Five Talking Points As F1 Takes A Break: From Ferrari's Problems To Mercedes' Recovery

Fernando Alonso's move to Aston Martin to replace retiring Sebastian Vettel next year was the focus of interest in Formula One after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Here AFP looks at five talking points as the world championship heads into its annual summer holiday shutdown:

Team boss Mattia Binotto faced increasing pressure on Monday after Sunday's flop as Ferrari started the Hungarian Grand Prix second and third, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, but finished fourth and sixth.

World champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez went from 10th and 11th to first and fifth with a comprehensive demonstration of smart team-work and strategy.

Red Bull lead the constructors championship with 431 points. Ferrari has 334. Rising Mercedes are third on 304.

Although Ferrari have had the fastest car for much of the season, notably in qualifying, they have squandered that advantage with bungled strategy calls, driver error, engine and other technical failures and a lack of consistency and reliability.

Former driver Johnny Herbert, a pundit on Sky Sports F1, described their latest flop as "embarrassing".

Leclerc, 80 points adrift in the title race, pleaded to stay out on the track on medium compound tyres while leading with 30 laps to go, but was called in, switched to hards and fell down the order.

Binotto remained calm and blamed an unexpected drop in car and tyre performance, but promised another in a series of in-depth reviews.

The Mercedes recovery after a dismal and bumpy start to the season has revived seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, not only rekindling his belief he will secure a 104th career victory this year, but also energising him for a bid for a record eighth drivers' title. The 37-year-old Briton's