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Hungarian Grand Prix: 5 things you need to know before the race

With the Hungarian Grand Prix, F1 stops in Budapest for the 12th race of the season. Here’s a list of 5 things to know before this weekend.

It’s finally the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, we are almost at the end of the first half of this Formula 1 season. Teams and drivers will have to face a challenging track, and there are some exciting news to look forward to. There is a list of 5 things you need to know before the race in Hungary.

The Hungaroring

The Hungarian Grand Prix’s track has been on the Formula 1 calendar since 1986. Today it has a length of 4381 m, 14 curves (8 right, 6 left), 2 DRS zones and 70 laps.

It is not considered one of the most exciting tracks since it’s difficult to overtake, therefore the most important things are a good qualifying session and good strategies. Moreover, it is a challenging track for drivers because of high temperatures and the wind that brings dust on the circuit.

Also, a fun fact about the track: the addition of the Hungarian Grand Prix in the circus of Formula 1 was an historical moment, since Hungary was the first country of the Eastern Bloc to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

A new qualifying format for the Hungarian Grand Prix

In Hungary, we will see a new ATA (alternative tyre allocation) format for Qualifying. The requirement for the teams is to use one type of compound for each session. In order, we’ll have:

  • Hard for Q1,
  • Medium for Q2,
  • Soft for Q3

The chosen compounds for this weekend are C3 for hard, C4 for medium, C5 for soft. Crucially, teams will have to manage fewer tire sets than usual for slick weather conditions, from 13 sets to 11. On the contrary, the number of wet tires will stay the same.

A new driver on the grid in Hungary…but not really

This week, the most talked about news in the Formula 1 world is the comeback of Daniel Ricciardo on the grid with AlphaTauri to replace Nyck De Vries.

Ricciardo has 8 career victories (one of them in Hungary in 2014), 32 podiums and 13 years on the track, 7 of them in Red Bull Racing’s world: from 2012 to 2013 he was in the junior team Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) and from 2014 to 1018 he was a driver for the main Red Bull team.

Joining AlphaTauri represents a very full circle moment for the Australian driver.

New upgrades packages for some teams

Red Bull has been working on an upgrade which is expected to make the car 2 tenths faster. The new RB19 has mini cooling vents, and it is rumored to have new side pods.

Aston Martin and McLaren also have some upgrades for Hungary: AM has two new front-wing configurations with different end plates while the papaya team will bring new updates that will help to stabilize the behavior of the car and improve race pace, confirms Andrea Stella.

Last, on the Hungaroring Ferrari will debut a new floor that should minimize the effect of the wind on the car.

 

Some records to keep an eye on

Lewis Hamilton, in his incredible career, broke some records on the Hungaroring. He has 8 victories (against the 4 victories for Schumacher and 3 for Senna), 8 poles and 11 podiums. In 2020, he set the record for fastest time on 1’16”627.

Will he add another record to his list this weekend? Or will Max Verstappen steal the fastest time from him during this Hungarian Grand Prix?

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