F1 | GP HUNGARY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “40 FORTY YEARS FROM THE FIRST EDITION AND THE MINARDI TEAM’S DEBUT IN F1”
For the fourteenth round of the World Championship, Formula 1 arrives at the Hungaroring in Budapest to cross the line of the 40th edition – just like the years since the Minardi Team’s debut in the F1 World Championship – with eleven rounds still to go.
The Hungaroring will be the last round before the (well-deserved) summer break and will most likely be the watershed moment for many realities, in particular, the smaller teams which will then have to make the important decision of whether to continue focussing on the season or to channel all their efforts towards 2026.
In particular, I refer to those teams occupying the second half of the ladder, led by Sauber with 43 points, followed by Racing Bulls (41), Aston Martin (36), Haas (35, and finally Alpine bringing up the rear with 20 points. The gaps are very small and all it takes is a positive result (see Sauber’s podium in Silverstone with Hulkenberg) to turn the situation around. At the moment, Aston Martin is focussed on internal reorganization and 2026, with repercussions on the results on the track.
They take to a track that is practically a wide kart circuit where qualifying plays a crucial role. The weather could also be an unknown factor that should not be underestimated with highly variable temperatures throughout the weekend (expected to drop from about 30 degrees on the Friday to the 25° forecast for Sunday) with the possibility of rain as well. These changes could also have repercussions on the tyres, with Pirelli bringing the C3, C4 and C5. Usually, the evolution of performances during the weekend is very marked on this track, especially during the first two days. Graining could appear during Friday’s free practice and then gradually decrease as the cars rubberize the asphalt. High thermal wear is a factor that the drivers will have to deal with even in the qualifying lap, with the Soft tyre that – if not managed adequately – could put them in difficulty in the last two bends of the track, just as the supplier points out.
The Hungaroring will not be the stage of the last days of Formula 1 activity before the summer break. In fact, a session of tests for the developments of the tyres for 2026 will also be held at the circuit, scheduled for Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 August with the collaboration of Ferrari (one day), Racing Bulls (one day), McLaren (one day) and Alpine (two days). The tests will be used to decide on the designs for next year.
On the track front, it will be interesting to follow the internal battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris with the Australian winning in Belgium, extending his lead over his teammate. Positive signs came from Ferrari with Leclerc’s third place and Hamilton’s partial comeback, thus reinforcing their second place in the constructors’ championship.
Gian Carlo Minardi
