Hungarian Grand Prix
| Hungaroring | |
 | |
| Race information | |
|---|---|
| Number of times held | 31 |
| First held | 1936 |
| Most wins (drivers) |
 Lewis Hamilton (5) |
| Most wins (constructors) |
McLaren (11) |
| Circuit length | 4.381 km (2.722 mi) |
| Race length | 306.663 km (190.560 mi) |
| Laps | 70 |
| Last race (2016) | |
| Pole position | |
| |
| Podium | |
| |
| Fastest lap | |
| |
The Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungarian: Magyar Nagydíj) is a motor race held annually in Hungary. Since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
History
Origins
The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 21 June 1936 over a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) track laid out in Népliget,[1] a park in Budapest. The Mercedes-Benz, Auto Union, and the Alfa Romeo-equipped Ferrari teams all sent three cars and the event drew a very large crowd. However, politics and the ensuing war meant the end of Grand Prix motor racing in the country for fifty years.
Hungaroring
A major coup by Bernie Ecclestone, the 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first Formula One race to take place behind the Iron Curtain. Held at the twisty Hungaroring in Mogyoród near Budapest, the race has been a mainstay of the racing calendar. Run in the heat of a central European summer, it also held the distinction of being the only current Grand Prix venue that had never seen a wet race up until the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. The first Grand Prix saw 200,000 people[1] spectating, although tickets were expensive at the time. Today, the support is still very enthusiastic, particularly from Finns.[2]
Due to the nature of the track, narrow, twisty and often dusty because of under-use, the Hungarian Grand Prix is associated with processional races, with sometimes many cars following one another, unable to pass. Thierry Boutsen demonstrated this perfectly in 1990, keeping his slower Williams car in front of champion-elect Ayrton Senna, unable to find a way by. The secret to a winning performance at Hungaroring, as well as qualifying well, is pit strategy, best demonstrated in 1998, where Michael Schumacher's Ferrari team changed his strategy mid-race before Schumacher put in one of his finest drives to build up a winning margin after all the stops had been made. Passing is a rarity here, although the 1989 race saw a famously bullish performance from Nigel Mansell in the Ferrari, who started from 12th on the grid and passed car after car, finally taking the lead in splendid opportunist style when Ayrton Senna was baulked by a slower runner. The circuit was modified slightly in 2003 in an attempt to allow more passing.
Other notable occasions in Budapest include first Grand Prix wins for Damon Hill (in 1993), Fernando Alonso (in 2003, the first Grand Prix winner from Spain, who also became the youngest ever driver (at the time) to win a GP), Jenson Button (in an incident-packed race in 2006), and Heikki Kovalainen (in 2008, who also became the 100th winner of a World Championship race). Also noteworthy is Damon Hill's near-win in the technically inferior Arrows-Yamaha in 1997, when his car lost drive on the last lap causing him to coast in second place, and Lewis Hamilton coming within six seconds of winning in 2014, despite starting the race from the pit lane.
In 2001, Michael Schumacher equaled Alain Prost's then record 51 Grand Prix wins at the Hungaroring, in the drive which also secured his 4th Drivers' Championship which also matched Prost's career tally.[3]
The 2006 Grand Prix was the first to be held here in wet conditions. Button took his first victory from 14th place on the grid.[4]
At the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix, it was confirmed that Hungary would continue to host a Formula 1 race until 2021.[5] The track was completely resurfaced for the first time in early 2016, and it was announced the Grand Prix's deal was extended for a further 5 years, until 2026.[6]
Sponsors
- 1988–1990: Pop 84 Magyar Nagydíj
- 1991–2005: Marlboro Magyar Nagydíj
- 2007: Agip Magyar Nagydíj
- 2008–2009: ING Magyar Nagydíj
- 2010–2012: Eni Magyar Nagydíj
- 2013: LG Magyar Nagydíj
- 2014–2015: Pirelli Magyar Nagydíj
Winners of the Hungarian Grand Prix
Repeat winners (drivers)
Only includes World Championship events
| Number of wins | Driver | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton |
2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016 |
| 4 |  Michael Schumacher |
1994, 1998, 2001, 2004 |
| 3 |  Ayrton Senna |
1988, 1991, 1992 |
| 2 | Nelson Piquet |
1986, 1987 |
| Damon Hill |
1993, 1995 | |
 Jacques Villeneuve |
1996, 1997 | |
 Mika Häkkinen |
1999, 2000 | |
| Jenson Button |
2006, 2011 |
Repeat winners (constructors)
Teams in bold are currently competing in Formula One.
| # of wins | Constructor | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | McLaren |
1988, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 |
| 7 | Williams |
1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 |
| 6 |  Ferrari |
1989, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2015 |
| 2 |  Red Bull |
2010, 2014 |
| Mercedes |
2013, 2016 |
Year by year
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
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References
- 1 2 Brad Spurgeon (26 September 2003). "Formula One: a way of fine-tuning an image". International Herald Tribune. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
- ↑ "Formula one races draw in fewer fans in Europe". American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ↑ "Hungarian GP 2001 - Triple success for Ferrari.". crash.net. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ "Hungarian Grand Prix 2006 Review". F1 Fanatic. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ "Hungarian Grand Prix deal extended until 2021". GP Today. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ "Aszfaltavató a Hungaroringen" (in Hungarian). Hungaroring. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
A Magyar Nagydíj szerződését újabb öt évvel meghosszabbítottuk, ami azt jelenti, hogy a futamunknak 2026-ig helye van a Formula–1-es versenynaptárban." Translates as "We have extended the Hungarian Grand Prix's contract for a further 5 years, which means that our race has a place on the F1 calendar until 2026.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hungarian Grand Prix. |
Coordinates: 47°34′59″N 19°15′04″E / 47.583°N 19.251°E