1090th F1 GRAND PRIX | 39th HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX | 38th GRAND PRIX AT THE HUNGARORING
2022 POLESITTER: GEORGE RUSSELL | 2022 WINNER: MAX VERSTAPPEN
Traditionally the last race before the summer break – though not in 2023 – the Hungaroring has been on the Formula 1 calendar in every season since 1986. The 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix is set to take place on July 21-23.
2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday 21st July
Free Practice 1 – 1:30pm Local Time / 12:30pm UK Time
Free Practice 2 – 5:00pm Local Time / 4:00pm UK Time
Saturday 22nd July
Free Practice 3 – 12:30pm Local Time / 11:30am UK Time
Qualifying- 4:00pm Local Time / 3:00pm UK Time
Sunday 23rd July
The 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix – 3:00pm Local Time / 2:00pm UK Time
2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND MILESTONES
This weekend, Fernando Alonso becomes the first driver to start the Hungarian Grand Prix on 20 occasions. Ahead of the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, he’s tied with Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello for most appearances at the Hungaroring.
The 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix will be the first Formula 1 race ever held on July 23. Before this race July 23 is one of only two dates between March 1 and November 10 on which an F1 race has never been held. The only other is August 20.
If Lewis Hamilton wins the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, it would be his ninth win at the Hungaroring. That would be a new record for the most wins at a single circuit.
If he leads 13 laps of the race, Lewis Hamilton will become the first driver to have led 500 laps at a single circuit in Formula 1 history.
READ MORE IN MILESTONES AND RECORDS TO BREAK
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
WHAT HAS CHANGED AT THE CIRCUIT SINCE LAST YEAR?
There have been very few changes to the Hungaroring circuit since the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. The only changes are at Turn 2, where new tyre barriers have been installed on the right-hand side and the guardrail has been replaced with a concrete barrier and debris fencing.
HOW MANY DRS ZONES WILL THERE BE AT THE 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
There will be two DRS zones at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. The detection point is before the final corner, while the activation zones are on the main straight and between Turns 1 & 2. There were also two DRS zones at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix.
HUNGARORING TRACK GUIDE
When F1 arrives in Hungary, there’s usually an end of term feeling as the Hungaroring hosts the final race before the summer break. Held at the height of the European summer, this relatively slow but technical track has served up some intriguing races for the past three decades.
The Hungaroring is located twelve miles to the north-east of Budapest. After plans for a race in Moscow fell through, Bernie Ecclestone brought the series to Budapest instead and the race made history by being the first to be held behind the Iron Curtain. A city street race was mooted but the communist government instead wanted a new track, and so one was built within eight months. The circuit was designed by Istvan Papp.
The winner of the first ever Grand Prix in 1906 was the Hungarian driver Ferenc Szisz. Hungary’s motorsport history goes back to 1936, when a Hungarian Grand Prix was first held in Nepliget. It had 100,000 spectators, which is an impressive figure for that time. With the onset of World War II, focus shifted away from racing, and there was not another Hungarian Grand Prix until F1 came to Budapest in 1986. The inaugural event was attended by 200,000 fans.
READ MORE IN OUR ULTIMATE TRACK GUIDE
WHO WILL BE IN THE 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCES?
The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers on Thursday. The drivers appearing in the press conference are:
Group 1
Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Group 2
Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Logan Sargeant (Williams)
The media will also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams on Friday. The team members who will appear in the press conference are: Franz Tost (AlphaTauri), Otmar Szafnauer (Alpine), Andrea Stella (McLaren), Xevi Pujolar (Alfa Romeo), Andrew Shovlin (Mercedes) and Dave Robson (Williams).
WHO WILL BE THE RACE DIRECTOR AT THE 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Niels Wittich will be the race director at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
WHO WILL BE THE DRIVER STEWARD AT THE 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Each weekend a former Formula 1 driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward this weekend is Vitantonio Liuzzi.
WHICH TYRE COMPOUNDS WILL BE USED AT THE 2023 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Pirelli have confirmed that the C3, C4 and C5 tyre compounds will be used at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. The C2, C3 and C4 compounds were used in 2022.
A new rule for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix will see a single tyre compound used in each part of qualifying. The harder C3 compound must be used in Q1, the medium C4 compound will be used in Q2, while the soft compound will be used exclusively in Q3.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
On the weekend that Vettel announced his retirement from Formula 1, Russell secured the first pole position of his career and Verstappen won from tenth on the grid.
Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Sebastian Vettel announced that he was to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season. While Friday’s running at the Hungaroring took place in dry conditions, the weather turned on Saturday morning – leading to Nicholas Latifi setting the pace in final practice.
The track dried in time for the start of qualifying, where Mercedes impressed and George Russell secured the first pole position of his career. Max Verstappen was left unable to compete at the end of Q3 due to engine issues.
At the start of Sunday’s Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz went wheel-to-wheel with polesitter Russell on the run to Turn 1, but the Mercedes prevailed. Verstappen began to make progress from tenth on the grid and climbed to sixth place after passing both Alpines in quick succession. Verstappen was soon challenging Lewis Hamilton for fourth place.
As the leaders made their first stops, Russell stayed ahead of the Ferraris but Charles Leclerc was able to overcut team-mate Sainz. By Lap 30, Leclerc closed in on Russell using his fresher tyres. Leclerc passed for the lead at Turn 1 on Lap 31.
Verstappen made his second stop earlier than those ahead of him. At the second stop, Leclerc took on hard tyres – which had proved to be suboptimal for other drivers in the race. Verstappen, on mediums, was soon past the Ferrari for third place. Verstappen’s work was undone when he spun on Lap 41 – though he soon regained the position.
With 15 laps to go, the frontrunners had completed their scheduled pit stops, leaving Verstappen in the lead, Leclerc second and polesitter Russell third. Russell passed the Ferrari at Turn 1 – a favourite overtaking spot for the drivers in the race. Leclerc made yet another stop late on in the race, as Ferrari’s strategy calls baffled onlookers.
The two Silver Arrows battled for second place on Lap 65, with Hamilton coming out on top. Verstappen won the race by almost ten seconds, with seventh place starter Hamilton finishing as runner-up. Russell completed the podium in the final race before the summer break.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER LAP TIME AT THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX?
Attending the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix? Learn more about visiting the Hungaroring in the F1Destinations Travel Guide.
