Formula 1 has been raced in Hungary since 1986, when the then-Soviet satellite state became a surprising addition to the calendar. A purpose-built circuit was constructed outside the capital Budapest. Tight, slow and narrow, overtaking has always proved a challenge at the Hungaroring, despite two major revisions. The first, in 1989, restored the track after turn three to its intended configuration, as the discovery of a water spring during its construction forced the addition of two extra corners.
Then in 2003 the run to turn one was extended and the opening corner tightened with a view to aiding overtaking. Further around the lap, turn 12 was remodelled into a 90-degree right-hander, again to give drivers a longer run to the corner in the hope it might help them overtake. But the overall effect was minimal at best.
Circuit: Hungaroring
Length: 4.381km
Laps: 70
Race distance: 306.670km
Corners: 16
Races: 35
Lap record average speed: 205kph, 127mph
There have been 35 races hosted by the Hungaroring, with the Hungarian Grand Prix having been ever-present on the Formula 1 calendar since the race was first held in 1986.
From the 35 races at the track, there have been seventeen different winners. Lewis Hamilton has the most wins of any driver, with seven. McLaren are the team with the most victories, having won in Hungary eleven times.
Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton are the five drivers who have taken back-to-back Hungarian Grand Prix victories.
The longest streak of different winners at the Hungaroring came between 2002 and 2008, when there were no repeat winners for seven seasons.
The Hungarian Grand Prix has been won by less than five seconds on twelve occasions, and has been won by less than ten seconds seventeen times.
The overall average win margin at the Hungarian Grand Prix is 14.621 seconds. From the last ten races at the Hungaroring, the average win margin has been 9.216 seconds.
Ferrari have had more podiums than any other team at the track, with their cars finishing on the podium on 25 occasions.
The polesitter has finished on the podium at the Hungaroring 23 times.
McLaren and Ferrari are currently tied for the most poles for a team at the Hungaroring, with eight apiece.
The smallest pole margin at the track came in 2019, when Max Verstappen took pole by just 0.018 seconds. The largest pole margin came in 1991, when Ayrton Senna took pole by 1.232 seconds. That’s the only time pole has been taken by over a second here.
The Hungarian Grand Prix has been won from pole 16 times and has been won from the front row 22 times. That means twelve races here have been won from third or further back on the grid.
The furthest back a win has come from here is fourteenth on the grid, a feat which Jenson Button performed in 2006. Nigel Mansell’s win from twelfth in 1989 is the only other time a Hungarian Grand Prix has been won from lower than fourth on the grid.
There have only been seven occasions where the polesitter has finished on the Hungarian Grand Prix podium without winning the race.
A World Champion has been crowned twice at the Hungaroring. Nigel Mansell won the 1992 championship here, while Michael Schumacher won his fourth title at the track in 2001. Ferrari were also crowned Constructors’ Champions after both the 2001 and 2002 Hungarian Grands Prix.
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