PRIXVIEW – Hungarian Grand Prix

Round eleven of 2023 sees Formula One head to Eastern Europe for the Hungarian Grand Prix, and Mogyoród eleven miles from the Hungarian capital of Budapest. The Hungaroring was built in the 1980s as the venue for the sport’s first Grand Prix in the Soviet Union as a race as an alternative to a race in modern day Russia, which was on the calendar between 2014 and 2021, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, the country’s first grand prix was held in 1936 at a circuit in Népliget or People’s Park is the biggest public park in Budapest. That race was won by Alfa Romeo’s Tazio Nuvolari. Originally the idea was to revive that circuit for 1989, but that idea never took off. Instead, the Hungaroring was designed to give the challenge of a street circuit.

The 2.722-mile circuit has all the characteristics of a street circuit, low speed, high downforce which used to make overtaking more difficult, though as we have seen over the last decade that races here have seen more overtaking. But for years it was named ‘Monaco without the barriers, although in the mid-2010s overtaking has increased, these wider cars still present a challenge for drivers to overtake. Thierry Boutsen demonstrated this in 1990, keeping his slower Williams car in front of championship leader Ayrton Senna, unable to find a way by.

However, Sir Lewis Hamilton demonstrated it is not impossible, coming from the pit lane to finish third in 2014. The Englishman is the most successful driver in Budapest, he has eight pole positions and wins. This weekend he goes for his ninth win if he does take a ninth win, he would be the first driver to win the same Grand Prix nine times.

The Hungaroring also takes time to rubber in, its not used as much as other circuits on the European calendar, sometimes described as a dust bowl given its lack of use. this is a circuit that requires driveability, high downforce, and cornering. Meaning it can throw up odd results occasionally but like with many circuits of its nature strategy plays an important role in deciding the outcome of this race.

The circuit sometimes is described as ‘Monaco without the barriers,’ both because of the lack of overtaking and the way the corners are connected requires the downforce followed by short bursts of straight-line speed. This is one of the more difficult circuits when it comes to overtaking.

It also doesn’t tend to rubber in as other circuits, this is because of the heat and dust this means we don’t see the normal track evolution compared to other permeant circuits is different and can be more like a street circuit. So it’s a circuit of contrasts horsepower needed for the straights but Monaco levels of downforce for the corners. Overtaking can be difficult around here, making qualifying more important although last years regulation changes looked to create closer racing. However the dominance of Red Bull, who have won every race this year, they are likely to remain the favourites.

But there has been situations where faster cars have been held up by slower cars, this means that qualifying can be important but it isn’t as critical as Monaco.

This also makes tyre wear quite high, which can force teams into a two stop race and Pirelli has chosen its hardest tyre compounds. This race will likely be a medium and hard tyre race and qualifying will be about switching the tyres on.

However, its looks unlikely given the advantage that Red Bull currently has but statically and historically this is the race they are unlikely to win. But in recent years overtaking around this circuit has looked to be easier and both 2020 and 2021 saw great scraps for the lead.

Usually, the final race before the summer break the Hungaroring almost creates that ‘end of term’ feel, that can create the drama. There has also been a number of first time Grand Prix winners, Damon Hill (in 1993), Fernando Alonso (in 2003), Jenson Button (in 2006), Heikki Kovalainen (in 2008), and Esteban Ocon (in 2021).

Also, Max Verstappen became the 100th different driver to take a pole position at a championship race in 2019. The Dutchman took his maiden pole by ahead of Hamilton.

Mercedes you need to think is the closest challenger given recent form and it looks as if Aston Martin has slipped into third. Hamilton is looking for history once again his ninth win would make him the first driver to win a Grand Prix nine times, over the last eighteen months they have had almost a role reversal being better at these more technical circuits.

This circuit really seems to suit his driving style, it’s one where you need to attack and go for moves to make up positions, tyre wear could be an issue because of the heat and the dusty nature of the circuit means track overtaking can be difficult. There has only been two wet race, the first won by Button from fourteenth on the grid in 2006.

2021 was one of the more memorable races, Valtteri Bottas was involved in a first-lap incident under wet conditions that took out multiple cars, including Verstappen, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, and Sergio Pérez, along with Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo; Ricciardo and Verstappen managed to finish the race while the other drivers involved in Bottas’ crash all retired.

By the time the race restarted, it had dried out prompting one of the most strangest restarts in history. As Hamilton lined up on the grid, the remaining sixteen cars pitted going to dry tyres. Four laps later, the Mercedes made his first stop putting Esteban Ocon into the lead, the Frenchman going on to win the first of his career and for Alpine as a constructor.

It also marked the first victory for a French driver driving a French car powered by a French engine since Alain Prost’s triumph at the Red Bull Ring (as it is now) in 1983 driving a Renault car.

Race & Circuit Guide

Fast facts

• Budapest comes from the combining of the cities of Buda and Pest in 1873 the cities were divided by the Dabue River and became the capital of Hungary. Budapest also became the co-capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, following World War I.
• At 4.381km, the Hungaroring is the third shortest circuit on the current calendar and the second slowest after Monaco. The tight layout of the circuit makes overtaking difficult, one reason why many drivers and fans don’t rate the track highly.
• The Hungaroring has seen F1 reach two-century milestones. Heikki Kovalainen became the 100th F1 driver to win a World Championship Grand Prix here in 2008, while Max Verstappen became the 100th driver to start from pole at a Grand Prix in 2019.
• Zsolt Baumgartner is the only Hungarian driver to have competed in the Hungarian Grand Prix since it joined the F1 calendar in 1986.
• Two drivers have been disqualified from the Hungarian Grand Prix. Robert Kubica, on his Grand Prix debut, finished seventh but was later disqualified as his car was 2kg underweight. Sebastian Vettel was disqualified having finished second in 2021 as his car was unable to supply a fuel sample.

Event timetable

What happened in 2022?

George Russell took his maiden pole position, the Mercedes driver was four-hundredths of a second faster than the two Ferraris. He looked to be an unlikely contender for pole, considering on his fastest lap he didn’t set a purple sector but combined the time was good enough for pole.

Carlos Sainz had set the early benchmark in Q3, with Russell half a second off and Leclerc having oversteered at Turn One. The two title rivals Leclerc and Verstappen both had oversteer and understeer respectively, with the Ferrari having a snap of oversteer at Turn One as he struggled for grip from his tyres.

Red Bull’s qualifying started to unravel in Q2, when Sergio Perez’s lap which put him safely through to the final session was deleted for track limits with him missing out by seven hundredths.

Max Verstappen took victory by seven seconds from Lewis Hamilton with twenty laps to go, the pace of the Red Bull allowed the Dutchman to come through the field. Then took the lead while his teammate Sergio Perez was fifth spilt the two Ferrari’s the Mexican a second behind Sainz and ahead of Leclerc, who rounded out the top six.

Lando Norris was best of the rest finishing seventh, the McLaren driver was the final car on the lead lap finishing ahead of both Alpine’s with Fernando Alonso two seconds ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon.

Race Result – 1) M. Verstappen, Red Bull 01:39:35.912 | 2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, +00:07.834 | 3) G. Russell, Mercedes, +00:12.337

What to watch for?

Red Bull as I’m sure you know are the team to beat this weekend, they have won every race this season and the question is can Sergio Perez stop his teammate Max Verstappen from steaming towards his third title? But I don’t think they can take that for granted as the Hungaroring has a history of throwing up odd results. If it was anywhere Red Bull can be beaten, it’s here based on stats no team has won every race in a season.

I think people would like to see either a Lewis Hamilton win, the first driver to win the same Grand Prix nine times but we know that qualifying is the team’s weakness and this is a circuit where overtaking is more difficult. But in my view, their has appeared to be more overtaking in recent years, that’s something despite the regulation changes. Mercedes as I wrote at Silverstone looked as if they have overtaken Ferrari and maybe snapping at the heels of Aston Martin.

Aston Martin if anything happens to Red Bull be in the mix, this weekend should Fernando Alonso win it would be twenty years since his first win in Budapest and ten years since his last win in Barcelona. However it to me looks as if the gap between Aston and Mercedes has closed at least, or they have been overtaken by Mercedes.

The Hungaroring we know is a technical circuit and that set up can be more difficult, there will be some compromises as do the teams after four more high speed circuits and another next weekend in Spa not make too many changes. This race is about maybe compromise and that could give opportunities for the teams outside the top four.

I’m also intrigued to see how McLarens upgrades work, they made a big step in Spielberg and had a second and fourth finish at Silverstone as they turned around their design philosophy I wonder what impact that could have on the second half of the season. This race will not give us answers to that, and neither will Spa I think we need to wait until Monza in September.

2021 vs 2022 Race Data

2022 Lap time comparison

Tyres