F1 Team Form: Hungarian Grand Prix

McLaren have the most wins in Hungary, Alpine were victorious in 2021 and Mercedes have finished on the podium in all but two of the last 11 seasons. Here’s everything you need to know about each team’s history at the Hungarian Grand Prix!

RED BULL

WINS: 4, POLES: 3, PODIUMS: 14 | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: VERSTAPPEN 1st, PEREZ 5th

Red Bull have won the Hungarian Grand Prix four times, including in each of the last two seasons. In 2022, Max Verstappen won the event from tenth on the grid, giving Red Bull their first win in Hungary since 2014. He won again in 2023.

Verstappen had come close to winning the race in 2019, finishing as runner-up. He was also runner-up in 2020. Those were the team’s first podium finishes at the circuit since 2016. In 2023, both Red Bull drivers finished on the Hungarian Grand Prix for the first time since 2015.

Red Bull have suffered three DNFs in the last seven seasons at the Hungaroring, though their maiden season in 2005 marks their only double DNF so far at the track.

2022 Hungarian Grand Prix podium. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

Red Bull have taken three pole positions at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and locked out the front-row at the track in 2010. Verstappen took his first pole position with the team here in 2019, which remains their most recent pole at the track.

Both drivers qualified in the top four in 2021 – the first time that has happened at the circuit since 2016 – but neither qualified in the top nine in 2022. While Perez was eliminated in Q2, engine issues prevented Verstappen from qualifying any higher than tenth – the team’s worst combined qualifying result at the track since 2006. Verstappen returned to the front row in 2023, while Perez could qualify no higher than ninth.

In the last 13 seasons there have been only four occasions on which a Red Bull driver has not reached Q3 at the circuit: Mark Webber in 2012, Daniel Ricciardo in 2018, Alex Albon in 2020 and Sergio Perez in 2022.

The team has never had a Q1 exit at the track, with 2005 and 2006 being the only years where neither driver qualified in the top ten.

MERCEDES

WINS: 5, POLES: 8, PODIUMS: 11 | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: HAMILTON 2nd, RUSSELL 3rd

In all of their first four visits to Hungary from 2010 to 2013, Mercedes recorded one DNF in every race. They scored only three points here between 2010 and 2012, but their fortunes at the track began to change in 2013, when Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory with the team at the Hungaroring.

Mercedes have since won here four times, but have not done so since 2020. Their streak of three consecutive wins at the event ended in 2021. After crashing at Turn 1, Valtteri Bottas recorded the team’s first retirement at the circuit in eight years in 2021.

Since 2013, 2015 and 2023 are the only years in which neither Mercedes driver has finished on the podium in Hungary. 2016, 2020 and 2022 are the only seasons in which both Mercedes have finished on the podium at the Hungaroring. Hamilton and Rosberg recorded the team’s only 1-2 finish at the circuit in 2016.

Mercedes have failed to take pole only twice in the last 11 seasons at the Hungarian Grand Prix. They locked out the front row in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021, while 2017 is the only time in the last nine seasons that neither Mercedes driver has qualified on the front row. George Russell recorded Mercedes only pole position of the season through conventional qualifying here in 2022, while Lewis Hamilton took the team’s only pole of the year here in 2023.

2023 marked the first time since 2014 that a Mercedes driver failed to reach Q3 at the Hungaroring. Russell’s Q1 exit was the team’s first in Hungary since Hamilton’s fiery Q1 exit in 2014.

2012 is the only season in which neither Mercedes driver appeared in the top ten shootout, with both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher eliminated in Q2. Schumacher’s Q2 exit in 2010 is the only other non-Q3 appearance for a Mercedes driver at the track.

FERRARI

WINS: 7, POLES: 8, PODIUMS: 25 | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: SAINZ 4th, LECLERC 6th

Since 1999, Ferrari have had only four non-finishes at the Hungarian Grand Prix. That’s quite a turnaround from the earlier years at the circuit, as the team recorded at least one DNF in every year at the event between 1986 and 1998, recording double non-finishes in 1987, 1990, 1994 and 1996.

Ferrari have taken seven wins at the Hungarian Grand Prix and have recorded three 1-2 finishes. In the past ten years, there have been only four races (2016, 2020, 2022 and 2023) in which neither Ferrari driver has finished on the podium. Both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finished in the top three in 2017 and 2018.

In 2020, Leclerc became the first Ferrari driver to finish in a position outside of the points since 2007, while in 2021, he recorded the team’s first retirement here since 2015. Both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished in the top six in 2022, despite some questionable strategy calls from the team, while 2023 marked the first time since 2006 that neither of the Scuderia’s finished inside the top six at the Hungaroring.

Carlos Sainz, 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

In the last 16 seasons, Ferrari’s front row lock-out in 2017 and Sainz’s second place in 2022 are the only times any of their drivers have qualified on the front row. The team have had two further front row lock-outs in 2002 and 2004, and have taken pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix eight times in total.

There have been just six occasions when a Ferrari driver has failed to progress to the final part of qualifying at the Hungaroring, while Kimi Raikkonen’s 2014 Q1 exit is the only Q1 elimination for a Ferrari driver here. At least one Ferrari driver has qualified in the top ten in every single Hungarian Grand Prix.

McLAREN

WINS: 11, POLES: 8, PODIUMS: 23 | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: NORRIS 7th, RICCIARDO 15th

McLaren have taken more wins at the Hungaroring than any other team, with 11 wins and two 1-2 finishes in 1988 and 1999. McLaren won five out of the six races in Hungary between 2007 and 2012. Lando Norris finally ended McLaren’s Hungary podium drought in 2023, finishing as runner-up.

Since 2005, 2021 is the only season in which McLaren have left the Hungarian Grand Prix point-less.

McLaren at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

McLaren have taken pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix on eight occasions, and have locked-out the front row three times. 2015 and 2018 are the only seasons where neither McLaren driver has qualified in the top ten in the history of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Lando Norris’ fourth place in qualifying in 2022 was the team’s best Saturday result since their last pole here in 2012 and he went one better in 2023 to give the team their first top three qualifying result in Hungary in 11 years. Oscar Piastri also qualified strongly, setting the fourth fastest lap time in Q3.

ASTON MARTIN

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: VETTEL 10th, STROLL 11th

In 2020, Racing Point scored more points at the Hungaroring in a single race than the Silverstone-based team had scored at the track in total in the 20 previous seasons. Both cars finished in the top ten, with Lance Stroll fourth and Sergio Perez seventh.

In their new Aston Martin guise, Sebastian Vettel would’ve added to the team’s points tally in 2020 – and recorded their best result at the track – if not for being disqualified from second place after failing to provide a fuel sample.

Both drivers scored at the track in 2023 – the first time the team had done so in Hungary since 2020.

Force India recorded nine DNFs in total here, including double non-finishes in three consecutive years between 2013 and 2015. 2017 was the only season in which both cars finished in the points, with Perez finishing eighth and Esteban Ocon finishing ninth, while Paul di Resta’s seventh place in 2011 and Nico Hulkenberg’s tenth place in 2016 were the team’s only other points-scoring appearances here.

In their Jordan guise, Team Silverstone’s best result at the circuit was fourth, recorded by Damon Hill in 1998 and Heinz-Harald Frentzen in 1999.

2020 marked the first time that the Silverstone-based team reached Q3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix with both cars. They’re yet to repeat the feat. That year, the team locked-out the second row of the grid, with Lance Stroll qualifying third and Sergio Perez fourth.

In contrast, Force India reached the final part of qualifying here on only four occasions. The team had both cars eliminated in Q1 in 2018 and 2019. Both Force India cars were also eliminated in Q1 in both 2008 and 2009.

ALPINE

WINS: 2*, POLES: 3*, PODIUMS: 11* | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: ALONSO 8th, OCON 9th

Team Enstone have won the Hungarian Grand Prix on three occasions. Michael Schumacher was victorious for Benetton in 1994, Fernando Alonso took his first career victory with Renault at the Hungaroring in 2003 and Esteban Ocon took his maiden win here with Alpine in 2021.

The team has taken a further nine podium finishes at the track, the most recent aside from Ocon’s win being for Kimi Raikkonen, who finished as runner-up with Lotus in 2013. In their most recent stint under the Renault name, the Enstone-based team scored points only twice. Carlos Sainz finished ninth in 2018, while Daniel Ricciardo finished eighth in 2020.

Both Alpine drivers retired as a result of first lap contact with one another at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. It was the first time one of the Enstone team’s cars had retired in Hungary since 2014 and marked the team’s first double DNF at the Hungaroring since 2011.

With Ocon winning and Alonso fourth in 2021, it was the first time that the team have finished with both cars in the top four in Hungary since 1994. The team scored with both cars once again in 2022.

Fernando Alonso, Alpine, 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

Fernando Alonso was the last Enstone driver to take pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, doing so back at the 2009 race. Their unexpected 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix pole remains their latest pole position in Formula 1 to date.

In 2021, the team recorded their first double Q3 appearance in Hungary since they were under their Lotus guise in 2013. Both cars qualified in the top six in 2022 – the first time the team had done so since since 2013. Neither driver reached Q3 in 2023.

WILLIAMS

WINS: 7, POLES: 6, PODIUMS: 18 | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: ALBON 17th, LATIFI 18th

From their first 26 entries at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Williams finished on the podium 16 times. Since then, third place finishes in 2002 and 2003 have been their only top three appearances.

In 2021, both Williams drivers scored in Hungary for the first time since 2014. Between 2015 and 2020, Valtteri Bottas’ ninth place in 2016 was the only time that a Williams driver finished in the points at this track.

Since 2014, Williams have recorded onyl two retirements at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Paul di Resta failed to finish on his one-off appearance with the team in 2017, while Logan Sargeant retired due to overheating in the closing stages of the 2023 race.

Nicholas Latifi, Williams, 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

Williams have taken six pole positions at the Hungarian Grand Prix, including four front row lock-outs. The team have failed to qualify in the top ten with either car in each of the last seven seasons in Hungary, recording their fifth double Q1 elimination at the circuit in 2023.

Williams’ last non-Q1 exits at the Hungarian Grand Prix were in 2020, when both George Russell and Nicholas Latifi reached Q2. Russell’s 12th place in 2020 was the team’s best qualifying result at the circuit since 2016.

VISA CASH APP RB

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: GASLY 12th, TSUNODA 19th

The Red Bull junior team last scored at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021, where both drivers finished in the top six. Pierre Gasly recorded the team’s second- best result at the track with fifth place, while Yuki Tsunoda finished sixth. It was the first time both cars finished in the points since 2011 – though the team did pick up points in every season between 2014 and 2019.

The team’s best result here is fourth, by Max Verstappen in 2015. The team have had only two DNFs at the Hungaroring in the last 13 seasons.

There have been only three seasons since 2013 in which neither Red Bull junior driver reached Q3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In 2019, both drivers were out in Q2, while both were out in Q1 in 2022. On his comeback in 2023, Daniel Ricciardo progressed to Q2 while Yuki Tsunoda was eliminated in Q1.

2022 marked the team’s first double Q1 exit at the track since 2006. 2018 is the only season in which both of the team’s drivers reached Q3 here, while Pierre Gasly recorded the team’s best-ever qualifying result at the circuit in 2021 with fifth place.

SAUBER

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 1* | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: ZHOU 13th, BOTTAS DNF

Between 2011 and 2018, Marcus Ericsson’s tenth place in 2015 was the only time that the Sauber team scored points at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In their new Alfa Romeo guise in 2019, Kimi Raikkonen finished seventh – the team’s best result at the circuit since 2010. Raikkonen scored a single point with the team in 2021, finishing in tenth place.

The Hungaroring is a track at which Sauber scored three podium finishes – all third places – in 1997, 2006 and 2007. Sauber also incurred the only disqualification in Hungary’s history up to 2021, with Robert Kubica being disqualified from his F1 debut as a result of his car being underweight.

Lap 1, 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

In qualifying for the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen secured the team’s first Q3 appearance at the circuit since 2011. In 2022, Valtteri Bottas qualified eighth, recording the team’s best qualifying result at the Hungaroring since 2008.

In 2023, both Alfa Roemo drivers reached Q3, with Zhou Guanyu fifth and Valtteri Bottas seventh. It was the former Sauber team’s first double Q3 appearance at the Hungarian Grand Prix since 2007, when Nick Heidfeld recorded the team’s best-ever Hungaroring qualifying result with third place.

In the last nine seasons, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 are the only times that neither of the team’s cars have been eliminated in Q1 at the Hungaroring.

HAAS

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: SCHUMACHER 14th, MAGNUSSEN 16th

In 2018, Haas finished with both cars in the points at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Kevin Magnussen finishing seventh and Romain Grosjean tenth. Magnussen’s tenth place in 2020 is the only other time that the team has scored at the circuit.

Both Grosjean and Magnussen ran within the top five at the track in 2020, a result of them pitting for dry tyres at the end of the formation lap. Grosjean recorded the team’s second retirement at the track in 2019 – the Frenchman having also retired in 2017.

In 2021, Nikita Mazepin retried from the race after colliding with Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane. Meanwhile, Mick Schumacher recorded the team’s best result of the year, finishing 12th. Neither driver scored in 2022 or 2023.

Haas, 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

2018 was the first time the Haas drivers reached the final part of qualifying at the circuit, having previously recorded three Q2 exits and one Q1 elimination. It’s Magnussen who has recorded the team’s best Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying position so far, with ninth on the grid – a result which Grosjean equalled in 2019.

While both Haas cars were eliminated in Q1 in Hungary in both 2020 and 2021, both Magnussen and Schumacher reached Q2 in 2022. Schumacher was unable to take part in qualifying in 2021 after wrecking his car in a crash in Free Practice 3.

In 2023, Nico Hulkenberg recorded the team’s first Q3 appearance at the Hungarian Grand Prix since 2018.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top
Scroll to Top