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The Hungarian Grand Prix is set up to provide a riveting contest after Charles Leclerc’s surprise pole position.
He will have the McLaren pair breathing down his neck on race day. Further back the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton must try to recover from disappointments in qualifying.
How will they approach the race strategically? Here’s all the key data for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Weather
The Hungaroring will get a dousing before the Formula 1 drivers return to the track tomorrow. However there is a strong chance the track will have time to dry out before the start time at 3pm.
This will have an effect on track conditions, however, removing much of the rubber which has built up over the weekend and altering the grip levels. Ambient conditions won’t be quite as hot either, with temperatures peaking in the mid-twenties, but the race is expected to take place in sunny conditions with track temperatures rising.
Start
The run to the first corner is one of the longest, which punishes drivers who fail to get away well. Pole-winner Charles Leclerc will face a two-pronged attack from the McLaren drivers on the run to turn one.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will be well aware that their best chances of winning rest on clearing Leclerc and scampering off into the lead with the Ferrari separating them from their team mate.
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Distance from pole position to first braking zone. Source: Mercedes
Last year Piastri took the lead off pole-winner Norris while Max Verstappen split the McLaren drivers by going off the track at turn one. He eventually chose to relinquish the position rather than risk a penalty.
However in Jeddah this year Verstappen again went off at turn one to get ahead of a McLaren and this time kept his position. Race control gave him a five-second time penalty, judging that as it was the first lap of the race they should be more lenient. Either of the McLaren drivers might consider that a price worth paying to come out of turn one in the lead of the race with Leclerc in second.
Strategy
Last year drivers chose the following compounds to start the race on:
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Pirelli expects teams will lean towards two-stop strategies, especially if the weather is hot and the ‘green’ track increases tyre degradation. If the day turns out cooler, some drivers may risk one-stop strategies. A complete pit stop takes around 21 seconds.
Most of the front-running teams preferred to keep two sets of hard tyres to hand after second practice. The full list of available tyres for each driver will be added here once it has been published by Pirelli.
Overtaking
The Hungaroring has a reputation for being a track which is difficult to pass on. This is largely true, but the power of the DRS effect is stronger than at Spa, so drivers may be able to gain places fairly easily if they also have the benefit of fresh tyres. The DRS zones are unchanged from last year, with a detection point ahead of the final corner and activation zones on the following two straights.
The stewards’ new guidelines for 2025 regarding overtaking moves may well have a bearing on drivers making moves into the long turns one and two during the race, especially if their rivals take the opportunity to force them wide. In the final race before the summer break, several drivers are already halfway towards potential race bans:
Speed trap
Leclerc has one of the fastest cars in a straight line which may help him out-run the McLarens to turn one at the start. But with the whole field covered by less than 6kph the DRS effect will be significant.
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Safety Cars
Neither the Safety Car nor the Virtual Safety Car was seen during the last two Hungarian grands prix. Recent Safety Car periods have seen a spate of drivers complaining about rivals slowing sharply ahead of them, potentially in an attempt to trigger penalties. This even happened in Saturday’s Formula 2 sprint race at the Hungaroring, though no penalty was issued.
Grid
The grid for this year’s race is as follows. Any changes between now and the start of the race will be added here:
Championship implications
If the drivers finish in the order they start Piastri will extend his lead over Norris to 19 points ahead of the summer break.
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Over to you
Will Leclerc keep the McLarens in his mirrors all the way – or will one of them break through to claim another victory for their championship cause?
Share your views on the Hungarian Grand Prix in the comments.
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