1114th F1 GRAND PRIX | 40th HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX | 39th GRAND PRIX AT THE HUNGARORING
2023 POLESITTER: LEWIS HAMILTON | 2023 WINNER: MAX VERSTAPPEN
Taking place at the height of the European summer, the Hungaroring has been on the Formula 1 calendar in every season since 1986. The 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix is set to take place on July 19-21.
2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday July 19
Free Practice 1 – 1:30pm Local Time / 12:30pm UK Time
Free Practice 2 – 5:00pm Local Time / 4:00pm UK Time
Saturday July 20
Free Practice 3 – 12:30pm Local Time / 11:30am UK Time
Qualifying – 4:00pm Local Time / 3:00pm UK Time
Sunday July 21
The 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix – 3:00pm Local Time / 2:00pm UK Time
2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND MILESTONES
A win for Max Verstappen at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix would see him equal Lewis Hamilton’s record of three consecutive wins in Hungary.
Victory for either Red Bull driver would make Red Bull the fourth team – after Williams, McLaren and Mercedes – to record three successive wins at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Williams and Ferrari are tied as the teams with the most Fastest Laps at the Hungaroring, with nine each. A Fastest Lap for either team at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix would see them extend the record, while Red Bull could equal the existing record.
Fernando Alonso are Lewis Hamilton are currently tied for the most points-scoring appearances at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with 16 apiece. Either driver could set a new record in the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix.
READ MORE IN MILESTONES AND RECORDS TO BREAK
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
WHAT HAS CHANGED AT THE CIRCUIT SINCE LAST YEAR?
The Hungaroring’s paddock and pit complex has been rebuilt since F1’s last visit to the track. There have been other minor changes around the track, including new concrete walls and debris fences, plus refreshed tyre barriers. A 2.5 metre grass verge has been installed at the exit of Turn 5, along with a 2.5 metre gravel strip at the exit of Turn 12. There is also a new 14 metre asphalt strip along the area which covers race control and the pit exit.
HOW MANY DRS ZONES WILL THERE BE AT THE 2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Like in 2023, there will be two DRS zones at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. The detection point is before the final corner, while the activation zones are on the main straight and between Turns 1 & 2.
HUNGARORING TRACK GUIDE
When F1 arrives in Hungary, there’s usually an end of term feeling as the Hungaroring hosts the final race before the summer break. Held at the height of the European summer, this relatively slow but technical track has served up some intriguing races for the past three decades.
The Hungaroring is located twelve miles to the north-east of Budapest. After plans for a race in Moscow fell through, Bernie Ecclestone brought the series to Budapest instead and the race made history by being the first to be held behind the Iron Curtain. A city street race was mooted but the communist government instead wanted a new track, and so one was built within eight months. The circuit was designed by Istvan Papp.
The winner of the first ever Grand Prix in 1906 was the Hungarian driver Ferenc Szisz. Hungary’s motorsport history goes back to 1936, when a Hungarian Grand Prix was first held in Nepliget. It had 100,000 spectators, which is an impressive figure for that time. With the onset of World War II, focus shifted away from racing, and there was not another Hungarian Grand Prix until F1 came to Budapest in 1986. The inaugural event was attended by 200,000 fans.
READ MORE IN OUR ULTIMATE TRACK GUIDE
WHO WILL BE IN THE 2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCES?
The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers ahead of the on-track action. The drivers appearing in the press conference for this race are:
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Alex Albon (Williams)
The media will also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams in a separate press conference over the race weekend. The team members appearing in the press conference are:
Dan Fallows (Aston Martin)
Xevi Pujolar (Kick Sauber)
Andrew Shovlin (Mercedes)
Pierre Waché (Red Bull)
WHO WILL BE THE RACE DIRECTOR AT THE 2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Niels Wittich will be the race director at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix.
WHO WILL BE THE DRIVER STEWARD AT THE 2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Each weekend a former Formula 1 driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward this weekend is Vitantonio Liuzzi.
WHICH TYRE COMPOUNDS WILL BE USED AT THE 2024 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Like last year, the C3, C4 and C5 tyre compounds will be used at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Hamilton took his first pole position since 2021 but Verstappen gave Red Bull a record-breaking 12th consecutive win at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The big news ahead of the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend was that Daniel Ricciardo was to return to Formula 1 in place of Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. With rumours that the Australian could be promoted to Red Bull as soon as 2024, the Budapest weekend got off to the worst start for Sergio Perez, who crashed out in his RB19 in the opening minutes of Free Practice 1 after putting a wheel on the grass.
Damp conditions in Free Practice 1 also saw Carlos Sainz bring out the red flags with a spin but the remainder of the practice sessions passed in dry conditions without incident. A new qualifying format was trialled at the Hungaroring, in which drivers had to use hard compound tyres in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3.
George Russell, who had taken pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix one year previously, was a shock exit in Q1, qualifying only 18th, while Carlos Sainz exited in Q2. Max Verstappen led the lap times after the first runs in Q3 but failed to improve on his second attempt. While Lando Norris missed out on bettering the Red Bull by just 0.082 seconds, Lewis Hamilton secured his first pole position since 2021 by 0.003 seconds, becoming the first driver to take nine poles at a single venue.
On the run to Turn 1, Verstappen was able to get ahead of Hamilton as Oscar Piastri made up positions to run second. Hamilton also dropped behind the other McLaren of Norris. Towards the back, a slow starting Zhou Guanyu ran into the back of Ricciardo, who then forced the Alpines into one another, leading to a disappointing early double DNF for the Enstone-based team.
Norris was first of the frontrunners to pit, doing so one lap before his team-mate. With a speedy outlap, Norris was able to move ahead of Piastri. Sergio Perez, meanwhile, pulled off a spate of overtaking moves and came very close to contact with the Mercedes of Russell as the pair scrapped over fifth place.
Charles Leclerc picked up a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, while Perez found his next target in Piastri and the pair went wheel-to-wheel. Hamilton pitted from second place on Lap 50, which moved Perez up another position to third.
Verstappen led every lap and won for a seventh consecutive race weekend, with Red Bull setting a new record for most consecutive victories in F1. Norris finished as runner-up for the second race in a row as McLaren’s mid-season turnaround continued, while Perez completed the podium. Polesitter Hamilton finished just behind in fourth, with Piastri fifth.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER LAP TIME AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Attending the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix? Learn more about visiting the Hungaroring in the F1Destinations Travel Guide.