Lauda: Merc slump not unexpected

Niki Lauda insists Mercedes' performance in Hungary is part and parcel of Formula 1, adding it is important that they bounce back.

Mercedes have dominated Formula 1 since the start of the 2014 season with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg winning 16 of the 19 races last year and the duo adding another eight victories in nine to the team's tally this year.

However, the excellent run of form came a halt at the Hungaroring on Sunday as both Hamilton and Rosberg failed to make it onto the podium with the former's P6 the team's best result on the day.

While many wondered if Mercedes' amazing sequence of podium finishes, which stretched back to 2013, would ever come to an end, non-executive chairman Lauda says it was more a surprise that they actually managed to be on the podium for so long.

"This is the way it is… Ferrari was the best and the result for Mercedes is not good, but normal," he is quoted as saying by Crash.net.

"This is normal racing for me – what we had before and last year was a surprise, but this is normal racing and we have to react to all these problems and keep on fighting."

The Hungarian GP was the second race in row where Mercedes were slow off the start line as Williams got the better of them at Silverstone with Ferrari doing the same in Budapest.

"[Ferrari] had the perfect start, but I think [Mercedes] made a mistake because both cars didn't get off the way they should do, [especially] after Silverstone," he said.

Hamilton started on pole, but he was down to fourth place at the first corner before slipping even further back after running wide. His afternoon of misery wasn't complete yet though as he made contact with Daniel Ricciardo late on to receive a penalty.

Lauda added: "Lewis was super-aggressive, we have to say too aggressive, and, in the end, the Ricciardo accident was a normal race accident because nobody did anything."