Only three of the last 11 Hungaroring have been won from pole position. Here’s everything you need to know about the history of each grid slot at the Hungarian Grand Prix!
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX GRID STATS IN BRIEF
- Only three wins from pole in last 11 years
- One retirement from 3rd in last 29 years
- 8th and 10th won in 2021 and 2022
- Furthest back win from 14th
- 19th and 20th have never scored
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS: GRID OVERVIEW
| Grid Slot | Last Win | Last Podium | Last Points | Last Non Finish | Best Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024 | 2009 | 1st |
| 2 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2021 | 1st |
| 3 | 2019 | 2023 | 2024 | 2018 | 1st |
| 4 | 2014 | 2018 | 2024 | 2021 | 1st |
| 5 | - | 2024 | 2024 | 2015 | 2nd |
| 6 | - | 2013 | 2024 | 2021 | 2nd |
| 7 | - | 2022 | 2022 | 2021 | 2nd |
| 8 | 2021 | 2021 | 2024 | 2022 | 1st |
| 9 | - | 2023 | 2023 | 2019 | 3rd |
| 10 | 2022 | 2022 | 2024 | 2020 | 1st |
| 11 | - | - | 2023 | 2015 | 4th |
| 12 | 1989 | 1994 | 2019 | 2023 | 1st |
| 13 | - | - | 2021 | 2015 | 5th |
| 14 | 2006 | 2006 | 2023 | 2017 | 1st |
| 15 | - | 2021 | 2021 | 2023 | 3rd |
| 16 | - | - | 2024 | 2018 | 4th |
| 17 | - | - | 2024 | 2014 | 6th |
| 18 | - | - | 2023 | 2013 | 6th |
| 19 | - | - | - | 2021 | 7th |
| 20 | - | - | - | 2023 | 7th |
- 3 wins in the last 11 races
- Pole to win conversion rate under 50%
- Only 6 DNFs, none since 2009
In the last 11 races at the Hungaroring, the polesitter has won only three times and has not done so since 2020. The pole to win conversion rate at the Hungarian Grand Prix is under 50%, with the polesitter winning only 16 of the 39 races held at the track since F1 first visited in 1986.
The polesitter has recorded just six DNFs at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Fernando Alonso’s 2009 retirement, in which he lost a wheel after a botched pit-stop, being the last time the polesitter failed to finish a race here.
In every year where the polesitter has finished the Hungarian Grand Prix, they have scored points, aside from Alain Prost in 1993 who finished seven laps down on the leader. However, in this race, Prost did not actually start from pole. He stalled on the formation lap and started from the back of the pack. The de facto polesitter Damon Hill went on to win the event, taking his first Grand Prix victory.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM POLE POSITION AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
- More points finishes than any other grid slot
- 34 point scores in 39 races
- Won in the last two seasons
The driver starting second on the grid has won the Hungarian Grand Prix in the last two seasons. Oscar Piastri’s maiden victory at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix was the eighth win to be taken from second on the grid at the Hungaroring. Max Versatppen’s 2023 win was the first for the driver starting here since Lewis Hamilton in 2016.
Second on the grid has scored points on more occasions than any other grid slot at the Hungarian Grand Prix. From the 39 races here, the driver starting second has scored 34 times.
There have been just five point-less occasions for the driver starting from second on the grid, all five being DNFs. The drivers to have retired from this grid slot are Gerhard Berger in 1987, Nigel Mansell in 1989 (who retired because he was ill with chickenpox. Yes, really.), Juan Pablo Montoya in 2005, Sebastian Vettel in 2009 and Valtteri Bottas in 2021.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 2ND ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 7 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 3 | DNF | 4 | 1 |
- Longest active finishing streak of any grid slot
- Last DNF in 2008
- 6 podiums in last 10 races
Lance Stroll’s fourth place finish in the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix brought to an end a streak of five consecutive podium finishes from third on the grid. Since then, Lando Norris’ second place finish in the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix is the only top three result from this position.
The last DNF from this grid slot came back in 2008 – the longest active finishing streak for any grid slot at the circuit. Felipe Massa’s retirement in 2008 – when he looked set for a win – is the only DNF and failure to score points from third on the grid at the Hungaroring since 1996.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 3RD ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
- Three wins since 2010
- Two DNFs in last 25 years
- No top four finishes since 2019
In the last 25 years, there have been only two retirements from fourth on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Those were for Nico Rosberg in 2013 and Sergio Perez in 2021. Juan Pablo Montoya’s 11th place in 2002 is the only other time that a driver has failed to score from here in that time period.
Since 2005, there have been three wins from fourth on the grid at the Hungaroring – in 2005, 2009 and 2014.
2019 is the last time that the driver starting fourth at the Hungarian Grand Prix finished in the top four, while Sebastian Vettel’s second place in 2018 is the last podium position recorded from here.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 4TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | DNF | 7 | 5 |
- Two podium finishes in the last decade
- Fewest number of point scoring races in the top six
- More DNFs than any other top 10 grid slot
Fifth on the grid has suffered more DNFs than any other grid slot in the top ten. Having failed to finish on 13 occasions, the position has also scored at the fewest number of Hungarian Grands Prix from any of the top six slots.
While it has had more retirements than any other position in the top ten, only five of those instances have been in the last 26races at the track. Though that’s still more than any other position in the top ten during that period, the last DNF from fifth on the grid came back in 2015 when Kimi Raikkonen retired with engine troubles.
In 2019, Sebastian Vettel became the first driver to take a podium finish from fifth on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix since 2014, while Lewis Hamilton recorded this position’s first podium finish in five years in 2024.
Zhou Gunayu’s 16th place finish in 2023 brought an end to a seven-race scoring streak for the driver starting fifth at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 5TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 2 | DNF | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 16 |
- One top six finish in last five races
- No wins
- Six podium finishes in total
The driver starting sixth finished sixth in both the 2018 and 2019 Hungarian Grands Prix. After failing to score in both 2020 and 2021, sixth returned to the points in 2022 with an eighth place finish for Fernando Alonso, while Charles Leclerc finished seventh having started here in 2023.
This grid slot has never won the Hungarian Grand Prix, but has recorded five podium finishes.
The driver starting here has failed to score only four times in the last 14 seasons. Leclerc’s fourth place finish from here in 2024 was the best result recorded from this position since its last podium finish, back in 2013.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 6TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 5 | 13 | 8 | DNF | 6 | 6 | 11 | DNF | 8 | 7 |
- Six podiums – all second places
- Point-less in the last two years
Seventh on the grid has recorded six podium finishes in Hungary, all six being second place finishes. That includes two in the last five years; the most recent of which was for Lewis Hamilton in 2022.
In the past 18 seasons, the driver starting here has failed to score only four times, including three times in the last four years. In the last seven races here there have been two podium results but also retirements for Max Verstappen in 2018 and Charles Leclerc in 2021, a 12th place finish for Valtteri Bottas in 2023 and 11th for Fernando Alonso in 2024.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 7TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 10 | 2 | 7 | 6 | DNF | 8 | 2 | DNF | 2 | 12 |
- A single win, in 2021
- 13 points finishes from 39 races
In 2021, Esteban Ocon became the first driver to win from eighth on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix. It was only the fourth time since 2010 that the driver starting from eighth on the grid at the Hungaroring scored points.
This grid slot has now scored three times in the last four races, compared to having scored three times in the 11 races prior to Ocon’s 2021 win. Fernando Alonso finished ninth in 2023, while Lance Stroll finished tenth in 2024.
From the 39 races here, eighth on the grid has resulted in points finishes on only 13 occasions in total. Five of those occasions have been fifth place finishes – for Johnny Dumfries in 1986, Maurício Gugelmin in 1988, Rubens Barrichello in 1999, Jenson Button in 2005 and Carlos Sainz in 2019.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 8TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 9 | 12 | DNF | 10 | 11 | 5 | 13 | 1 | DNF | 9 |
- Two podium finishes – in 1990 and 2023
- 12 points scoring races in last 17 years
Sergio Perez recorded the second podium finish for the driver starting ninth at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2023. The only other podium recorded from ninth on the grid at the Hungaroring was also a third place finish, for Nelson Piquet in 1990.
From the past 17 seasons the driver starting ninth has failed to score on only five occasions. Three of those occasions were retirements, while Daniel Ricciardo finished only 15th in 2022 and 12th from the same position in 2024.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 9TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 4 | 10 | 7 | 7 | DNF | 9 | 4 | 15 | 3 |
- Won in 2022
- Three podium finishes in total
Max Verstappen won the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix from tenth on the grid. The driver starting here has actually finished two of the last four Budapest races in the top two – but Sebastian Vettel was disqualified having finished as runner-up in 2021 after failing to supply a sufficient fuel sample.
Aside from Verstappen’s win, the grid slot has given a further two podium finishes, for Johnny Herbert in 1997 and for Nick Heidfeld in 2006, who both finished third.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 10TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 14 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 7 | DNF | DSQ | 1 | 14 |
- No podium finishes from 11th
- Best result of 4th, in 2002
- Scored in five of the last eight races
11th is one of only two grid slots in the top 12 to have never recorded a podium finish at the Hungaroring. The best result from here is fourth place, recorded by Kimi Raikkonen in 2002.
The grid slot has scored more often than not in the last 19 years, including in five of the last eight years. Between 1990 and 1997, the driver starting here either retired or finished fifth every year!
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 11TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 11 | DNF | 14 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 8 |
- Won in 1989
- Five DNFs in last 11 years
- Top four finish in 2018
12th is one of only two grid slots outside of the top ten to have won the Hungarian Grand Prix. A single victory has come from 12th, and that was for Nigel Mansell back in 1989.
Though the driver starting here has recorded five DNFs in the last 11 seasons, the driver lining up 12th on the grid scored in two of the last seven seasons, including with a fourth place finish for Daniel Ricciardo in 2018 – the best result for this grid slot since its last podium in 1994.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 12TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | DNF | 16 | DNF | 4 | 10 | 18 | DNF | 13 | DNF |
- Two top five finishes
- Points in 6 of last 16 races
- On its longest streak without a DNF (9 races)
In 2020, Alex Albon equalled the best ever Hungarian Grand Prix result for a driver starting 13th by finishing fifth. Martin Brundle also finished fifth for Ligier in 1993.
Until 2019, if the driver starting from 13th on the grid had finished the race, they had always finished in a position higher than where they started from – but Daniil Kvyat could finish only 15th in 2019, Kevin Magnussen finished only 16th in 2022 and Albon finished 14th in 2024.
In the last 16 Hungarian races, the driver starting 13th on the grid at the Hungaroring has scored on six occasions.
The grid slot does have quite a high retirement rate. Its current streak of nine finishes is the longest streak that it has had without a retirement.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 13TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | DNF | 11 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 13 |
- Won in 2006, furthest back win at the track
- Scored twice since win: in 2016 and 2023
Jenson Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix from 14th on the grid in 2006, making it the furthest back grid slot to have won at the Hungaroring.
Since then, Kimi Raikkonen’s sixth place in 2016 and Lance Stroll’s tenth place in 2023 are the only times that the driver starting here has scored points. Ralf Schumacher’s fifth place in 1997 is its only other points-scoring occasion.
The grid slot was left clear for the first time in 2021, as Antonio Giovinazzi opted to change his tyres at the end of the formation lap.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 14TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 14 | 6 | DNF | 15 | 13 | 14 | – | 11 | 10 |
- Three points finishes
- First podium result in 2021
- More non-finishes than any other top 16 grid slot
The driver starting 15th has scored points only three times at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz recorded the first podium finish from this position in 2021, with third place.
Other points-scoring races for the driver starting here came in 2013 and 2015 when Pastor Maldonado and Fernando Alonso finished tenth and fifth respectively.
This position has had more non-finishes than any other position in the top 16. In the first 22 races at the Hungaroring, the driver starting here finished on only seven occasions. Since then it has recorded only three retirements – the latest of which came in 2023.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 15TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 15 | 5 | 13 | 13 | DNF | 16 | 19 | 3 | 14 | DNF |
- Best result of fourth in 1992
- Scored once in last eight seasons
16th on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix has provided more top ten finishes than any of the grid slots around it.
The best result from here is fourth place for Mika Hakkinen in 1992. It has scored four times in the last 11 seasons. including a sixth place finish for Yuki Tsunoda in 2021 and seventh for Sergio Perez in 2024.
The grid slot was left clear for the first time in 2020 as Kevin Magnussen, who was due to start here, opted to start from the pit lane.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 16TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 6 | 9 | 17 | 11 | DNF | 11 | – | 6 | 19 | 11 |
- No DNFs since 2014
- Most non-finishes of any grid slot
- Scored three times in last 29 years
The 17th grid slot has had more non-finishes at the Hungarian Grand Prix than any other, with 18 non-finishes in total.
While no one has retired from here in any of the last ten seasons, in the 15 races before that, the driver starting 17th crossed the finish line only three times.
The position has scored only three times in the last 29 years – but all three of those occasions have been in the past decade. Marcus Ericsson became the first driver since 1993 to score points having started 17th, when he finished tenth for Sauber in 2015, while George Russell finished eighth having started here in both 2021 and 2024.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 17TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 10 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 17 | 15 |
- Points in three of the last four races
- Best result of 6th, in 2023
The driver starting 18th has scored at three of the last four Hungarian Grand Prix weekends. Nicholas Latifi finished seventh having started here in 2021, Sebastian Vettel finished tenth in 2022 and George Russell finished sixth in 2023.
Those are the only three occasions that a driver starting here has scored. Latifi equalled the grid slot’s best-ever result in 2021, with Martin Donnelly having also finished seventh in 1990 (before seventh was a points-paying position), while Russell’s sixth place in 2023 was a new best result for the driver starting 18th at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
In the last 18 seasons, the driver starting here has failed to finish only twice. The grid slot was left clear for the first time in 2020 as Romain Grosjean, who was due to start here, opted to start from the pit lane.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 18TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 16 | 11 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 17 | – | 7 | 10 | 6 |
- Best result of seventh
- No points scored
Satoru Nakajima’s seventh place from 19th on the grid back in 1988 is the best result for the driver starting 19th at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Since then, the position has recorded only three more top ten finishes – the most recent of which was back in 1995 – but it has never resulted in a points finish.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 19TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 15 | 15 | DNF | 16 | 19 | 17 | DNF | 18 | 17 |
- Never scored a point
- Two top ten finishes
20th on the grid has never scored a point at the Hungaroring, and the grid slot has had only two top ten finishes.
Michele Alboreto finished seventh from 20th on the grid in 1994, while Ukyo Katayama finished tenth in 1997. There have been positions lower than this on the grid which have supplied points, however. The driver starting 23rd scored in both 2010 and 2011.
Since 2005, there have been only three retirements from this grid slot. The position has been left clear three times in the last seven races as a result of pit lane starts.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 20TH ON THE GRID AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 13 | DNF | 19 | 16 | – | 14 | 14 | 12 | – | 18 |
Nine starts have been made from the pit lane at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Two pit lane starts have resulted in points: Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium after suffering a fire on his car in qualifying in 2014, while Kevin Magnussen finished tenth having started from the pits in 2020.
At the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly became the first driver to fail to finish having started from the pit lane at the Hungaroring.
