ReadyforaHungarianRhapsody?Itmightbetightandtwisty,buttheHungaroringneverfailstoprovidespectacularaction.ButcantheBullsbossBudapest's40thgrandprix?Let’stakealook…
01The Latest From Budapest
02Hungary for more
Ever present on the F1 calendar since 1986, the Hungaroring has grown to become one of sport’s favourite venues. Draped across a natural amphitheatre formed by the surrounding low hills, it has a cauldron-like atmosphere created by the high summer heat and by thousands of well lubricated and happy Finns, who for some reason have adopted Budapest as their racing home from home.
Budapest, You Are A Beauty© Getty Images
And this year that atmosphere should be amped even higher. For the 40th edition of the race, the circuit owners have gone large with a massive renovation project that not only includes new paddock and pit buildings but also massive, new grandstands.
The changes bring one of the sport's most venerable old tracks bang up to date, making what was always a great place to go racing even more appealing.
It took a while, but after Mark Webber grabbed a first Hungary podium for the Team in 2009, we’ve always gone pretty well in Budapest. We’ve only had four wins – one with Mark in 2010, one with Daniel Ricciardo in 2014 and two with Max, in 2022 and 2023 – but we’ve notched a whopping 14 podium finishes at this race, making it our fifth most successful race in terms of podiums, behind only Japan, Belgium, Monaco and Singapore.
Mark Webber Picks Up P3 In Hungary© Getty Images
So, what can we expect this year? Will Hungary continue to be a happy hunting?
03Challenges and Key Factors
Traditionally known as Monaco without walls due to its twisty, narrow layout, Pirelli usually brings its softest compounds to Hungary to provide maximum grip. That’s not the case this year as Pirelli have introduced the C6 to its range but it has brought the same compounds as last year, with a C3-C5 spread from hard to soft. The track surface isn’t particularly stressful on tyres but the twisting nature of the layout means tyres get no respite from lateral loads, while the high temperatures, usually prevalent at this time of the year, make thermal degradation a factor. Indeed, according to Pirelli, last year’s race in Hungary had the highest recorded track temp of the season at 58.6˚C. We say it every race weekend, but this is where tyre management will be of high importance.
The Hungaroring isn’t massively used outside major event weekends, so when F1 rocks up on a Friday, the track is usually dusty, dirty and lacking in grip. That means that track evolution – the improvement in grip and therefore lap time – over the weekend is huge. Add in the construction works and a resurfaced main grid and that evolution is likely to be even bigger this year. That’s particularly important over one lap. Being on track at the right can make the difference between a great qualifying and a tough battle through the pack on Sunday.
Last year’s race was won by Oscar Piastri who ran a two-stop strategy. The Australian started on new medium tyres then switched to used hards on lap 18 and then used mediums on lap 47. All of the top 10 went for two stops with the C3 and C4 most used. Tenth-placed Lance Stroll was the only point scorer to use the C5 soft, with the Canadian starting on that tyre before moving to C4 and C2 sets.
In 2023, Max took a record 12th consecutive win for the team on a similar medium-hard-medium strategy, swapping used C4s for new hard on lap 23 and then moving to used mediums on lap 51. And the previous year? It was still a two-stop, though the compounds were a step harder, with Max winning on a soft-medium-medium strategy using C4 and C3 sets. Expect more of the same this year.
While it’s not the toughest on tyres, the high temperatures, lack of straights for cooling and 14 corners make Hungaroring very hard on brakes. The low average speed also makes cooling brakes difficult, so expect teams to bring circuit specific brake ducts to aid with that.
Weather – It’s central Europe, it’s the beginning of August, and traditionally that means it’s stinking hot – and this year is likely to conform to the stereotype, at least until Sunday. The forecast for Thursday through Saturday is for sunshine, blue skies and temperatures in the late 20s. On Sunday, however, there is a strong chance of showers, which could spice things up nicely. Mitigating against that is the fact that over the past 10 editions of this event we’ve had just one wet race – 2016, when it was a wet/dry affair.
04Hungaroring: Track Layout & Key Features
With mostly medium-speed corners that flow in rapid succession and just one real straight, the Hungaroring places a premium on good balance to make the most of the changes of directions and good traction out of the 14 turns.
As far as overtaking is concerned, DRS has definitely helped make the Hungaroring better in that regard and the key areas are Turn 1 at the end of the first of two linked DRS zones and the Turn 2 downhill left-hander in the second zone.
