Five Storylines To Look Out for at the 2024 F1 Hungarian GP

Budapest is a city where old stunning architecture meets new trends and a vibrant nightlife, making it a popular tourist spot for those wanting a fun-filled city break.

Throughout history Hungary has punched above its weight in sports, with the country's greatest footballer, Ferenc Puskás, leading Real Madrid to three European Cup titles in the 1950s and 60s. In swimming, Budapest's Krisztina Egerszegi dominated the backstroke discipline between the 1980s and 90s, winning five gold medals at three Olympics and earning her the nickname 'little otter.'

Located 20 km from the city is the Hungaroring, a 2.722-mile circuit that welcomed Formula 1 for the first time in 1986, becoming the first country to host a Grand Prix inside the Soviet Union. The fans on hand that day were treated to a brilliant battle between Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna, with the former pulling off a stunning move around the outside of his compatriot into Turn 1 to take victory.

Since then, it has remained on the F1 calendar and has become a popular race for fans from all over Europe, who travel to the circuit for exciting racing, cheap tickets, and extremely hot weather.

But what storylines should fans look out for, and why will they be significant to Sunday's race?

Red hot temperatures and a dusty circuit, pitstop heavy race ahead?

The Hungaroring is used sparingly throughout the calendar year, allowing for dust to settle on the circuit. It clears when the action begins on Friday morning, with the track getting quicker as the weekend goes on.

This weekend, the teams and drivers face the added challenge of ambient temperatures in the mid-to-high 30s, which increase the risk of tyres fading during the race. Pitstops will be crucial, too, as one—or two-stop strategies are the norm at the Hungaroring, although a three-stopper race isn't out of the question if extreme weather increases the risk of punctures.

It also adds further pressure on the teams to perfect their qualifying timings, ensuring both drivers get out on track as it improves.

Will Red Bull be back on song?

One year ago, Red Bull was on top of the world, easily dominating both the drivers' and constructors' championships. Max Verstappen, the conductor of an orchestra that hit every note with aplomb, took victory in Budapest with Sergio Perez ending a poor run of form to finish third.

Things are different in 2024. Verstappen is still driving at the top of his game, but his team is floundering, and Perez's struggles with form have prevented him from returning to the podium.

Since a disappointing Monaco GP, Verstappen has finished in the top five in every race and won both the Canadian and Spanish GPs after sustaining intense pressure from McLaren's Lando Norris. The Dutchman would have won in Austria if he and the Brit hadn't collided late in the race. A lack of pace at Silverstone prevented him from challenging Lewis Hamilton for victory, but he was still able to close the gap between himself and the seven-time world champion to one and a half seconds before the chequered flag.

Although Verstappen has won the last two Hungarian GPs, McLaren and Mercedes have previously been strong in Budapest. Although the track has been resurfaced, Red Bull's RB20 is poor over bumps which will add to the Dutchman's concerns.

But with the Hungaroring being a circuit where passing is tricky, a first pole position since Austria will put him in a perfect position to extend his championship lead.

Are Mercedes really back?

After two years of misery, Mercedes is back in business with two consecutive wins in Austria and Britain. In both races, the team had the speed to challenge McLaren and Verstappen, but the team's strategy was key to securing George Russell and Hamilton's victories.

However, the real test of whether Mercedes is well and truly back will be the Hungaroring, a circuit where the team has previously performed well, even during its lean periods in 2022 and 2023.

Mercedes' W15 chassis has previously struggled with long runs in hot conditions and humid weather, such as in Spain and Austria; they have struggled to keep up with McLaren and Verstappen. With warm conditions expected, we will get our first glimpse as to whether the eight-time constructor champions are now a serious contender again for wins or improvements are needed before a title push in 2025.

Hulksmashing to another top-six?

Amidst all the championship fight hoopla, Nico Hulkenberg is enjoying a rich vein of form. The German has dragged his Haas to places it seemed destined never to visit at the start of 2024, finishing in the top six in Austria and Great Britain.

Under Ayao Komatsu, Haas has got the feel-good factor back after three up-and-down seasons. The team's upgrade package is already working wonders, giving them an outside chance of challenging Aston Martin for fifth in the constructors championship.

Hulkenberg has excelled at qualifying recently, making six Q3 appearances in 2024. He has a 9-3 lead over his teammate Kevin Magnussen in their head-to-head battle. Another top-10 starting slot will put him in a good position to make it a hat-trick of points-scoring finishes.

A crucial weekend in the driver market

In the most expensive game of musical chairs, Budapest typically marks the start of the business end of the driver market. Haas is likely the next team to confirm its lineup, with Alpine refugee Esteban Ocon set to team up with British rookie Oliver Bearman.

This leaves Sauber/Audi in a pickle, as its targets, Ocon and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, are now looking away from the Swiss team. Finland's Valtteri Bottas is likely to move on at the end of the season, while Zhou Guanyu has an outside chance to partner Hulkenberg for 2025.

But all eyes are on Perez who faces a crunch pair of weekends to save his F1 career. Rumors state the Mexican must be within 100 points and five places of Verstappen in the drivers' standings by summer break, and if he doesn't achieve this, he could be released from his contract.

With question marks surrounding Perez's future, several drivers are now jostling for his second seat in 2025. RB's Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are at the front of the queue, but hotly-rated Liam Lawson is in with a shout of the drive, as is Sainz.

The musical chairs could land Formula 2 championship leader Frenchman Isack Hadjar an F1 birth with RB, potentially alongside Lawson. However, this will depend on whether the Kiwi decides to stay or leave the Red Bull family.