The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend has begun on a disastrous note for McLaren as their motorhome got damaged due to the heavy storm and rains in the region. Oscar Piastri, however, does not think of it as a bad start and has focused on the positive.
Piastri said, “The last time our motorhome caught fire, I think Lando [Norris] took the pole. So maybe it would be good“.
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Piastri was referring to McLaren’s motorhome catching fire at the Spanish GP weekend in Barcelona where Lando Norris grabbed the pole position. The Aussie sees that as a good sign for things to come and is not very bothered by the damage.
Photojournalist Kym Illman revealed that in Hungary, the roof of McLaren’s motorhome blew off twice due to incessant rains. As a result, Piastri and Norris shifted to the team’s engineering motorhome.
At the same time, McLaren wasn’t the only team to be affected by the rain at the Hungaroring. It also wreaked havoc on the broadcasting center, because of which the race was almost canceled. Illman spoke about the center’s importance, highlighting the fact that people who planned on watching the race on live telecast would not have been able to do so with further damages.
The Aussie also revealed that the hail that came along with the rain damaged hoardings all over the track. Plus, Williams and Red Bull’s motorhomes were affected, and the giant screen on the pit entry also fell and broke into pieces.
How teams dealt with the Hungarian GP storm
Instead of letting the storm affect the weekend and spoil their mood, F1 teams decided to have fun at the Hungaroring. Illman showed clips on his YouTube channel and gave a glimpse of how different outfits used the rain to create content for social media.
For example, Alpine put up a video of one of their engineers desperately trying to protect one of the team’s boards amid the raging storm. This video instantly went viral and fans reacted positively on social media.
Employees at Sauber too, enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Some began rowing after a huge portion of the pit lane got waterlogged.
A late qualification for the @olympics ♀️#HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/TvcNvRd8cb
— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) July 18, 2024
Meanwhile, two other team members decided to enjoy themselves by having a rain dance. A memorable outing for the workers, who used a few hours to unwind and have fun with the weather.