Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring – Monaco without walls

The very first F1 Hungarian Grand Prix took place in 1986 on the same circuit, which has hosted the race ever since. The event takes place every season and is one of the most stable on the calendar. Here, a lap is 4.38 km and the race lasts 70 laps, bringing the total distance of the race to 306.63 km.

Although the circuit is not urban and not very narrow, it is still compared to the slow circuit of Monaco for the same reason. The Monaco Grand Prix is ​​notorious for being tough to overtake, especially in today’s giant cars. This is due to the low speed and the narrowness of the track.

Although this is not a problem for the Hungaroring, it is difficult to overtake there, which is why it is called “Monaco without walls”.

The Hungaroring is the third shortest circuit on the Formula 1 calendar, and at the same time the second slowest circuit after Monaco. The maximum speed on the track is around 315 km / h, even with two consecutive DRS zones.

The circuit’s slowness can be attributed to its tight curves, as it was modeled after the Circuit de Monaco.

In 2003, some changes were made to make overtaking easier, including an increase in the pit lane by 200 meters and the total track by around 900 meters. The first corner has also been steepened to encourage overtaking.

Despite very few overtaking during the race, the track is a fan favorite and has been on the calendar since the first race in 1986.

Lewis Hamilton has the most victories at this track – 9, he is also the only one to have won in Hungary 3 years in a row – from 2018 to 2020. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso won his first career victory – in 2003 for Renault. Moreover, in Hungary, the first victory of his career went to Damon Hill (1993 for Williams) and Jenson Button (in 2006 for Honda). The first and only victory in Hungary was won by Heijki Kovalainen (2008 for McLaren) and Esteban Okon (2021 for Alpin, the first and only victory for the French team in F1).

Current drivers include 5 Hungarian Grand Prix winners: Max Verstappen (win this year and last year), Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo, who has just returned to F1 replacing Nick De Vries at Alpha Tauri. Did not hit points, finished 13th.