequences of a difficult start to 2016. One clean launch past Nico Rosberg turned pole position into second place, delivered Hamilton’s fifth Hungaroring victory and moved him into the championship lead.

Rosberg had controlled the opening phase of the season while Hamilton dealt with poor starts, reliability trouble and the first-lap collision between the Mercedes drivers in Spain. By July the gap had contracted sharply. Hamilton arrived at the Hungaroring one point behind after consecutive victories in Austria and Britain.

The race is settled at the start

Qualifying had been complicated by rain, red flags and yellow-flag arguments, but Rosberg emerged on pole. Hamilton made the better start on Sunday and led into the first corner. Daniel Ricciardo briefly threatened Rosberg from the outside, yet the two Mercedes cars soon established themselves at the front.

Rosberg stayed within range and occasionally closed the gap, forcing Mercedes to manage traffic and pit timing carefully. Hamilton could not disappear, but he did not make the mistake Rosberg needed. After 70 laps he won by 1.977 seconds, with Ricciardo third for Red Bull.

The seven-point swing placed Hamilton six points ahead in the standings. It was the first time he had led the championship in 2016, an important psychological marker after Rosberg’s run of victories across the end of 2015 and the beginning of the new season.

The lead changes, the rivalry does not

Hamilton extended his advantage at the next race in Germany, but the title fight remained alive through the final round. Reliability problems in Malaysia later cost him a likely victory, and Rosberg arrived in Abu Dhabi with enough points to finish second behind Hamilton and become world champion.

Hungary therefore marked the completion of Hamilton’s mid-season recovery rather than the final direction of the championship. He had turned a large early deficit into the lead through a concentrated run of results. Rosberg’s answer came over the races that followed.