The Hungarian Grand Prix will take place this weekend as the 12th round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship. It will also be the 33rd time that the event will be organised as a world championship since it started in 1950. The event is due to take place between 27th July and 29th July at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, with a range of spectacular programs.
History of the race
The Hungaroring has a special historical significance as it was the first racecourse to be built behind the Iron Curtain. It was built in record-breaking 8 short months so that it would be able to accommodate the 1st Hungarian Grand Prix ever on 10 August 1986. Originally, the length of the course was 4014 metres. However, it has been rebuilt twice since then and has been 4381-meter-long for the last 10 years.
It is often said that “our course is dusty and our competition is hot” when it comes to the Hungarian leg of the championship. In fact, the course in Mogyoród counts as one of the hardest challenges for the drivers.
For instance, it took Sebastian Vettel a total of 9 years to master the course.
In spite of this – or perhaps rather because of it – the competition won the ‘Competition of the Year’ title in 2002.
The first Hungarian contender was Csaba Kesjár, who competed in 1987, and Zsolt Baumgartner started his Formula-1 career here as well, in 2003. At present, there is no Hungarian contender. However, that does not lessen the significance of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Programs for the weekend
The main event will take place on Sunday, 29th July, while practice rounds will run on both Friday and Saturday, with a timed practice run taking place on the afternoon of 28th July. Yesterday, visitors with a valid F1 race ticket had the option to participate in a Public Pit Walk.
On Saturday, there will be a parade at 2 o’clock, followed by one last timed practice run.
The first round of the FIA Formula 2 will commence at 16:45 on Saturday. Drivers have to complete 37 laps which will presumably take them around 60 minutes. Still on Saturday will be held the first round of the GP3 Series. The starting time for it is 18:30 and 22 laps have to be completed, the estimated time for which is around 40 minutes.
The main event of the weekend is without a doubt the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix. It will start at 15:10 and can be expected to last until 17:10, as the assigned 70 laps usually require around 2 hours.
As of now, Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-driver is in the lead of the World Championship, with a 17-point advance over Sebastian Vettel.
Photo: facebook.com/pg/hungaroringofficial/
Before the main event, however, the conclusions to the first rounds of both the FIA Formula 2 and the GP3 Series will take place, both before noon on the 29th.
Why you should go
The Hungaroring races are always fascinating, and you can never really predict who will win. The track is rather narrow, so overtaking the other cars is a challenge. Not to mention that, at the height of the summer, the heat also makes the drivers’ lives more difficult.
The race is worth visiting for the location itself, too.
The course is built in a valley, with hills surrounding, meaning you have a great view of nature, too. There are great places on the hillside as well if you want a perhaps less traditional vantage point.
All in all, the atmosphere is always great at the Hungaroring races. The unpredictability of it all just adds to the excitement, so you should definitely give the event a go, even if you feel like Formula One races are not for you. The races on the tracks in Mogyoród can get the most sceptical people holding their breath while awaiting the outcome.
For more news, check out this article about how the World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championship went down.
Featured image: MTI/AP/Jens Meyer
Source: wikipedia.org, hungaroring.hu, budapestbylocals.com
