Five Things to Know About the Hungarian GP

The Hungarian Grand Prix is fast approaching — and there’s plenty to be excited about for Williams fans.

Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant are back in action after a few days of rest and recuperation, following their exploits at Silverstone earlier this month.

The duo secured P9 and P11 finishes at the home of British motorsport, so will be in good spirits ahead of their trip to Mogyoród.

As the clock ticks towards Friday’s FP1, here are five key facts about this weekend’s race.

Visits to the Hungaroring are often accompanied by scorching heat, and this year is no exception.

The temperature looks set to be a balmy 31°C (87.8°F) by the time FP1 gets under way, rising to 32°C (89.6°F) for FP2.

And it is a similar story on Saturday, before a peak of 33°C (91.4°F) around the start of Sunday’s race.

However, there is likely to be a gentle breeze throughout the weekend, while no rain is forecast at the time of publication.

There are few opportunities to overtake at the Hungarian GP, so all eyes will be on Saturday’s qualifying.

A strong performance there will set Alex and Logan in good stead for the main event, on a track that contains a total of 14 slow to medium-speed corners.

The best chance to pass other cars is likely to be in Sector 1 — primarily the braking zone into Turn 1 and the long left-hand Turn 3 — but a strong quali performance may define the team’s prospects of success in Mogyoród.

That said, the Hungaroring offers plenty of other challenges.

It is a street circuit that in many ways resembles a full-size karting track, and is often likened to Monaco because of its exhilarating nature.

Alex and Logan will be hoping to take inspiration from past Williams successes at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Three drivers have won this race twice while representing Williams — Nelson Piquet (1986 & 1987), Damon Hill (1993 & 1995) and Jacques Villeneuve (1996 & 1997) — while Thierry Boutsen also triumphed in 1990.

Elsewhere, Nigel Mansell’s P2 finish in 1992 saw him secure the World Drivers’ Championship at the Hungaroring.

And with a total of six P1 qualifying performances over the years, there are certainly plenty of memorable moments at Mogyoród to look back on.

Alex will have been frustrated to finish just outside the points during our 2023 trip to Hungary, but has the chance to go one better on Sunday.

AA23 placed 11th at the previous edition, which represented a commendable climb from his P16 qualifying position.

But, having claimed a point with Toro Rosso in 2019 and finished fifth with Red Bull Racing in 2020, he will be keen to perform similarly well this time around.

Meanwhile, Logan is going in search of his first points in Hungary and will be boosted by a credible P11 finish at Silverstone last time out.

Williams Driver Academy members Franco Colapinto, Zak O'Sullivan and Luke Browning are all in action this weekend.

Franco should be in buoyant spirits after Silverstone, having driven the FW46 in FP1 and recorded the fastest lap during the Formula 2 race — the second time he has done so in as many rounds.

Zak will also be in Formula 2 action, while Luke has the opportunity to climb the Formula 3 rankings in Mogyoród.

He currently sits in third place, just a point behind Arvid Lindblad in second and seven points off top spot.