Verstappen becomes the fifth driver to take seven wins in a row, Russell records the best result from 18th on the grid at the Hungaroring and Hamilton is the first driver to take nine poles at a single circuit. Here’s a statistic from each driver’s 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend!
🇳🇱 Max VERSTAPPEN
On the weekend he overtook David Coulthard as the driver to have made the fourth-most appearances with a single team (and equalled Kimi Raikkonen for third in the all-time list), Max Verstappen recorded a seventh consecutive victory. He became only the fifth driver – after Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg – to record seven consecutive Grand Prix wins.
Winning from second on the grid, this was the 22nd time that Verstappen won from a position other than pole. He equalled Sebastian Vettel for fourth in the list of most wins from a position other than pole. Having also won last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen became the sixth driver to have won the event in successive years, after Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen is the tenth driver to record multiple Hungarian Grand Prix victories.
Verstappen became only the fourth driver in Formula 1 history to record podium finishes at 12 consecutive races and only the second driver to pick up points at 30 races in a row. For the 11th time in his career – and the fourth time this year – Verstappen led every lap of the race. He is only the seventh driver to have led 11 races from start to end. The 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix marked only the eighth time that a driver has led every lap of a race at the Hungaroring. Verstappen is the first driver to lead every lap of a race here since Lewis Hamilton in 2007.
🇲🇽 Sergio PEREZ
Sergio Perez made his 246th start at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, equalling David Coulthard as the driver who has made the 11th most Grand Prix starts. Perez ended a five-race streak of failing to reach Q3 and qualified in ninth place for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. It was his fifth Q3 appearance of the season and only the fifth time in 13 appearances at the Hungaroring that Perez has qualified in the top ten.
Finishing the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix in third place, Perez recorded his sixth podium result of the season. This was Perez’s 32nd podium finish, equalling Jim Clark, Jacques Laffite, Jean Alesi and Daniel Ricciardo for 30th in the list of most top three finishes in Formula 1. This was Perez’s first podium finish at the Hungaroring, making it the 23rd different circuit at which he has recorded a top three result.
Driving from ninth on the grid to third at the finish, the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix was the fifth consecutive race in which Perez has gained six or more positions. Perez recorded the first podium finish from ninth on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix since Nelson Piquet, who also finished third in 1990. It’s the best ever result recorded from ninth on the grid in Hungary.
Scoring points for the 162nd time, Perez equalled Jenson Button for seventh in the list of most race weekends at which a Formula 1 driver has scored.
🇲🇨 Charles LECLERC
With Charles Leclerc qualifying sixth and Carlos Sainz failing to reach Q3, 2023 was the second time in the last three seasons that neither Ferrari driver has qualified in the top five at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In the race, Leclerc finished seventh and Sainz was eighth, making this the first Hungarian Grand Prix in which neither Ferrari driver finished in the top six since 2006, when their drivers also finished seventh and eighth.
🇪🇸 Carlos SAINZ
Qualifying 11th for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz missed out on a spot in Q3 for the first time in 2023. Sainz’s Q2 exit ended a 33-race streak of Q3 appearances, having last failed to qualify in the top ten at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Sainz finished the race eighth – his worst Hungarian Grand Prix result since finishing ninth in 2020.
🇬🇧 Lewis HAMILTON
For the first time in almost two years, Lewis Hamilton secured pole position at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton’s pole was his first since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and the 104th pole position of his career. Hamilton ended a 33-race wait for pole position – the longest such wait in his Formula 1 career. He became the first driver to have taken pole position in 16 different seasons and the first driver in Formula 1 history to record nine pole positions at a single venue.
Pole position for Hamilton made 2023 the 20th consecutive season in which a British driver has taken pole. It’s a new record for the most consecutive years in which a nation has secured a pole position, breaking Britain’s own long-standing record of 19 consecutive years with a pole position between 1955 and 1973.
Hamilton finished in fourth place, becoming the first Hungaroring polesitter to fail to finish on the podium since he did so himself in 2015. This was the first time since 2017 that Hamilton did not finish on the Hungarian Grand Prix podium.
🇬🇧 George RUSSELL
For the first time as a Mercedes driver, George Russell recorded a Q1 elimination at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. This was the first time Russell qualified as low as 18th since the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Russell became the first Mercedes driver to record a Q1 exit since Lewis Hamilton at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and the first to be eliminated in Q1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix since Lewis Hamilton in 2014. This was Russell’s first Q1 elimination since his last race at Williams, the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Russell gained 12 positions on his drive from 18th on the grid to sixth at the finish line. It’s the most positions he has ever gained in a Formula 1 race. Russell recorded the best ever result for a driver starting 18th at the Hungarian Grand Prix. It’s the third consecutive season in which the driver starting 18th has scored points in Hungary.
🇫🇷 Esteban OCON
Esteban Ocon recorded his first retirement from six appearances at the Hungaroring. Ocon recorded the first retirement for the driver starting 12th on the grid in almost a year. The last driver to retire starting there was Lance Stroll at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix.
🇫🇷 Pierre GASLY
Alpine’s 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix came to a disappointing end in the early stages of the race. Following contact, both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon retired in the opening laps. This was the second consecutive double DNF for the Enstone-based team; the first time the team has failed to finish with either car at two races in a row since they were in their Benetton guise, at the 1999 Italian and European Grands Prix. It was also the first time since 2006 that both of the Enstone team’s drivers have retired from the Hungarian Grand Prix.
🇬🇧 Lando NORRIS
Lando Norris’ third place in qualifying for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix makes this the first time in his Formula 1 career that he qualified in the top four at three consecutive races. Another career first followed on Sunday as Norris finished on the podium for a second consecutive weekend. This was Norris’ first top six finish at the Hungaroring and the first time that he has finished a race at the track in a better position than where he started. With second place, Norris recorded McLaren’s first podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix since Lewis Hamilton won with the team in 2012.
🇦🇺 Oscar PIASTRI
With fourth place in qualifying for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri qualified in the top four for a second consecutive race having never qualified in the top eight at any race before then. On Sunday, Piastri scored points for a second consecutive race. It’s the first time in his Formula 1 career that he has scored at two races in a row. Piastri joined Antônio Pizzonia and Johnny Dumfries as only the third driver to hold a 100% points finish rate at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
🇫🇮 Valtteri BOTTAS
With seventh place, Valtteri Bottas recorded his best qualifying result since qualifying sixth at the 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix. This was Bottas’ first Q3 appearance since the 2023 Miami Grand Prix. Finishing 12th, Bottas failed to score at the Hungarian Grand Prix for a third consecutive season.
🇨🇳 ZHOU Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu recorded the best qualifying result of his career to date with fifth place at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. He had never previously qualified in the top eight. This was Zhou’s third Q3 appearance in total and his first since the 2022 British Grand Prix.
After making a poor start from fifth on the grid, Zhou could finish the race no higher than 16th. He lost 11 positions over the course of the race – the most places he’s lost in a single race which he has completed in his career to date.
🇪🇸 Fernando ALONSO
Over the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso became the first driver to start the Hungarian Grand Prix on 20 occasions, set a new record for most top ten qualifications at the Hungaroring (along with Lewis Hamilton) and became the first driver to score points on 16 occasions (also along with Hamilton). On Lap 6, Alonso overtook Kimi Raikkonen as the driver who has raced the most laps at the Hungaroring and, at the finish line, he became the first driver to reach the chequered flag on 17 occasions at the track.
With Carlos Sainz failing to reach Q3, Alonso is now the only driver to reach Q3 at every race in 2023. He reached Q3 at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix by just 0.002 seconds. With ninth place in the race, Alonso finished outside of the top seven for the first time in the 2023 season. It was the first time Alonso finished outside of the top eight at the Hungarian Grand Prix since his 2009 retirement.
🇨🇦 Lance STROLL
Lance Stroll was eliminated in Q2 at the Hungarian Grand Prix for a third consecutive season. He finished the race in tenth place, making the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix only the second time that he has scored a point at the Hungaroring. He finished fourth with Racing Point in 2020.
🇩🇰 Kevin MAGNUSSEN
Kevin Magnussen recorded the 62nd Q1 exit of his Formula 1 career, overtaking Lance Stroll for second on the list of most Q1 exits in F1. Recording his fourth Q1 exit at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Magnussen equalled Marcus Ericsson as the driver who has recorded the most Q1 eliminations at the Hungaroring. He qualified on the back row for a third consecutive race.
Despite finishing only 17th – and last of the cars still running at the end of the race – Magnussen joined Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher as only the third driver to make eight Hungarian Grand Prix appearances without recording any retirements. 17th is Magnussen’s worst result to date at the Hungaroring.
🇩🇪 Nico HULKENBERG
Qualifying tenth at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, Nico Hulkenberg secured the first top ten qualification for Haas at the Hungarian Grand Prix since 2019. This was the first time since 2017 that Hulkenberg reached Q3 at the Hungaroring.
🇯🇵 Yuki TSUNODA
Yuki Tsunoda has not made it out of Q1 on any of his three visits to the Hungarian Grand Prix. With 17th place, Tsunoda equalled his worst qualifying result of the season. He was out-qualified by his team-mate for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix. With 15th place in the race, Tsunoda recorded his best result since finishing 14th in the Canadian Grand Prix.
🇦🇺 Daniel RICCIARDO
Daniel Ricciardo returned to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, replacing Nyck de Vries for the remainder of the 2023 season. Ricciardo made his first race appearance since the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – and his first with the Red Bull junior team since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. The latter was also the last time that two Australian drivers were on the grid and the last time that car numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 all started a Grand Prix.
On his comeback, Ricciardo became the first AlphaTauri driver to reach Q2 since the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix and out-qualified his team-mate for the first time since the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix. In the Grand Prix, Ricciardo out-raced his team-mate to finish 13th. That’s two positions further up than where he finished with McLaren at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix.
🇹🇭 Alex ALBON
Alex Albon’s 16th place in qualifying for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix brought an end to a streak of three consecutive Q3 appearances. Finishing 11th, Albon made the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix the fourth consecutive race in which he has finished in the top 11.
🇺🇸 Logan SARGEANT
After setting the slowest qualifying lap time for the fourth time in his career, Logan Sargeant recorded the third retirement of his career at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. Pulling into the pits in the closing stages, Sargeant recorded Williams’ first retirement at the Hungarian Grand Prix since Paul di Resta failed to finish on his one-off appearance with the team at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix.
