F1 Tracks: Hungaroring - Hungarian Grand Prix

As the Cold War dragged on, Bernie Ecclestone pulled off a coup by organising the first Formula 1 race behind the Iron Curtain - the 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hosted at the Hungaroring near Budapest, the race has featured on the F1 calendar every year since and has changed very little with only a couple of corners being reprofiled to aid overtaking.

The circuit is somewhat looked down upon, having been compared to a go-kart track and has an unfair reputation for producing processional races.

But there have been a number of memorable events there, such as Jenson Button's maiden victory after starting 14th in 2006, and the 2021 race in which Lewis Hamilton lined up alone on the grid for a restart while everyone else took to the pits to switch tyres at the end of the formation lap.

Hungaroring location

The circuit is located in the village of Mogyorod, just 13km from central Budapest in the north of Hungary.

When was Hungaroring first built?

Construction of the circuit began in October, 1985 and took just eight months to complete, with the first race being held there in March 1986.

Hungaroring track length

The Grand Prix circuit is unchanged since 2003 and measures 4.381km. Comprising 14 turns, the track has the lowest average speed on the calendar except for Monaco. 

Cars are set up for maximum downforce with top speed relatively unimportant.

When did Hungaroring first host an F1 race?

The first F1 Hungarian Grand Prix took place on 10th August 1986, with the circuit built specifically for that purpose.

Nelson Piquet won the race for Williams having overtaken pole-sitter Ayrton Senna with a spectacular four-wheel drift move after a fierce battle.

Nigel Mansell finished third, but was a lap behind his victorious team-mate.

Hungaroring most wins

Lewis Hamilton has claimed eight victories at the track, which was a joint-record for wins at a single circuit by any driver until the seven-time world champion triumphed for a ninth time at Silverstone in 2024.

Schumacher won four times in Budapest, sealing his fourth world championship with victory in 2001 which also saw him equal Alain Prost's then-record of 51 F1 wins.

Several drivers have claimed their maiden Formula 1 wins at the track including future world champions Damon Hill in 1993, Fernando Alonso in 2003 and Jenson Button in 2006.

Does Hungaroring host any other events?

The circuit hosted a round of the Motorcycle Grand Prix world championship in 1990 and 1992 but is generally little used outside of the F1 weekend.

A round of the International GT Open takes place there, along with the Porsche Carrera Cup and EuroFormula Open.

Hungaroring weather

It's most often blisteringly hot and dry in Budapest at Grand Prix time, with temperatures pushing 40C not out of the ordinary.

The first wet race at the track was in 2006, but the track was dry by the end, while in 2021 the race started on a wet track but quickly dried out.