Max Verstappen wins Hungarian GP from 10th with Lewis Hamilton SECOND and George Russell third after Ferrari blunders

MERCEDES' revival continued - but their fight-back probably comes too late to stop Max Verstappen's romp to the title after he recorded his eighth win of the season.

The Dutchman looks nailed-on to retain the crown he won in controversial circumstances last year as he opened up a whopping 80-point lead over Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen's performance was magnificent as he went from 10th on the grid to take the chequered flag.

Even with a 360 degree spin he crossed the line 10 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton while George Russell took third place, as Merc notched consecutive double-podiums.

Hamilton, who now has five podiums in a row, is confident his team are making progress after their dreadful start to the season.

The 37-year-old, who started in seventh place due to a DRS failure in qualifying, said: "To have both cars on the podium twice in a row is incredible.

"The other guys have an edge but we are closing the gap and it is encouraging to know we are improving.

"I was hoping it was going to rain at the end and I would be able to challenge Max but we ran out of laps.

"But it is hugely satisfying and a great feeling for us given the year we have had and the progress we have made.

"Starting in seventh and getting up here is a great recovery. There was potential for a win.

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"You saw George was on pole. If we had both been up there we could have worked a bit better as a team. One of us would have been able to support each other strategy-wise.

"But if we are able to take this pace into the second half of the season, for sure, we can start to fight with the guys.

"This was the first time we've been able to fight and battle with a Ferrari - that's huge for us. The Red Bulls probably still are ahead.

"The fact that Max started 10th, spun and still finished 10 seconds ahead says enough about their car, but we still have made huge progress.

"To have this consistency and two double podiums in the last two races, gives us great hope and a huge push for the second half."

Russell, who started on pole but was undone after some bang-on strategy calls from Red Bull, had led for 30 laps and took third place.

He added: "It was always going to be a tricky afternoon because there was rain in the air. Ultimately Max was too fast for us today but it was in a tricky place when the rain was falling in the last few laps."

Take nothing away from Red Bull or Verstappen's achievements but his march to the title is being assisted by Ferrari's spectacular implosion.

The Prancing Horses of Ferrari turned lame following a bizarre combination of woeful strategic calls for wrong tyre choices and slow pitstops denied Leclerc and Carlos Sainz from challenging for the win.

They finished in sixth and fourth places respectively while team boss Mattia Binotto simply MUST face the music for such a spectacular cock-up.

That said, they were two of FIVE drivers who lead this pulsating race that will take some unpacking.

But as F1 heads for a two week summer shutdown, Verstappen knows that he's on course for the title which could be wrapped up as early as the Japanese GP - some four races from the end of this 22-race season.

It was the 28th win of his F1 career and his eight of the season which means he's on course to smash Sebastian Vettel's record of 13 wins in a year.

In a jab at Ferrari's mistakes, Verstappen said: "I was really just hoping to get close to the podium but we made the right calls. We pitted at the right times and put on the right tyres.

"Ferrari picked the wrong tyres. It is the little details. You cannot afford many mistakes and it is hard to always be on the good side, but we have a lot of good guys and girls on our team."