The Hungarian Grand Prix has appeared on the Formula 1 calendar in every season since 1986 at the Hungaroring, just outside of Budapest. Here are all the facts and statistics you need to know about the Hungarian Grand Prix!
Track length: 4.381km
Race length: 306.630km
Laps: 70
Turns: 14
Circuit opened: 1985
F1 first visited: 1986
Races held: 39
Track Record: 1:13.447, Lewis Hamilton, 2020
Lap Record: 1:16.627, Lewis Hamilton, 2020
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX WINNERS
There have been 39 races held at the Hungaroring, with the Hungarian Grand Prix having been ever-present on the F1 calendar since the race was first held as a round of the World Championship in 1986. The event made history when it was first held, being the first F1 event to take place behind the Iron Curtain.
From the 39 races at the track, there have been 20 different winners.
Hamilton has the most Hungarian Grand Prix wins
Lewis Hamilton has the most wins of any driver, with eight. Another win would see him equal his own record for most victories at a single circuit in Formula 1.
There are five previous winners of the Hungarian Grand Prix on the current grid. Lewis Hamilton has the most wins, with eight, Max Verstappen has won twice, while Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Oscar Piastri have each won here once.
Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the six drivers who have taken back-to-back Hungarian Grand Prix victories. In 2020, Hamilton became the first driver to win the Hungarian Grand Prix in three consecutive seasons.
The longest streak of different winners at the Hungaroring came between 2002 and 2008, when there were no repeat winners for seven seasons.
British drivers have had more wins than drivers of any other nationality at the circuit, with 13 wins.
Two Grand Slams have been recorded in Hungary
Two drivers have recorded a Grand Slam at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Damon Hill took pole position, led every lap and set the fastest lap on his way to victory in the 1995 Hungarian Grand Prix, while Michael Schumacher achieved the same feat at the 2004 Hungarian Grand Prix.
McLaren have more Hungarian Grand Prix wins than any other team
McLaren are the team with the most victories, having won in Hungary 12 times.
Mercedes are the engine manufacturer with the most wins here, with Mercedes-powered cars winning at the Hungaroring 14 times.
The longest streak of victories for a team at the Hungaroring is three, which has happened three times. Williams won all three events between 1995 and 1997, McLaren won the three races in 2007, 2008 and 2009, while Mercedes won all three races between 2018 and 2020.
Damon Hill holds the record for largest winning margin in Hungary
The Hungarian Grand Prix has been won by less than five seconds on 14 occasions, and has been won by less than ten seconds 20 times.
Damon Hill holds the record for the largest win margin at the track, having won by 71.915 seconds in 1993. The race was Hill’s debut Formula 1 victory.
Thierry Boutsen won the Hungarian Grand Prix by the smallest margin, having finished just 0.288 seconds ahead of Ayrton Senna in 1990.
The overall average win margin at the Hungarian Grand Prix is 14.160 seconds. From the last ten races at the Hungaroring, the average win margin is 10.870 seconds.
ON THE PODIUM
41 different drivers have finished on the podium at the Hungaroring.
Hamilton has taken 12 podiums in Hungary
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most podium finishes at the venue, recording his 12th top three finish in 2024.
From the current grid, there are ten drivers who have previously finished on the Hungarian Grand Prix podium. Lewis Hamilton has 12 podium finishes here, Fernando Alonso has five. Next on the list is Max Verstappen, with four podiums, Valtteri Bottas and Lando Norris have finished on the Hungarian Grand Prix podium twice, while Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, George Russell, Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri have each recorded their first Hungarian Grand Prix podium finishes in the last four seasons.
British drivers have taken the most podiums of any nation, with 33 top three finishes.
Ferrari have the most podiums of any team
Ferrari have had more podiums than any other team at the track, with their cars finishing on the podium on 26 occasions.
There have been ten occasions on which a team has recorded a 1-2 finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix. McLaren’s 12- result at the track in 2024 was the first since Ferrari finished first and second in 2017.
Ferrari have had the most 1-2 finishes at the Hungaroring, with four.
A podium has been recorded by a pit lane starter
The polesitter has finished on the podium at the Hungaroring 26 times.
While Jenson Button’s win at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix from 14th on the grid is the lowest grid slot which a podium finish has come from, Lewis Hamilton finished in third place here in 2014 having started from the pit lane, which is the furthest back a podium finish has come from at the track.
There have been ten occasions on which all of the top three on the grid have finished on the podium at the Hungaroring. The 2002 and 2017 races here are the only times on which the top three on the grid finished in the order in which they started.
The 2006 and 2014 Hungarian Grands Prix are the only times that none of the top three qualifiers finished on the podium at this track.
POLESITTERS
There have been 17 different polesitters at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton holds the Hungarian pole record
Lewis Hamilton set a new record for most pole positions at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021, with his eighth pole position at the Hungaroring and became the first driver to take nine poles at a single circuit at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
There are five previous Hungarian Grand Prix polesitters on the current grid. Lewis Hamilton has the most, with nine. Fernando Alonso has taken pole here twice, while Max Verstappen and George Russell both recorded the first pole positions of their career at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2019 and 2022 respectively. Lando Norris recorded his first Hungarian Grand Prix pole in 2024.
Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are the four drivers to have taken back-to-back poles at the circuit. No driver has taken more than two consecutive poles here but, impressively, Schumacher took back-to-back poles at the Hungaroring on three separate occasions.
In 2024, Lando Norris’ pole saw Britain overtake Germany as the nation with the most pole positions at the Hungaroring. It was Britain’s 13th pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and George Russell have added one pole each to Lewis Hamilton’s nine for Britain.
There have been only two occasions on which the fastest qualifier did not start from pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alain Prost stalled on the grid at the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix and started from the back, while Fernando Alonso was demoted five positions on the grid following his antics in qualifying at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Mercedes have the most poles at the Hungarian Grand Prix
McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes were tied for the most poles for a team at the Hungaroring, with eight each until 2023, when Lewis Hamilton secured Mercedes’ ninth Hungarian Grand Prix pole. McLaren equalled Mercedes’ tally in 2024.
Williams, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes are the five teams to have taken successive poles at the Hungaroring. Mercedes hold the record for most consecutive pole positions at the track, having taken pole on all four occasions between 2013 and 2016 and on all four occasions between 2020 and 2023.
There have been 16 occasions on which a team has locked-out the front row at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Seven of those occasions have been in the last ten Hungaroring races.
Senna is the only driver to take pole by over a second
The largest pole margin was in 1991, when Ayrton Senna took pole by 1.232 seconds. That’s the only time pole has been taken by over a second here.
The smallest pole margin at the track came in 2023, when Lewis Hamilton took pole by just 0.003 seconds.
Pole has been taken by less than a tenth at this track on nine occasions, including in all of the last three seasons.
Overall, the average pole margin at the Hungarian Grand Prix is 0.285 seconds. The average pole margin from the last ten races at the Hungaroring is 0.166 seconds.
SATURDAY TO SUNDAY
The Hungarian Grand Prix has been won from pole 16 times and has been won from the front row 25 times. That means 14 races here have been won from third or further back on the grid – including in two of the last four seasons.
The furthest back a win has come from here is 14th on the grid, a feat which Jenson Button achieved in the wet 2006 race. Nigel Mansell’s win from 12th in 1989, Esteban Ocon’s 2021 victory from 8th on the grid and Max Verstappen’s victory from 10th in 2022 are the only other times that the Hungarian Grand Prix has been won from lower than fourth on the grid.
There have been ten occasions on which the polesitter has finished on the Hungarian Grand Prix podium without winning the race. It has happened in four of the last six seasons.
There have been seven occasions on which the polesitter has not led at the end of the first lap at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In 2023, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to do so since Nico Rosberg in 2016. Lando Norris became the seventh polesitter to fail to lead at the end of Lap 1 at the Hungaroring in 2024.
Aside from Alain Prost, who stalled and started from the back in 1993, the worst position for a Hungarian Grand Prix polesitter at the end of the opening lap is tenth – which is the position in which Lewis Hamilton completed Lap 1 in the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix. Those are two of only four occasions on which the polesitter has not been in the top two positions at the end of the first lap, the others being Hamilton’s fourth place at the end of Lap 1 in 2023 and Norris’ third place at the end of Lap 1 in 2024.
SUNDAY STATISTICS
In total, there have been 2,844 Grand Prix racing laps completed so far at the track.
In the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso overtook Kimi Raikkonen as the driver who has raced the most laps at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso has completed 1,357 racing laps at the Hungaroring throughout his career. Seven drivers have raced over 1,000 laps here.
In 2022, Williams became the first team to have raced 5,000 laps in total at the Hungarian Grand Prix. They remain the only team to have done so.
Since 1986, 912 cars have been entered into the Hungarian Grand Prix. Of those, 869 have started the race. From the 869 cars which have started the Hungarian Grand Prix, 595 have reached the chequered flag. That gives an overall finish rate of 68%.
The highest number of cars to finish a race here is 21, which happened in both 2012 and 2016.
The fewest number of drivers to cross the finish line in a Grand Prix at the Hungaroring is eight, which happened in 1996.
In the 38 races held at the Hungaroring, there have been a total of 20 first lap retirements. The highest number of cars to be eliminated on Lap 1 of the race is four, which happened in both 1992 and 2021.
Felipe Massa is the only driver to record a DNS at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He did so following his crash in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The highest number of drivers to finish on the lead lap of the race here is 14, which happened in 2012 and 2015. The lowest number to do so is two. Damon Hill and David Coulthard were the only two drivers to finish on the lead lap back in 1995.
Raikkonen and Schumacher share the most fastest laps at the Hungarian Grand Prix
21 different drivers have set the fastest lap at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher are currently tied for the most fastest laps at the track, having set the Sunday pace four times each at the Hungaroring.
Williams and Ferrari are tied as the teams to have taken the fastest laps on the most occasions at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with nine Fastest Laps each.
Hamilton has led the most Hungarian Grand Prix laps
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most laps led at the Hungaroring. He has led 487 laps here during his career. That’s almost 200 more than Michael Schumacher, who sits second in the list.
32 drivers have led a a lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix in its World Championship history. That list includes 12 drivers who’ve never won at the track. Riccardo Patrese holds the record for most laps led in Hungary without a win, having spent 90 laps at the front of the field.
There have been only eight occasions on which the winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix has led every lap of the race. In 2023, Max Verstappen became the first driver to achieve this since Lewis Hamilton in 2007.
There have been nine occasions on which the winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix has not been the driver who led the most laps of the race.
The fewest laps led en-route to victory at the Hungaroring is one. Jacques Villeneuve led only a single lap on his way to winning the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Red Flags and Safety Cars at the Hungarian Grand Prix
Six races at the Hungaroring have featured at least one full Safety Car period. The 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first race at the circuit which featured a full Safety Car period since 2017.
The 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix is the only race at the track which has featured more than one Safety Car outing, though there were two Virtual Safety Car periods in both the 2018 Hungarian Grand Prix and the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Five races at the Hungaroring have been affected by rain: 2006, 2011, 2014, 2020 and 2021.
The 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first F1 race at the Hungaroring to be red-flagged. It was stopped following the first lap collision between multiple drivers.
There have been three occasions on which the Hungarian Grand Prix did not reach its scheduled distance. The first race here in 1986 ran to the two hour time limit before the scheduled number of laps was reached, while the 2012 and 2015 races were shortened by one lap due to drivers pulling into the wrong grid slots on the formation lap. Read more: F1 Races Which Did Not Reach Full Distance.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
CHAMPIONSHIP GLORY
A World Champion has been crowned twice at the Hungaroring. Nigel Mansell won the 1992 championship here, while Michael Schumacher won his fourth title at the track in 2001.
The Constructors’ Championship has been decided at the Hungaroring on four occasions. Williams won the title here in 1996, while Ferrari won the title as a result of the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
There has never been a dead rubber race at the Hungaroring. However, the Drivers’ Championship had already been decided before the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2002.
There have been only 13 occasions on which the winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix has gone on to win the title in the same season. In 2018, Lewis Hamilton ended a 13 year streak of the winner of this race not winning the championship.
The Hungarian Grand Prix polesitter has gone on to win the title in the same season on 16 occasions.
The leader of the championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix has gone on to win that year’s title in 27 of the 38 seasons in which the race has been held. 2021 was the first time this did not happen since 2017.
There have been only five occasions on which the team leading the Constructors’ Championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix has failed to go on and win the title that year. It most recently happened in 2007, when McLaren led the title race after the event.
