Don’t pack your swimming trunks in the suitcase just yet, there’s one more race before F1 says “hello summer holidays”. Eleven races have come and gone and two drivers are still trying to out-fox each other in their bid to become a fifth-time world champion.
Hungary presents the chance for either Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel to gain the upper hand on the pack and skip into half-term top of the class. This narrow and twisty track north east of Budapest was first introduced in 1986, with the idea of a Monaco-style street circuit being built in the capital’s biggest public park – the People’s Park.
Unfortunately, that dream never materialised and the small village of Mogyorod was chosen instead. Any fears that a first grand prix behind the Iron Curtain would fall flat were quickly dismissed as 200,000 spectators turned up to see Nelson Piquet’s Williams pass around the outside of Ayrton Senna’s Lotus to take victory.
The Hungaroring gives fans some of the best views on the calendar, with 80% visibility of the action from certain vantage points. Why not go one better and watch the drama unfold as you slip down the water slides at the Aquarena water park located near the venue?
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the most wins in Hungary (five), although the Briton has never won a Hungarian Grand Prix and a world championship title in the same year.
Twelve months ago, one man who did look like achieving that goal was Sebastian Vettel. The German hung on to win a nail-biting contest despite troubles with his Ferrari, team-mate Kimi Raikkonen complaining he was faster and a late surge by rival Hamilton.
The crowds were also treated to a Red Bull showdown as Max Verstappen’s clumsy takeout of Daniel Ricciardo at Turn Two prompted tense words over the team radio and post-race. “If that’s who I think it was? That’s ******” was Ricciardo’s icy response.
The plaudits were rightly given to Vettel for managing his race well in difficult circumstances. A 14-point lead was in the bag for the Scuderia and the month-long holiday looked all the sweeter. But the elation in Budapest turned to the stuff of nightmares after the summer break. Vettel and Ferrari’s season imploded in Asia in the space of three races. There was the multi-car pile-up in Singapore, an early retirement through engine troubles in Japan, and a spirited fourth-place finish from the back of the grid due to more engine problems in Malaysia.
The title was eventually lifted by Hamilton; the feeling of ‘what if?’ was felt by Vettel. After the high drama of Hockenheim last weekend, who will hold their nerve in Hungary this time out?
Back pocket facts
If you’re a budding writer, head to Budapest’s City Park. Legend has it that touching the pen of the statue of Anonymus will bless you with great writing abilities.
One of Hungary’s famous sons is master of escapology, Harry Houdini. Born Erik Weisz in 1874, the illusionist performed such acts as the suspended straitjacket escape, Chinese water torture cell and the buried alive stunt.
A rare breed of animal native to Hungary is called the mangalica. A cross between a pig and sheep, they have thick, coarse hair, can allegedly be as tame as a house pet and their meat has been described as “the Kobe beef of pork.”
The millennials of Hungary have a special name, the DuckTales generation, due to the death of the first democratically elected Prime Minister Jozsef Antall being announced during the Disney-animated series in 1993.