F1 | 2023 Hungarian F1 Grand Prix Preview

The 2023 F1 Season continues the European Tour, no we’re not talking about any Griswolds but a Pest of a different kind in Hungary. Our course we’re talking about the Hungarian Grand Prix, and if you’re Hungary for a unique preview into the big race coming up here is our 2023 Hungarian F1 Grand Prix Preview.

The Gurgler’s 2023 Hungarian F1 Grand Prix Preview brings some thoughts on the race itself, a few bold predictions here and there, a few barely interesting stats.

Essentially a quick summary of what a casual F1 fan needs in the shortest possible time.

The track looks like Wall-E the robot doing the worst effort of I’m a Little Teapot, which works as an analogy to the point that the track feels robotic and just a little slow.

It’s sometimes unfairly called “Monaco without the barriers” and occasionally “that sh!t track with all the boring races” which is probably not very nice.

Stuff does happen at the track, for instance it rains every now and again, and it does often lead to a winner out of nowhere. Esteban Ocon in recent seasons, Thierry Boutsen, Jenson Button won his first race there in the BAR-Honda.

We’re not sure how you can improve it, except extend the straight a fair bit after turn four and make it a tighter hairpin, the remove the chicane and smooth out the esses. Plus remove the current turns 12 and 13 leading to a faster final corner and more chance of an overtake. Of course not engineers and don’t know if it could work, but we also don’t know that it can’t work. Tracks need to stay compeditive to stay in F1, and no one likes a dull track with no passing.

OUR PROPOSED CHANGES TO TRACK

2023 Hungarian F1 Grand Prix Preview – Race Rating

The Gurgler does like to use some obscure drivers in our Race previews and report, so who better to use than Teo Fabi to determine a race rating system.

So before each race we give a rating out of ten for four key category that are loosely based on each letter of Teo Fabi’s surname. Don’t know who Teo Fabi is, you should.

FAST? 2/10 – It’s not called Monaco without the barriers for a reason. But despite this it has one decent corner turn four. The rest is robotic and dull, which one wouldn’t be surprised at given it’s a track made during the Cold War-Iron Curtain days..

ACTION? 5/10 – Real middle of the rod this one. Sometimes races can explode with almost too much action, usually involving rain, others can be pretty dull. It’s a track that has suited Red Bull-Honda in the past. That’s a worry given how much they have dominated elsewhere.

BIG HISTORY? – 5/10  The Hungarian Grand Prix has been around since 1986, and has been won by some of the big names – Piquet, Mansell, Senna, Hill, Schumacher.

INCLEMENT WEATHER? – 7/10 Good news for F1 fans, and bad news for Sergio Perez as according to The Weather Channel there’s plenty of chances for another wet qualifying session (50%). Race day is down to be dry at the moment, but it wouldn’t be the first wet race at the track.

RACE RATING 48% – This race could be anything, except for a non Red Bull winner.

 

Want to know if your favourite driver for this weekend is a master of the track or the track is a master of them? Here then are some barely interesting facts and stats.

• It’s a track for World Champions winning. Just six of the 37 races here have been won by a driver who wasn’t a World Champion or would soon become one.
• Despite having some pretty ordinary McLarens over the season, Lando Norris is the fourth best qualifier of the current driver field (avg grid position). Race results are not so good.
• Fernando Alonso scored his maiden F1 wins here in 2003 for Renault, and if he repeats that feat this season, he will take over the record held by his former Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen for longest gap between first and last race win.
• Oscar Piastri has some decent results at the Hungarian track. In Formula Renault he qualified in the top two in all four races over two seasons. In Formula 3 in 2020 he finished second in both races. And didn’t race there in 2021 in F2.
• Yuki Tsunoda has qualified 16th on each visit to the Hungaroring. 
• Since 2001 there have been winners of this race coming from 8th, 10th and 14th.
• 17th grid slot is by far the most likely qualifying position to DNF.

 

DRIVER GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT FROM 2001 – CURRENT DRIVERS

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TEAM GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT FROM 2001

HISTORIC DRIVER RESULTS

99 = a DNF. Gird position 20 is overstated as that was also used for cars starting in pitlane.

RACE RESULTS FROM GRID POSITION (FROM 2001)

DNFs

 

 

• Podium for Oscar Piastri. Maybe even a 2-3 for McLaren in no particular order. Maybe even a surprise wet qualifying pole for the Australian.
• Daniel Ricciardo to qualify and finish in the top ten.
• It was 2017 when Lewis Hamilton last finished outside the top two. He has only finished off the podium here five times from 16 starts and has qualified fourth or higher in all but three races including eight poles.
• Potential wet qualifying means Perez will be knocked out in Q2.
• Yuki Tsunoda will qualify 16th.
• The Alpine drivers are due to crash into each other at the first corner.

 

ALL RACE RESULTS – HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX