The 11th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season takes place at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary.
It is the final race before the sport’s summer break, with the F1 circus then reconvening at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit at the end of August.
This year’s event will be the 29th time that the Hungarian Grand Prix has appeared on the Formula 1 calendar, having debuted back in 1986.
Conditions are often extremely hot and dry over the weekend, with the first wet race only taking place in 2006 – won, of course, by Jenson Button for Honda.
The track has changed very little over the years, with the majority of the old layout being retained in the current version. Tweaks were made to the start of the final sector for 1989, with the entry to the penultimate hairpin being altered.
This was modified further for 2003, with the back straight being extended and a new 90-degree right-hander being introduced (the current turn 12. Elsewhere, the start/finish straight was extended slightly to allow for the tweaked, sharper and slower first corner hairpin.
Last year’s race was won by Lewis Hamilton, claiming his first victory for the Mercedes team. Passing his old team-mate Jenson Button (who had yet to pit) after his first stop proved to be crucial in deciding the race, with Kimi Raikkonen finishing second and Sebastian Vettel in third.
The Brit shares the top spot in the Hungarian Grand Prix wins table with Michael Schumacher. Both have four wins at the Hungaroring to their names, with Ayrton Senna on three. Nelson Piquet, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and Jenson Button have all won the event twice.
McLaren is the most successful constructor with 11 triumphs, four ahead of Williams and six ahead of Ferrari – the Italian outfit’s last win in Hungary was back in 2004 and that doesn’t look set to change this year.
A lap of the 2.722 mile track starts on the long start/finish straight, with the exit of the pit lane to the right on the slightly downhill run to the first corner.
Turn one is the undoubtedly the best overtaking spot on the circuit, particularly with the positioning of the first DRS zone, and is a slow right-hand hairpin. Turn two is next up, with the medium-speed, long left-hander also being a good place to pass.
The second DRS zone is situated on the straight that leads to the second corner, which will also help with overtaking. Turn three is a fast right-hand kink that leads on to yet another straight, although this one is relatively short.
The high-speed turn four kink, a left-hander, is the first corner in the second sector and is followed by the long right of turn five, which will be particularly tricky this year with the added torque. Another short burst on the power leads to the tight turn six and seven chicane, which is also another passing spot.
The left-hander of turn eight, the slightly slower right-hander of turn nine, the high-speed left of turn 10 and the following turn 11 (a right-hand corner) make up the sweeping final section of the second sector.
Turn 12 is a 90-degree right, before the two long, slow hairpins (the 13th and 14th corners on the circuit) complete the lap. Expect plenty of slides and saves here as the drivers wrestle their cars through the slower turns. The pit lane entry cuts inside the final turn.
It is a tricky layout to master, featuring plenty of medium and low-speed corners. It is very narrow, which adds to the fact that it the circuit is notoriously difficult to overtake on – although the recent addition of DRS has helped to stop the more processional races of the past.
The low-grip surface and slow corners has prompted Pirelli to bring the medium and soft compound tyres, as the layout puts an emphasis on mechanical grip. It requires a high downforce set-up and good car cooling due to the high temperatures in Hungary.
Mercedes will definitely be the team to beat once again this weekend, but rival outfits certainly looked closer in Germany. Williams, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, Force India and McLaren’s scrap to be best of the rest will continue to rumble on and should provide us with plenty of close racing.
I will be at both races for (the new-look) Richland F1, so be sure to add it to your favourites for all the latest news and reports, as my full focus when I am at the track will be for the website.
Hungarian Grand Prix Fact File:
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Track Length: 2.722 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 14
Laps: 70
First race: 1986
Lap record: 1m19.071 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004
Tyre compounds: Medium and soft
2013 race winner: Lewis Hamilton
2013 pole position: Lewis Hamilton
2013 fastest lap: Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, 1m24.069
Live on: Sky Sports F1 (highlights BBC)
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
This year’s event will be the 29th time that the Hungarian Grand Prix has appeared on the Formula 1 calendar, having debuted back in 1986.
Conditions are often extremely hot and dry over the weekend, with the first wet race only taking place in 2006 – won, of course, by Jenson Button for Honda.
The track has changed very little over the years, with the majority of the old layout being retained in the current version. Tweaks were made to the start of the final sector for 1989, with the entry to the penultimate hairpin being altered.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
This was modified further for 2003, with the back straight being extended and a new 90-degree right-hander being introduced (the current turn 12. Elsewhere, the start/finish straight was extended slightly to allow for the tweaked, sharper and slower first corner hairpin.
Last year’s race was won by Lewis Hamilton, claiming his first victory for the Mercedes team. Passing his old team-mate Jenson Button (who had yet to pit) after his first stop proved to be crucial in deciding the race, with Kimi Raikkonen finishing second and Sebastian Vettel in third.
The Brit shares the top spot in the Hungarian Grand Prix wins table with Michael Schumacher. Both have four wins at the Hungaroring to their names, with Ayrton Senna on three. Nelson Piquet, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and Jenson Button have all won the event twice.
McLaren is the most successful constructor with 11 triumphs, four ahead of Williams and six ahead of Ferrari – the Italian outfit’s last win in Hungary was back in 2004 and that doesn’t look set to change this year.
A lap of the 2.722 mile track starts on the long start/finish straight, with the exit of the pit lane to the right on the slightly downhill run to the first corner.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Turn one is the undoubtedly the best overtaking spot on the circuit, particularly with the positioning of the first DRS zone, and is a slow right-hand hairpin. Turn two is next up, with the medium-speed, long left-hander also being a good place to pass.
The second DRS zone is situated on the straight that leads to the second corner, which will also help with overtaking. Turn three is a fast right-hand kink that leads on to yet another straight, although this one is relatively short.
The high-speed turn four kink, a left-hander, is the first corner in the second sector and is followed by the long right of turn five, which will be particularly tricky this year with the added torque. Another short burst on the power leads to the tight turn six and seven chicane, which is also another passing spot.
The left-hander of turn eight, the slightly slower right-hander of turn nine, the high-speed left of turn 10 and the following turn 11 (a right-hand corner) make up the sweeping final section of the second sector.
Turn 12 is a 90-degree right, before the two long, slow hairpins (the 13th and 14th corners on the circuit) complete the lap. Expect plenty of slides and saves here as the drivers wrestle their cars through the slower turns. The pit lane entry cuts inside the final turn.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
It is a tricky layout to master, featuring plenty of medium and low-speed corners. It is very narrow, which adds to the fact that it the circuit is notoriously difficult to overtake on – although the recent addition of DRS has helped to stop the more processional races of the past.
The low-grip surface and slow corners has prompted Pirelli to bring the medium and soft compound tyres, as the layout puts an emphasis on mechanical grip. It requires a high downforce set-up and good car cooling due to the high temperatures in Hungary.
Mercedes will definitely be the team to beat once again this weekend, but rival outfits certainly looked closer in Germany. Williams, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, Force India and McLaren’s scrap to be best of the rest will continue to rumble on and should provide us with plenty of close racing.
I will be at both races for (the new-look) Richland F1, so be sure to add it to your favourites for all the latest news and reports, as my full focus when I am at the track will be for the website.
Hungarian Grand Prix Fact File:
 |
| © Formula 1 |
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Track Length: 2.722 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 14
Laps: 70
First race: 1986
Lap record: 1m19.071 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004
Tyre compounds: Medium and soft
2013 race winner: Lewis Hamilton
2013 pole position: Lewis Hamilton
2013 fastest lap: Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, 1m24.069
Live on: Sky Sports F1 (highlights BBC)
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