Toto Talks Hungary
We head into the upcoming double header with momentum. We have continued to make progress with the W15 in recent races. That has led to headline results in Austria and Silverstone. However, we know we don’t yet have a car that can challenge for victories every weekend. The team is working hard to bring more steps of performance that we hope will enable us to do that. Those efforts will continue over the next two races and right up until shutdown.
The Hungaroring is different in character to the past couple of circuits. Unlike Silverstone, it features plenty of tight and twisty sections, with just one meaningful straight. It does contain some high-speed corners too however and it will therefore be another good examination of the gains we’ve made across the corner speed range. We head into the weekend focused on doing the best job we can. We hope to maintain this positive trajectory and finish the first half of the season as strongly as possible.
Fact File: Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend tends to be one of the hottest of the year, with an average air temperature of 25°C and a maximum of 33°C.
Correspondingly, track temperatures tend to also be high with an average of 36°C rising to a maximum of just over 50°C.
The amount of braking activity, with six events across the lap, coupled with the high ambient temperatures and the absence of long straights make the circuit exceptionally taxing on the brakes.
The low average speed at the Hungaroring also limits airflow, which makes it even more of a challenge to cool the brakes.
The circuit features 14 corners, six to the left and eight to the right. Many of these follow one after another in quick succession, meaning a well-balanced car that can handle directional changes is important for lap time.
The Hungaroring has one of the lowest top speeds of the season at just over 310 km/h. That is perhaps no surprise given the cars spend just over 10 seconds on a straight over the course of a fast lap, with the remaining time spent cornering.
Those track characteristics are also reflected in the full throttle percentage, which is just 58% of the lap time. This is one of the lowest figures we see across the year.
Despite a relatively short start/finish straight, the distance from pole position to the braking zone for Turn 1 measures 472 metres, on the longer side compared to other venues we visit.
Given the prevalence of slower corners, good traction is important here. That is why this circuit puts the rear tyres under a lot of stress.
2022 saw George take his maiden F1 pole position, while Lewis recorded his first pole position in 18 months in 2023, by taking his ninth pole at the circuit, a new F1 record for most poles at a single Grand Prix.
Lewis is the most successful driver in Hungarian Grand Prix history with a tally of eight victories. Next on the list is Michael Schumacher with four wins to his name.
