Formula One returns to a fan-favourite track this weekend as the Hungaroring Circuit in Budapest hosts the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory in 31 months last time out at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, holding off a late charge from Max Verstappen for a famous ninth win at his home race.
Nonetheless, Verstappen has an 84-point lead in the F1 world championship at the halfway stage of the season, with Lando Norris in second as he targets another win following a handful of near-misses in recent weeks.
Mercedes, meanwhile, are eyeing a third consecutive victory this weekend after George Russell’s win in Austria, while Ferrari are looking to return to form following a torrid triple-header in which Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz struggled for pace. Verstappen won last year’s race in Budapest by a comfortable margin.
Follow live updates from the Hungarian Grand Prix with The Independent
F1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX – LATEST UPDATES
Show latest update
PREVIEW: How 2024 F1 season sparked into life with four teams in contention at Hungarian GP
It’s Saturday night in Bahrain, March 2024. Away from the hullabaloo of paddock gossip and the Red Bull soap-opera, the world champions had blown away the field – again – on their more comfortable field of racing tarmac. Max Verstappen stormed home in first, 22 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez. Carlos Sainz, in third, was 25 seconds off Verstappen and Charles Leclerc 39 seconds behind in fourth.
Cheeks were puffed out, gloomy faces descended. After a 2023 campaign where Red Bull won 21 out of 22 races, were we really in for another 10 months of ultra-domination? Would more eyeballs be turned away in the absence of any competitive action at the front once more? Could Verstappen, perhaps, be the first driver ever to win every race in a season?
The answer to all the above, at the halfway-stage of this record 24-race campaign, is a reassuring no. Because, after two years, the others have finally got their act together.
Kieran Jackson20 July 2024 10:15
Driver Standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix:
1. Max Verstappen – 255 points
2. Lando Norris – 171 points
3. Charles Leclerc – 150 points
4. Carlos Sainz – 146 points
5. Oscar Piastri – 124 points
6. Sergio Perez – 118 points
7. George Russell – 111 points
8. Lewis Hamilton – 110 points
9. Fernando Alonso – 45 points
10. Lance Stroll – 23 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg – 22 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda – 20 points
13. Daniel Ricciardo – 11 points
14. Oliver Bearman – 6 points
15. Pierre Gasly – 6 points
16. Kevin Magnussen – 5 points
17. Alex Albon – 4 points
18. Esteban Ocon – 3 points
19. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points
20. Logan Sargeant – 0 points
21. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points
Kieran Jackson20 July 2024 10:10
When is the Hungarian Grand Prix?
Kieran Jackson20 July 2024 10:08
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix – qualifying!
Good morning and welcome to live coverage of qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest!
It was a mixed day yesterday at practice – while Carlos Sainz showed promising Ferrari pace in the first session by topping the timesheets, Charles Leclerc then crashed in FP2!
Max Verstappen was second-fastest in both sessions while McLaren’s Lando Norris went quickest in FP2.
What will qualifying bring then? It’s fairly open once again!
Kieran Jackson20 July 2024 10:06
Lando Norris determined to stay ‘a nice guy’ in title battle with Max Verstappen
Norris, who saw off Verstappen to finish fastest in practice for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, has emerged as the Red Bull driver’s closest title challenger, and he could have arrived for the 13th round of the campaign with four consecutive wins had it not been for mistakes by driver and team.
A poor strategy call scuppered Norris’ hopes of winning in Canada last month. The 24-year-old said his sluggish getaway from pole position – where he dropped from first to third – at the ensuing round in Spain denied him another triumph.
Kieran Jackson19 July 2024 18:22
McLaren team principal on championship challenge:
Kieran Jackson19 July 2024 17:58
How 2024 F1 season sparked into life with four teams in contention at Hungarian GP
It’s Saturday night in Bahrain, March 2024. Away from the hullabaloo of paddock gossip and the Red Bull soap-opera, the world champions had blown away the field – again – on their more comfortable field of racing tarmac. Max Verstappen stormed home in first, 22 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez. Carlos Sainz, in third, was 25 seconds off Verstappen and Charles Leclerc 39 seconds behind in fourth.
Cheeks were puffed out, gloomy faces descended. After a 2023 campaign where Red Bull won 21 out of 22 races, were we really in for another 10 months of ultra-domination? Would more eyeballs be turned away in the absence of any competitive action at the front once more? Could Verstappen, perhaps, be the first driver ever to win every race in a season?
The answer to all the above, at the halfway-stage of this record 24-race campaign, is a reassuring no. Because, after two years, the others have finally got their act together.
Kieran Jackson19 July 2024 17:34
Kieran Jackson19 July 2024 17:16
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix: Lando Norris fastest in FP2!
That table-topping time remains No 1! Lando Norris fastest at the end of second practice with a 1:17:788, 0.243 secs clear of Max Verstappen in second!
Carlos Sainz, quickest in FP1, was third-fastest with a 1;18:185, with Sergio Perez in fourth and George Russell fifth – half-a-second off Norris.
6-10: Magnussen, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Albon, Alonso
Not sure what happened to Oscar Piastri in P13!
Kieran Jackson19 July 2024 17:04
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix: Lando Norris goes fastest!
The McLaren sets the quickest time with 10 to go with a 1:17:788, 0.243 secs quicker than Max Verstappen in second!
Carlos Sainz is a tenth further back with Sergio Perez four-tenths off Norris and George Russell in fifth. Lewis Hamilton, in seventh, is 0.575 secs off the pace.
6-10: Magnussen, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Albon, Alonso
Kieran Jackson19 July 2024 16:55