2021 Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix: Race preview

It's the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and before Formula One heads into the summer break, there's sure to be some fireworks around the Hungaroring circuit this weekend.

It was a showstopper last time out at Silverstone with a heated battle between the two championship contenders from the moment the lights went out. The intense contest came to a premature end with Lewis Hamilton forcing Max Verstappen off the track, ending his race.

Hamilton was victorious, closing the gap between the pair in the championship – and Lewis heads into this weekend trailing by only eight points.

Verstappen's Red Bull was almost unrecognisable after the crash, with the shunt has already costing the team almost $3.5 million. Regardless, the team will test the Silverstone power unit on Friday to test its viability. The saga continued this week as Red Bull lodged a request for the FIA to review the incident, which was promptly dismissed by the stewards.

In other news, the silly season should certainly be heating up soon, with Bottas last week declaring that he's open to other options outside F1. The second spot at Mercedes is still in question, with George Russell the frontrunner for next year's drive alongside Hamilton.

This weekend returns to the original race format after fans were treated to the new sprint qualifying format last time out. It's expected to be warm in Hungary this weekend, with temperatures in the high 20s for practice on Friday, while Saturday and Sunday will be a little cooler with some winds and a 25 per cent chance of rain for the race on Sunday.

The Grand Prix is held in the middle of summer, which is usually extremely hot and dry in this region. Its first wet Grand Prix race was in 2006.

The circuit length is 4.381km. The race will run for 70 laps over a distance of 306.630km.

Lap record: 1:16.627, Lewis Hamilton

The Hungarian Grand Prix has been staged at the Hungaroring circuit outside of Budapest every year since 1986.

From higher vantage points, it’s possible to see around 80 per cent of the circuit. At 4.381km, the Hungaroring is the third shortest Formula One circuit on the current calendar and the second slowest after Monaco.

Lewis Hamilton has won more Hungarian Grand Prix than any other driver, with his tally currently at eight.

Hamilton and Schumacher share the record for most poles at the track, with seven each.

Jenson Button took his first F1 win at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, taking the victory from 14th on the grid. It’s one of only two times the race has been won from further back than fourth on the grid, the other instance being Nigel Mansell in 1989.

No one could have predicted that outcome last time out. While the battle has mainly been between the big players, the races this year have actually been quite thrilling and now with only eight points in it, this will surely be a spectacle prior to the summer break.

Hamilton is king at this track with seven poles to his name and eight wins. But don't discount Verstappen who's been on a hot streak when it comes to qualifying sessions, on a run of four straight poles. This is also where he took his breakthrough pole position in 2019. He will be coming in with a hot head and wanting to claim those points back after a tough run at Silverstone. Game on.

Ricciardo has won in Hungary before – back in 2014. He also had his best result of the season last race in Britain, so this could be the beginning of some good form from him. Lando Norris is always one to watch in the McLaren, while Pierre Gasly has had flashes of brilliance this season but needs another boost of confidence before the break. Watch out for him this round.

Lance Stroll just missed a podium position here in 2020 – he too needs a strong result, having only bagged 18 points so far this season in his Aston Martin. The Ferraris didn't do so well here last year but they're on a hot streak so I wouldn't discount either of them for a podium.

Who will come out of this one leading the championship?

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