PREVIEW: 2024 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix

Formula 1 heads to Budapest this weekend for Round 12 of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

The 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix promises to be an exciting weekend, with the competition at the front as tight as ever. Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team come into the weekend fresh from two consecutive race wins, while Lando Norris will be hoping to right the wrongs of the Silverstone week. You can also never write off three-time world champion and current championship leader, Max Verstappen.

The midfield is incredibly close too, there’s a battle between Visa Cash App RB and MoneyGram Haas F1 Team that will continue this weekend, while Williams Racing will be hoping for more points after Alex Albon drove an excellent race to finish ninth at the 2024 British Grand Prix.

The Hungarian Grand Prix is held at the legendary Hungaroring, which hosted its first race in 1986. The race lasts for 70 laps, making it one of the shortest laps of the year at just 4.381km. With its scarcity of straights, the Hungaroring is frequently likened to a go-kart track, which is f air comparison. The circuit’s flowing layout encourages teams to maximise downforce, although not to Monaco levels. The track needs chassis performance over outright speed. Though challenging, the track is a real drivers circuit, meaning the veterans of the sport such as Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo normally go well.

Oracle Red Bull Racing could struggle at the Hungaroring, which creates a dilemma for Sergio Pérez, who is under pressure to keep his seat with the Austrian team, with a potential mid-season swap a possibility with Red Bull afraid of losing out on the Constructors Championship. It also happens it’s a track that Ricciardo, the rumoured replacement, does well at. The Australian driver has won at the circuit, and taken two podiums during his time with Red Bull, while also driving an excellent recovery drive in 2018, going from twelfth to fourth. He also did well at this circuit last year, finishing thirteenth in his first race back in Formula 1. Pérez has only been on the podium once at the circuit and has only qualified in the top ten five times in his 13 visits to Budapest. 

Daniel Ricciardo made his F1 return at Budapest in 2023! – Photo: Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

Despite struggling in the last few years, Mercedes could make it three pole positions in a row at the Hungaroring after George Russell and Hamilton were on pole in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The Silver Arrows are in form at the moment and another good performance should certainly be their aim. 

Scuderia Ferrari could have a good weekend after a few weeks of struggle. Their car suits low speed corners and that was evident when Charles Leclerc dominated the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix just a few rounds ago. McLaren F1 Team will almost certainly be in the mix too, and there’s always a chance Oscar Piastri could be the seventh race winner of the season, alongside Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr, Norris, Leclerc, Russell and Hamilton. 

It will certainly be a great weekend of F1 action, and you can follow it all with The Checkered Flag on our X (formerly Twitter) account.