F1 Grid Slot Stats: Hungarian Grand Prix

In the last nine races at the Hungaroring, the polesitter has won only three times. The pole to win conversion rate here is under 50%, with the polesitter winning 16 of the 37 races held at the track since F1 first visited in 1986.

The polesitter has recorded only six DNFs at the Hungaroring, with Fernando Alonso’s 2009 retirement, in which he lost a wheel after a botched pit-stop, being the last time the polesitter failed to finish a race here.

In every year where the polesitter has finished the Hungarian Grand Prix, they have scored points, aside from Alain Prost in 1993 who finished seven laps down on the leader. However, in this race, Prost did not actually start from pole. He stalled on the formation lap and started from the back of the pack. The de facto polesitter Damon Hill went on to win the event, taking his first Grand Prix victory.

Second on the grid has scored points on more occasions than any other grid slot at the Hungarian Grand Prix. From the 37 races here, the driver starting second has scored 32 times.

There have been just five point-less occasions for the driver starting from second on the grid, all five being DNFs. The drivers to have retired from this grid slot are Gerhard Berger in 1987, Nigel Mansell in 1989 (who retired because he was ill with chickenpox. Yes, really.), Juan Pablo Montoya in 2005, Sebastian Vettel in 2009 and Valtteri Bottas in 2021.

Lance Stroll’s fourth place finish in the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix brought to an end a streak of five consecutive podium finishes from third on the grid. The driver starting here is yet to return to the podium since Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 victory.

The last DNF from this grid slot came back in 2008 – the longest active finishing streak for any grid slot at the circuit. Felipe Massa’s retirement in 2008 – when he looked set for a win – is the only DNF from third on the grid at the Hungaroring in the last 27 years.

In the last 23 years, there have been only two retirements from fourth on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Those were for Nico Rosberg in 2013 and Sergio Perez in 2021. Juan Pablo Montoya’s 11th place in 2002 is the only other time that a driver has failed to score from here in that time period.

Since 2005, there have been three wins from fourth on the grid at the Hungaroring – in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

Fifth on the grid has suffered more DNFs than any other grid slot in the top ten. Having failed to finish on 13 occasions, the position has also scored at the fewest number of Hungarian Grands Prix from any of the top six slots.

While it has had more retirements than any other position in the top ten, only five of those instances have been in the last 24 races at the track. Though that’s still more than any other slot in the top ten during that period, the last DNF from fifth on the grid came back in 2015 when Kimi Raikkonen retired with engine troubles.

In 2019, Sebastian Vettel became the first driver to take a podium finish from fifth on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix since 2014.

The driver starting sixth finished sixth in both the 2018 and 2019 Hungarian Grands Prix. After failing to score in both 2020 and 2021, sixth returned to the points in 2022 with an eighth place finish for Fernando Alonso.

This grid slot has never won, but has recorded six podium finishes. The driver starting here has failed to score only four times in the last 12 seasons – but 2014 is the last time that the driver starting here finished in the top five.

Seventh on the grid has recorded six podium finishes in Hungary, all six being second place finishes. The most recent was for Lewis Hamilton in 2022.

In the past 16 seasons, the driver starting here has failed to score only twice – both times being retirements, for Max Verstappen in 2018 and Charles Leclerc in 2021.

In 2021, Esteban Ocon became the first driver to win from eighth on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix. It was only the fourth time since 2010 that the driver starting from eighth on the grid at the Hungaroring scored points. Ocon’s win is the only time points have been scored from eighth on the grid in the last three Hungarian Grands Prix.

From the 37 races here, eighth on the grid has resulted in points finishes on only 11 occasions. Five of those occasions have been fifth place finishes – for Johnny Dumfries in 1986, Maurício Gugelmin in 1988, Rubens Barrichello in 1999, Jenson Button in 2005 and Carlos Sainz in 2019.

From the past 15 seasons the driver starting ninth has failed to score on only four occasions. Three of those occasions were retirements, while Daniel Ricciardo finished only 15th in 2022.

The grid slot has had one podium finish, a third place for Nelson Piquet in 1990. Since then its best result is fourth, most recently recorded by Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso in 2015 and Fernando Alonso with Alpine in 2021.

Max Verstappen won the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix from tenth on the grid. The driver starting here has actually finished the last two Budapest races in the top two – but Sebastian Vettel was disqualified having finished as runner-up in 2021 after failing to supply a sufficient fuel sample.

Aside from Verstappen’s win, the grid slot has given a further two podium finishes, for Johnny Herbert in 1997 and for Nick Heidfeld in 2006, who both finished third.

11th is one of only two grid slots in the top twelve to have never recorded a podium finish. The best result from here is fourth place, recorded by Kimi Raikkonen in 2002.

The grid slot has scored more often than not in the last 17 years, including in four of the last six years. Between 1990 and 1997, the driver starting here either retired or finished fifth.

12th is one of only two grid slots outside of the top ten to have won the Hungarian Grand Prix. A single victory has come from 12th, and that was for Nigel Mansell back in 1989.

Though the driver starting here has recorded four DNFs in the last nine seasons, the driver lining up 12th on the grid scored in two of the last five seasons, including with a fourth place finish for Daniel Ricciardo in 2018.

In 2020, Alex Albon equalled the best ever Hungarian Grand Prix result for a driver starting 13th by finishing fifth. Martin Brundle also finished fifth for Ligier in 1993.

Until 2019, if the driver starting from 13th on the grid had finished the race, they had always finished in a position higher than where they started from – but Daniil Kvyat could finish only 15th in 2019 and Kevin Magnussen finished only 16th in 2022.

In the last 14 Hungarian races, the driver starting 13th on the grid at the Hungaroring has scored on six occasions. The grid slot does have quite a high retirement rate. Its current streak of seven finishes is the longest streak that it has had without a retirement.

Jenson Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix from 14th on the grid in 2006, making it the furthest back grid slot to have won at the Hungaroring.

Since then, Kimi Raikkonen’s sixth place in 2016 is the only time that the driver starting here has scored, while Ralf Schumacher’s fifth place in 1997 is its only other points-scoring occasion.

The grid slot was left clear for the first time in 2021, as Antonio Giovinazzi opted to change his tyres at the end of the formation lap.

The driver starting 15th has scored only three times at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz recorded the first podium finish from this position in 2021, with third place. Other points scoring races for the driver starting here came in 2013 and 2015 when Pastor Maldonado and Fernando Alonso finished tenth and fifth respectively.

This position has had more non-finishes than any other position in the top 16. In the first 22 races at the Hungaroring, the driver starting here finished on only seven occasions. Since then it has recorded only two retirements.

16th on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix has provided more top ten finishes than any of the grid slots around it. The best result from here is fourth place for Mika Hakkinen in 1992. It has scored three times in the last nine seasons. most recently with Yuki Tsunoda finishing sixth in 2021.

The grid slot was left clear for the first time in 2020 as Kevin Magnussen, who was due to start here, opted to start from the pit lane.

The 17th grid slot has had more non-finishes at the Hungarian Grand Prix than any other, with 18 non-finishes in total. While no one has retired from here in all of the last eight seasons, in the 15 races before that, the driver starting 17th crossed the finish line only three times.

The position has scored only twice in the last 27 years. Marcus Ericsson became the first driver since 1993 to score points having started 17th, when he finished tenth for Sauber in 2015, while George Russell finished eighth in 2021.

The driver starting 18th has scored in each of the last two Hungarian Grands Prix. Nicholas Latifi finished seventh having started here in 2021, while Sebastian Vettel finished tenth in 2022.

Those are the only two occasions that a driver starting here has scored. Latifi equalled the grid slot’s best-ever result, with Martin Donnelly having also finished seventh in 1990. Ricardo Rosset’s eighth place in 1996 was the last top ten finish for a driver starting here until Latifi in 2021.

In the last 16 seasons, the driver starting here has failed to finish only twice. The grid slot was left clear for the first time in 2020 as Romain Grosjean, who was due to start here, opted to start from the pit lane.

Satoru Nakajima’s seventh place from 19th on the grid back in 1988 is the best result for the driver starting 19th at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Since then, the position has recorded only three more top ten finishes, but it has never resulted in a points finish.

20th on the grid has never scored a point at the Hungaroring, and the grid slot has had only two top ten finishes.

Michele Alboreto finished seventh from 20th on the grid in 1994, while Ukyo Katayama finished tenth in 1997. There have been positions lower than this on the grid which have supplied points, however. The driver starting 23rd scored in both 2010 and 2011.

Since 2005, there have been only two retirements from this grid slot.

Eight starts have been made from the pit lane at the Hungarian Grand Prix. No one has retired having started from the pit lane and two pit lane starts have resulted in points.

Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium after suffering a fire on his car in qualifying in 2014, while Kevin Magnussen finished tenth having started from the pits in 2020.