Hungarian Grand Prix

The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 21 June 1936 over a 5-kilometre (3.1-mile) 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.

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 ever since. 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, with locals making up ten percent while the majority are visitors from Germany.[2] The trophies are "handmade by Herendi Porcelanmanufaktura Zrt with an approximate production time of six months at a cost of €40,000" each. [3]

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 in 1990, keeping his slower Williams car in front of championship leader Ayrton Senna, unable to find a way by. Pit strategy is often crucial; in 1998, Michael Schumacher's Ferrari team changed his strategy mid-race before Schumacher built up a winning margin after all the stops had been made. Passing is a rarity here, although the 1989 race saw a bullish performance from Nigel Mansell in the Ferrari, who started from 12th on the grid and passed car after car, finally taking the lead 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, and the youngest ever Grand Prix winner at the time), Jenson Button (in an incident-packed race in 2006), Heikki Kovalainen (in 2008, who also became the 100th winner of a World Championship race), and Esteban Ocon (in 2021). In 1997, Damon Hill came close to winning in the technically inferior Arrows-Yamaha, but his car lost drive on the last lap causing him to coast in second place. In 2014, Lewis Hamilton finished in third, six seconds behind winner Daniel Ricciardo, despite starting the race from the pit lane.

In 2001, Michael Schumacher equalled Alain Prost's then record 51 Grand Prix wins at the Hungaroring, a drive that secured his fourth Drivers' Championship, which also matched Prost's career tally.[4]

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.[5]

In 2020, Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix for an eighth time, equalling the most times a driver had won the same Grand Prix (sharing the record with Michael Schumacher who won the French Grand Prix eight times). The following year proved to be a memorable Hungarian Grand Prix; Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas was involved in a first-lap incident under wet conditions that took out multiple cars, including Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, and Sergio Pérez, along with Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo; Ricciardo and Verstappen managed to finish the race while the other drivers involved in Bottas' crash all retired. Following the resulting red flag, after which race leader Hamilton pitted for intermediates, making him the only car to start on the grid as the other drivers all started from the pits, Alpine's Esteban Ocon ended up leading the majority of the race, going on to take Team Enstone's first victory since 2014; Hamilton finished second after Sebastian Vettel was disqualified due to an insufficient fuel sample.[6] The 2022 edition was won by Verstappen.

At the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix, it was confirmed that Hungary would continue to host a Formula One race until 2021.[7] 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.[8]

At the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix the contract was extended to 2032.[9]

Drivers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.

Wins	Driver	Years won
8	Lewis Hamilton	2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020
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
	Sebastian Vettel	2015, 2017
	Max Verstappen	2022, 2023
Source:[10]

Teams in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.

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
	Ferrari	1989, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2015, 2017
5	Mercedes	2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020
4	Red Bull	2010, 2014, 2022, 2023
Source:[10]

Manufacturers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.

Wins	Manufacturer	Years won
13	Mercedes *	1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020
9	Renault	1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2010, 2014, 2021
7	Ferrari	1989, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2015, 2017
6	Honda	1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2006
Source:[10]

* Between 1999 and 2005 built by Ilmor, funded by Mercedes

Hungaroring from 1989 to 2002

Hungaroring from 1986 to 1988

Népliget Park (1936)

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Year	Driver	Constructor	Location	Report
1936	Tazio Nuvolari	Alfa Romeo	Népliget	Report
1937 – 1985	Not held
1986	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda	Hungaroring	Report
1987	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda		Report
1988	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda		Report
1989	Nigel Mansell	Ferrari		Report
1990	Thierry Boutsen	Williams-Renault		Report
1991	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda		Report
1992	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda		Report
1993	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault		Report
1994	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Ford		Report
1995	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault		Report
1996	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault		Report
1997	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault		Report
1998	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari		Report
1999	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2000	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2001	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari		Report
2002	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari		Report
2003	Fernando Alonso	Renault		Report
2004	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari		Report
2005	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2006	Jenson Button	Honda		Report
2007	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2008	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2009	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2010	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing-Renault		Report
2011	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2012	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2013	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes		Report
2014	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing-Renault		Report
2015	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari		Report
2016	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes		Report
2017	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari		Report
2018	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes		Report
2019	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes		Report
2020	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes		Report
2021	Esteban Ocon	Alpine-Renault		Report
2022	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-RBPT		Report
2023	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT		Report
Sources:[10][11]